Paul Basile

Bio: 7/06 Fresh from the wilds of the Alaskan bush, Paul Basile (pronounced like the herb) returns to New York with four long, dark winters worth of songs and a brand new album, "Skeletons. The disc was recorded in the woody confines of a small bedroom in his Bethel, Alaska home - a world away from where he got his start. While earning an incredibly practical degree from an Upstate New York college, Basile played in a folk duo whose aim was to impress girls with the four chords they knew between them.

While earning an incredibly practical degree from an Upstate New York college, Basile played in a folk duo whose aim was to impress girls with the four chords they knew between them. After graduation, he headed west to Billings, Montana in the fall of 2001. There Basile began writing more seriously and held a weekly gig at The Beanery, a local bar. The Billings press soon took notice and called his music "hypnotizing."

Not finding the contrast between New York and Montana drastic enough, Basile headed further west (and way north) to Bethel, Alaska. His quirky new home provided little outlet for an aspiring musician. But it was in this rough and rustic environment that Basile took a hobby and made it a passion.

He earned his living writing and dog mushing but left plenty of time for music. Basile became a veritable song factory, creating music that combines quiet, stirring imagery with tremendously catchy tunes. By the fall of 2005 the coffeeshops and conference halls of Bethel, Alaska were packed with fans singing along nearly every weekend.

Armed with a duct-taped Martin and his gravely voice, Basile writes and sings earnest songs about people loving, people being wronged and people trying to do right. His style is often likened to those of Bright Eyes and Richard Buckner. The songs are steeped in all things Alaskan, but speak to a broad audience, dodging cliche at every turn. They are rustic American folk-rock songs for anyone, anywhere.