Paul Nourigat found himself locked down with five guitars and a whole bunch of free time in 2020. The 62 year-old had toyed with music throughout his life. From childhood trumpet lessons to ukulele classes in adulthood, Paul dipped his toes in the water but never jumped. He says, “I’d been a musical spectator my whole life.” The pandemic changed all that. The free time allowed him to turn that passive interest into an active passion.
Covid became the perfect zone to obsess a bit with my new toys. My wife took many long walks as I was learning to play, learning to sing, and writing songs. Bottom line, I’m leveraging 62 years of life-experiences and the lock-down, to explore this new frontier and create stuff others might enjoy.
Paul Nourigat
The result of this musical exploration is Paul Nourigat’s debut album “Open Up My Days.” The ten songs on the record (5 originals and 5 covers) were carefully chosen by Paul to express the myriad of emotions we all experienced over the past 18 months. It is a personal and intimate recording. Although there is some accompaniment throughout, most of the record finds Paul alone with his guitar. We can hear ourselves in his lonely contemplation.
On his original compositions Paul sings of both familial and romantic love on tracks like “Sweet Home” and “A Love So Right.” He mourns and regrets the loss of loved ones on “I’ll Always Wish.” The record is the sound of the road we have all travelled alone together over the last year and a half. Listeners will find familiar territory as Paul Nourigat stares dreamily at the sky on “Bend Stars.” We all share in the title track’s expressions of hope and yearning for normalcy. And, like Paul, we are looking for that light at the end of the tunnel.
Similarly, his choice of cover songs mirror the emotional sources of our collective angst. Paul sings a melancholy gospel on the Emylou Harris Country/Blues classic “Prayer in Open D.” He strolls through nature on Bob Seeger’s “By the River” and delivers a tear-jerker goodbye on the Eagles’ “It’s Your World Now.” He appreciates the little things on Guy Clark’s “Stuff That Works” and stands defiantly against the storm on the Willie Nelson album cut “Bring it On.”
Check out the powerful “Open Up My Days” video below. You can also hear the song on the Deep Indie Songwriters playlist. Follow the links below to connect with Paul Nourigat. His debut album is a quietly powerful and emotional record. Give it a listen and follow his profiles to stay tuned for the next chapter in his musical journey.
Connect:
Paul Nourigat on the Deep Indie playlists
