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Artist
Paul Cogley
5+ albums
about
Paul Cogley’s songs tell stories that can linger with you a long time. Often they deal with restlessness and loss. Yet Cogley’s songs have an upbeat feeling. At their core they are about hope, combined, perhaps, with a dash of patience. In fact, Cogley’s unlikely journey to American Hill, his debut album, has something to say about being patient for your moment to arrive. Originally from New York, for many years Paul Cogley lived in Nevada City, California where he worked as a firefighter, heavy equipment operator, freelance comic book critic for the SF Chronicle, and, eventually, the town’s city planner. An admirer of the great songwriters—“the heavy hitters who span the decades”—he covered favorite songs and honed his skills at open mics in bars and clubs. Returning to New York City in the early 2000s to take a new job and begin a new marriage, he put away the guitar and took a hiatus from music. However, music wasn’t gone from his life, just lying low. “One day I picked up my old Martin and out came a whole new song,” he said. “It rambled a bit but grabbing it out of the air and getting it down meant a lot. Music always seems to help me in my struggle to define myself.” Cogley wrote a batch of tunes and, looking beyond his customary horizons, took aim to record them. In time, a band was put together for a recording project. Cogley’s vocals—compelling, candid, and distinctive—were rolled together with renowned guitarist Steve Elliot, bassist Tim Luntzel, who extensive
