Paul Symons, bit of a bio

Born 1968 a Taranaki farmboy, Paul Symons grew up listening to late night AM radio & learning songs at lunchtime guitar lessons.

Not playing his first gig till his late teens in Dunedin, Paul caught the bug, gigging solo around Dunedin & Otago, writing songs, & recording a demo EP at Kaponga’s legendry “Rowan Studio” with Allan Muggeridge on a trip home in the late 80’s.

Our clever hero decided to maximize the ‘Bluesness’ of life by acquiring a vintage Bedford schoolbus & heading off in a never-ending spiral around the South & occasionally the North island, playing pubs, skifields, motorcycle rallies & festivals. Along the way holding down job as oilrig worker, gardener, painter, wharfie, builder, sawmiller & dumptruck driver (strictly for the ‘Johnny-Cashness’). The ever-expanding tour came to a welcome halt in Auckland in the mid 90s & the housebus was tethered.

The first album “Spaceman” was released in 2005 to a warm response. Time was spent fronting & playing slide with legendry Westy party-band “The Dusters”, playing pedal-steel with alt country combo “Too Far Gone” & playing original music with Lott Larson in “F3” (the Fickle Finger of Fate).

Then, as fate would have it, Lott joined Paul Symons in February 2011 to make the“Shooting Stars” album at Wellington’s Braeburn Studio with drummer Des Mallon. Planning underway for getting about a bit more & making some ruckus. Soon as Paul finishes the rebuild on the Schoolbus…