Press Kit |

Bio
"Paul Weber's show at the Ottawa Grassroots Festival (May 23 , 2023) was excellent and entertaining. Paul had the audience enthralled with his tales of Ottawa's historical life from ghost trains, to Gerry Barber the infamous bouncer at the Chaudiere Club. Paul brings history alive through his songs and stories."
- Ian Tamblyn, Artistic Director, Ottawa Grassroots Fesival - 2023

Paul Weber is a bilingual singer-songwriter, guitarist, storyteller and videographer who has performed across Canada in various incarnations. His high-energy live shows combine folk tunes with storytelling and sometimes video, all presented in a laid-back, humorous way. Paul has won several awards for his music, including in 2023, the Ottawa Historical Society's Francois Bregha Storyteller award.

"Paul is a wonderful story teller/songwriter who focuses on local lore, legends and stories.I highly recommend checking him out. A genuine troubadour and an absolute treasure."
- John Carroll, musician

Paul’s music reflects his eastern-Ontario folk roots and his strong connections to his community. His songs are full of stories about the people and places he grew up with and the history of those places. His most recent album, Ode to Gerry Barber, was inspired by a fire and born during a pandemic. It’s full of stuff that doesn't always make it into the history books—a heartfelt album about community, struggle, and lost stories. From song to song, Paul’s musical styles go from front-porch folk, to jazzy ballad, to country-flavoured pop—you never know what will come out next. His song writing combines the emotional rawness of Bruce Springsteen with the locally-themed songs of Stompin’ Tom and the historic sagas of Gordon Lightfoot.

Paul is available as a solo performer, with a trio, or with a larger ensemble, depending on the type of event.

Over his career Paul has performed at venues such as the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and the Dawson City Folk Festival. He has released five different recordings, three with the Afro-pop band Cheza (cheza.paulweber.ca), one with the Main Street Market Band (mainstreetmarketband.paulweber.ca) and one solo recording.

Paul has been the receipt of two FACTOR grants, an arts grant from the City of Ottawa, and funding from the Canada Broadcasting Corporation. In 2020 he was awarded a Bernard-Grandmaître award for his musical contribution to Francophone culture. In 2021 the City of Ottawa chose one of his songs to be featured in their “Music on Hold” program. In 2022 Paul was the recipient of an Awesome Ottawa grant, which allowed him to video tape his CD launch so that his songs and stories of Ottawa could be shared with a wider audience.

Solo Career Highlights

July 2023, Paul was the recipient the Ottawa Historical Society's Francois Bregha Storyteller award.
December 2022, one of Paul's songs is included in the 2022 City Sounds playlist. Check it out here.
October 2022, Paul launched Ode to Gerry Barber at the Red Bird Live, to a SOLD-OUT audience. The entire show has been video taped and is viewable on Paul's YouTube channel.
September 2022, Paul was awarded an Awesome Ottawa grant to support the video recording of his CD release show.
December 2021, one of Paul's songs was selected by the City of Ottawa to be part of a City's Soundcloud Playist. Check it out here.
June 2021, Paul’s videos were profiled on the Jane’s Walk web page. Check it out here.
May 2021, one of Paul’s songs was selected by the City of Ottawa from many applicants for their Music on Hold program.
January 2020, the song “Dans un mile carré” won Paul a L'Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario (AFO) award for contributions to Francophone culture by an Anglophone.
In 2019 Paul was awarded a FACTOR recording grant to assist in making his debut CD, Ode to Gerry Barber.
The song “The Great Fire (of 1870)” has a video that was filmed in the Burnt Lands in Almonte where the fire once raged.
The song, "Ode to Gerry Barber" includes a special guest appearance by Gerry Barber Junior saying the words his dad once spoke.

Recent show highlights:

August 2023, Barnstorm, Finch Ontario
April 2023, Ottawa Grassroots Festival
October 2022, Paul launched Ode to Gerry Barber at the Red Bird Live

Short Bio

Paul Weber is a bilingual singer-songwriter, guitarist, storyteller and videographer who has performed across Canada in various incarnations. His high-energy live shows combine folk tunes with storytelling and video, all presented in a laid-back, humorous way. He is a people’s poet of sorts, telling tales of past times, stories of the street, and community struggles.

What Fans Say
"Saw the Paul Weber Quartet last night at a backyard lawn party. A great way to experience music and performance. If you are ever in the area they are well worth checking out. Great playing, strong catchy melodies, ethereal harmonies with solid rhythm. Stories about community and local history. Recommended."
- David Bleankey, House concert attendee

"We asked Paul to write a song in honour of a friend who was about to celebrate the 20th anniversary of her arrival in Canada. We met and provided details of what made her special in the eyes of her friends. Aside from a vague idea that it should have a catchy refrain he headed out for a few months while a creative seed took root. The result was a lively and uplifting song with catchy lyrics that captured her essence perfectly. Together with Paul's natural ability to entertain, a great evening was enjoyed by all! Thanks Paul!"
- Judith Schmid (commissioned a song from Paul)

“Living in Lanark County..drive by the Burnt Lands every day. I was so moved by this great song of Paul Weber's (The Great Fire of 1870) . It is right up there with Lightfoot's Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, or Stan Rogers' Mary Ellen Carter..bravo ! Truly a great work.”
- Jim Mountain, CKCU Listener

Reviews
“Paul captures the essence of some great characters and reminds us of some important, universal stories on a recording that mixes elements of narrative folk music and gritty blues.”
- Joe Reilley, CKCU Radio

"Paul played a great show at our home. His musicianship was only matched by his warmth and friendly audience engagement. His repertoire of songs about Ottawa neighbourhoods and its history were a big hit. We have hosted shows for about 5years (pandemic excluded) and the post show comments from our regulars confirmed him as a new favourite. We will be booking him again."
- Nick Heisler, House Concert Presenter

“Over the past year Paul has been coming into Canadian Spaces, the show I host on CKCU, to regularly perform songs from his new project, the Ottawa Songs. Paul’s songs have impressed me with their deep connection to our community, strong lyric content and emotional impact. These are some of the best tunes I’ve ever heard from Paul.”
- Chris White, CKCU Radio DJ

“Paul Weber's "Songs of Ottawa". This was a particularly touching presentation. Paul has developed a body of songs that tell the history and story of our region. Historic events, the hardship of building a community in this harsh conditions, the tales of characters well known to many who were born in this city or lived here a few decades ago. If you have a chance to catch Paul at one of his future shows I strongly encourage to go and enjoy a fascinating work of musical art.”
- Juan-Luis Vasquez Ceron , House Concert Presenter

Press
Interview on Canadian Spaces, as part of the Ottawa Grassroots Festival (YouTube) - Chris White chats with Paul and his backup band, starting at 17:00. April 2023

Interview on CKCU The Guest List - Joe Reilley and Paul talk about the songs, where they came from and why they are in the order they are!

Interview on CKCU Wednesday Special Blend - A chat with Tic about finishing a CD during COVID, the songs, the people, the communities.

Interview on CKCU Canadian Spaces - A chat with the human dynamo Chris White about Ode to Gerry Barber and its inspirations.

Singer-storyteller’s new album paints a picture of Ottawa, then and now - Ottawa Life Magazine, Natasha Bulowski, September 2020
“As we find ourselves in the grips of a pandemic, perhaps there’s no better time to hear raw, local stories to rekindle a sense of community and shared experiences.”

Musician marks Great Fire Anniversary - West Carleton Online, Jake Davies, September 2020
“I find to bring these stories to life, you have to connect on an emotional level,” Weber said. “There are still some old houses with beams in them that have burn marks. We have our own stories here in the Ottawa area and I think we don’t need to import ones from abroad.”

Perspectives Vanier - March 2020
”Paul Weber et sa chanson « Dans un mille carré » inspirée de plusieurs conversations avec Paul Crête et Jean Ouellet a remporté le Laurier allié de la francophonie de l’année. Lors de l’acceptation de son prix, il s’est excla-mé « Vive Vanier libre! ».

Drummond Street Cohousing Concert A Hit - Ottawa Mainstreeter, Daniel Miranda, Winter 2019
“Paul Weber shared his exciting new project entitled, “Ode to Gerry Barber” This collection, written by Weber, chronicles stories inspired by both historical events from Ottawa’s past and Weber’s personal memories of our government town.

Songs in the Key of "O": Musician Paul Weber finds in Muse in Local History - Ottawa Citizen - Bruce Deachman, June 29, 2018
“I wrote this song about Gerry Barber, this bouncer at the Chaudière Club in the ’70s and ’80s, and the reaction was overwhelming. The stories I heard from people and the emails I was getting — from people in the Northwest Territories, even — and people sharing the video everywhere. And I started noticing that it was being shared by people with the last name of Barber, and it turned out they were all Barber family members — descendants or siblings of Gerry Barber, and I’ve had several conversations with his son, his daughter, other cousins, grandkids. That meant a lot to me, to get that kind of reaction. It was really touching."

Local History Gets Musical with Paul Weber's Ottawa Song Project - Ottawa Life - Andre Gagne, January 16, 2018
"With that stronger want to tell stories through his lyrics in mind, he’s embarked on what he’s called The Ottawa Song Project. While many musicians may want to chase their dreams in other pastures, Weber has been content digging in his roots where he was first planted. Ottawa, he has discovered, has many tales to tell. "

Photos

Connect
You can reach Paul at info@paulweber.ca, or via www.paulweber.ca, Facebook, Youtube, Bandcamp or Instagram