Every once in a while I have the privilege of keeping my technical chops in form by doing sound at the Roxy here on Gabriola. There are usually great shows to be seen there, and Paul Gellman's output on August 15 was no exception. I had only previously seen Paul at acoustic jams playing guitar and I was also familiar with his early musical adventures with the Perth County Conspiracy. I found his music at the jams to be quite pleasant listening. But this night's performance transported me completely to a different time and place...Paul's piano was reminiscent of great R&B and gospel rolling piano licks, his rockin' band was perfect for the soulful musical approach. The rhythm section, consisting of Paul's son Josh Gellman on very funky bass and drummer Luke Nixon, kept things hopping, while Brad Shipley provided some exciting breaks on guitar and mandolin. A great addition to the band was the backup vocalizing of Tami Blazer whose work was a musician's joy to hear. She watched Paul for key phrasing and matched his emotional vibrations with each song, which gave great power to the music, as great vocal blends always do. The very enthusiastic audience danced and sang along with Paul and were obviously familiar with songs like "Volcano" and "Medicine Wheel."
For more information on Paul Gellman visit www.paulgellman.com
Tim Harrison
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