Paleface
The Show Is on the Road
(Ramseur, 2009)

Being a highly influential artist is no guarantee of fame and fortune. Take Paleface for example. He hung out with Beck back in the days when they were both starving young artists, but the Beck connection has never translated into any kind of mainstream recognition. He was also one of the first anti-folk artists signed to a major label, but his brush with the popular music machine left him in an alcohol-induced muddle. In 1998, he cleaned up and started issuing his music on lo-fi CDs on his own label but failed to rise above the underground. So, despite being legendary in some circles, most folks had never heard of him.

A few years back, the Avett Brothers, who are more pro-folk than anti-, discovered him and invited him to help out on their Four Thieves Gone album. They included one of his tunes, “Dancin’ Daze”, on the final release. Perhaps the good influence of the Avetts rubbed off on our hero and his partner-in-crime, drummer Monica “Mo” Samalot, because the music on The Show Is on the Road is actually music, a bit folky and a bit pop, with an uplifting feel that replaces the abrasive in-yer-face attitude of his earlier work.

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