Paul Koudouris

Paul Koudouris, who hails from San Antonio – TX, is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist and singer songwriter. Paul studied music and theatre at Point Park Universities Conservatory Program and Regents College London earning his BA in Musical Theatre. He completed his debut album “Twenty-Something” at Killingsworth Recording Company in Los Angeles Produced by Tomas Costanza. The album had its official release at Sundance Film Festival 2013 as a featured artist.

While modern music continues to move towards a more synthesized, polished brand of sound, there has been an increase in artists that focus on traditional, folksy songwriting. Amos Lee, Ben Harper, The Lumineers, Fleet Foxes, Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, The Civil Wars, The Avett Brothers, and the list goes on and on.

Paul Koudouris’ debut album “Twenty-Something” firmly establishes him as an indie artist to be reckoned with in these ranks. This isn’t music assembled to hook you in between radio ads. With much of today’s music being the way it is, you’ll find that you’ve “tuned your ears” to the templated song, waiting for the quick hook so you can absorb it. You’ll listen to it a few times then throw it away, but you can’t do that with Paul’s music and if you approach it that way you’re likely to pass his work off as simple folk music. But if you listen to what he’s trying to say, if you search for the soul of the artist you’ll find no masquerade on this album. “Twenty-Something”, is a coherent work. It is an imaginative and inspired album.


The songs here are heart-felt; intense, strong, sad, angry, and joyful, in a word, varied! He touches on familiar everyday life themes, combining his lyrical poetry with simple yet powerful melodies that are driven by his extraordinary vocal range. Paul Koudouris is one of those singers with a distinctive voice, so powerful; it will lift your soul through every verse and chorus. And when you listen to his music, you realize it is a perfect match.

All throughout the album, Paul sounds like he is sitting two feet in front of you and singing directly to you. The arrangements are in keeping with this. A beautiful acoustic guitar and a few minimal embellishments, drive the album, yet it has an incredibly dynamic resonance that rings all around the room.

Paul demonstrates a range of voices and styles that putting him into a single category would invariably leave something out. He relies on the power of musical understatement, allowing his voice to convey strong emotion in each and every song. The standout songs that make up the middle of the album: “Better Off With The Blues,” “My Kinda Girl,” “Eyes Closed On The Ride Home,” and “Til The Real Thing Comes Along,” as well as the final track “Somewhere Along The Way” are perfect examples of deceptively simple, but extraordinarily compelling deliveries.

On “Twenty-Something,” Paul Koudouris will quickly become your inspiration, with a voice that packs such a punch, it will stay with you for quite a while. There haven’t been that many debut albums this rich, this pure, this touching in a long time. Paul possesses a gift, a raw talent that helps you see through to the very emotion he’s feeling with every note he sings. - JamSphere

Paul Koudouris, who hails from San Antonio – TX, is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist and singer songwriter. Paul studied music and theatre at Point Park Universities Conservatory Program and Regents College London earning his BA in Musical Theatre. He completed his debut album “Twenty-Something” at Killingsworth Recording Company in Los Angeles Produced by Tomas Costanza. The album had its official release at Sundance Film Festival 2013 as a featured artist.

While modern music continues to move towards a more synthesized, polished brand of sound, there has been an increase in artists that focus on traditional, folksy songwriting. Amos Lee, Ben Harper, The Lumineers, Fleet Foxes, Arcade Fire, Mumford & Sons, The Civil Wars, The Avett Brothers, and the list goes on and on.

Paul Koudouris’ debut album “Twenty-Something” firmly establishes him as an indie artist to be reckoned with in these ranks. This isn’t music assembled to hook you in between radio ads. With much of today’s music being the way it is, you’ll find that you’ve “tuned your ears” to the templated song, waiting for the quick hook so you can absorb it. You’ll listen to it a few times then throw it away, but you can’t do that with Paul’s music and if you approach it that way you’re likely to pass his work off as simple folk music. But if you listen to what he’s trying to say, if you search for the soul of the artist you’ll find no masquerade on this album. “Twenty-Something”, is a coherent work. It is an imaginative and inspired album.


The songs here are heart-felt; intense, strong, sad, angry, and joyful, in a word, varied! He touches on familiar everyday life themes, combining his lyrical poetry with simple yet powerful melodies that are driven by his extraordinary vocal range. Paul Koudouris is one of those singers with a distinctive voice, so powerful; it will lift your soul through every verse and chorus. And when you listen to his music, you realize it is a perfect match.

All throughout the album, Paul sounds like he is sitting two feet in front of you and singing directly to you. The arrangements are in keeping with this. A beautiful acoustic guitar and a few minimal embellishments, drive the album, yet it has an incredibly dynamic resonance that rings all around the room.

Paul demonstrates a range of voices and styles that putting him into a single category would invariably leave something out. He relies on the power of musical understatement, allowing his voice to convey strong emotion in each and every song. The standout songs that make up the middle of the album: “Better Off With The Blues,” “My Kinda Girl,” “Eyes Closed On The Ride Home,” and “Til The Real Thing Comes Along,” as well as the final track “Somewhere Along The Way” are perfect examples of deceptively simple, but extraordinarily compelling deliveries.

On “Twenty-Something,” Paul Koudouris will quickly become your inspiration, with a voice that packs such a punch, it will stay with you for quite a while. There haven’t been that many debut albums this rich, this pure, this touching in a long time. Paul possesses a gift, a raw talent that helps you see through to the very emotion he’s feeling with every note he sings. - JamSphere

Twenty-Something was released March 4 this year at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, by Texas native Paul Koudouris. This is Koudouris’ first album, and encapsulates his versatility in genre effectively. The album transitions between rock, pop, folk, various combinations, and blues mixed in with a bit of soul, creating a versatile sound redolent of a cross between John Mayer and Ben Harper, unafraid of pop, and comfortable with rock and blues.
The fact that Paul holds a BA in Musical Theatre and has acting experience is evident in this album – each song takes on a certain character, both in the song’s narrative and in his performance.

Some songs of note in Koudouris’ 10 track debut album include My Kinda Girl, Born To Be Young and Better Off With The Blues. The blues of old are paid homage in these pieces, with classic references to blues master Robert Johnson – “There’s a hell hound on my trail… What would Robert Johnson do?... I’d rather be at the crossroads.” The songs are really evocative of Johnson’s classic blues in their simplicity and clarity; the bare and unadorned accompaniment of guitar and piano really bring out the power in Paul’s voice.
The diversity of genre in the album is promising for the young artist; however, while impressive that Koudouris can enact the ringing saccharine cadence of a pop ballad like that in Better Happy Ending, and later capture the delicate nuances and swung tenderness of classic blues in Better Off With The Blues, a listener does wonder how Koudouris will develop and specialise his sound further with his career. There is a lot of potential for Koudouris, regardless of his future stylistic choices, be it folk blues or pop rock.
Twenty-Something is a rich, intense and heavy album, with strong vocals and poetic, even elegiac lyrics. Paul Koudouris is definitely someone to keep an eye out for, especially this early in his career. The debut is available for purchase on iTunes, AmazonMP3 and Spotify, and available for preview listens on ReverbNation. - IndieMunity

Twenty-Something was released March 4 this year at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, by Texas native Paul Koudouris. This is Koudouris’ first album, and encapsulates his versatility in genre effectively. The album transitions between rock, pop, folk, various combinations, and blues mixed in with a bit of soul, creating a versatile sound redolent of a cross between John Mayer and Ben Harper, unafraid of pop, and comfortable with rock and blues.
The fact that Paul holds a BA in Musical Theatre and has acting experience is evident in this album – each song takes on a certain character, both in the song’s narrative and in his performance.

Some songs of note in Koudouris’ 10 track debut album include My Kinda Girl, Born To Be Young and Better Off With The Blues. The blues of old are paid homage in these pieces, with classic references to blues master Robert Johnson – “There’s a hell hound on my trail… What would Robert Johnson do?... I’d rather be at the crossroads.” The songs are really evocative of Johnson’s classic blues in their simplicity and clarity; the bare and unadorned accompaniment of guitar and piano really bring out the power in Paul’s voice.
The diversity of genre in the album is promising for the young artist; however, while impressive that Koudouris can enact the ringing saccharine cadence of a pop ballad like that in Better Happy Ending, and later capture the delicate nuances and swung tenderness of classic blues in Better Off With The Blues, a listener does wonder how Koudouris will develop and specialise his sound further with his career. There is a lot of potential for Koudouris, regardless of his future stylistic choices, be it folk blues or pop rock.
Twenty-Something is a rich, intense and heavy album, with strong vocals and poetic, even elegiac lyrics. Paul Koudouris is definitely someone to keep an eye out for, especially this early in his career. The debut is available for purchase on iTunes, AmazonMP3 and Spotify, and available for preview listens on ReverbNation. - IndieMunity

Paul Koudouris, a talented, pop singer/songwriter (based in Austin, TX) who plays several instruments, has won the April SingerUniverse “Best Vocalist Of The Month” Competition, for his performance of his song “Til The Real Thing Comes Along” (co-written by Tomas Costanza, Ashley Levy & David Baker). This song is included on Koudouris' debut album, Twenty-Something, which he released independently last month (March 2013).

“Til The Real Thing Comes Along” is a dramatic, emotional pop ballad, which provides a fine showcase for Koudouris' strong, passionate vocal performance. This recording starts intimately with just piano and vocals, and then lush string tracks are added to create a full sound. This song was expertly produced by Tomas Costanza of Killingsworth Recording Company in Los Angeles. Costanza has worked with Boys Like Girls, Blues Traveler and Clinton Sparks, among others.

Koudouris , who is 23, was born and raised in San Antonio, TX, where he impressively learned to play many instruments including guitar, keyboards, drums & percussion, trumpet, banjo, mandolin and harmonica. He was inspired by listening to such favorite artists as Jason Mraz, Mumford & Sons, and Jack Johnson. During high school, Koudouris began performing in several musical theater productions, utilizing his singing, acting and musician skills.

For college, Koudouris received a scholarship to attend Point Park Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA, where he subsequently graduated with a B.A. Degree, majoring in Music Theater Performance. He also performed in regional and national shows during this period, building credentials as a Broadway-level performer.


The cover of Paul Koudouris' debut album.
Currently, Koudouris is simultaneously pursuing music theater gigs on Broadway and nationwide, while also developing his career as a singer/songwriter and recording artist. In late 2012 he wrote & recorded his debut album, Twenty-Something, working with producer Tomas Costanza and other members of the Killingsworth recording team. "It's been great working with Tomas and his creative team; we wrote many songs together for my album," said Koudouris. "We were able to work via Skype, on both the songwriting and the production."

Koudouris has been busy promoting his album by playing live shows with his band and doing some solo shows. "This year we played at the Sundance festival in January, and at South by Southwest in March," he said. Koudouris has also played gigs in New York, Pittsburgh, plus many shows in Austin.

"I'm also looking forward to filming several music videos of songs from my album, starting with key cuts 'Born To Be Young' and 'Get Busy Living'. I'm excited to be working with top video director Andrew Bennett, who has worked with Katy Perry, the Deftones and Nickelback. Eventually, I hope to do videos of all the songs from the album." - Singer Universe - Dale Kawashima

Paul Koudouris, a talented, pop singer/songwriter (based in Austin, TX) who plays several instruments, has won the April SingerUniverse “Best Vocalist Of The Month” Competition, for his performance of his song “Til The Real Thing Comes Along” (co-written by Tomas Costanza, Ashley Levy & David Baker). This song is included on Koudouris' debut album, Twenty-Something, which he released independently last month (March 2013).

“Til The Real Thing Comes Along” is a dramatic, emotional pop ballad, which provides a fine showcase for Koudouris' strong, passionate vocal performance. This recording starts intimately with just piano and vocals, and then lush string tracks are added to create a full sound. This song was expertly produced by Tomas Costanza of Killingsworth Recording Company in Los Angeles. Costanza has worked with Boys Like Girls, Blues Traveler and Clinton Sparks, among others.

Koudouris , who is 23, was born and raised in San Antonio, TX, where he impressively learned to play many instruments including guitar, keyboards, drums & percussion, trumpet, banjo, mandolin and harmonica. He was inspired by listening to such favorite artists as Jason Mraz, Mumford & Sons, and Jack Johnson. During high school, Koudouris began performing in several musical theater productions, utilizing his singing, acting and musician skills.

For college, Koudouris received a scholarship to attend Point Park Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA, where he subsequently graduated with a B.A. Degree, majoring in Music Theater Performance. He also performed in regional and national shows during this period, building credentials as a Broadway-level performer.


The cover of Paul Koudouris' debut album.
Currently, Koudouris is simultaneously pursuing music theater gigs on Broadway and nationwide, while also developing his career as a singer/songwriter and recording artist. In late 2012 he wrote & recorded his debut album, Twenty-Something, working with producer Tomas Costanza and other members of the Killingsworth recording team. "It's been great working with Tomas and his creative team; we wrote many songs together for my album," said Koudouris. "We were able to work via Skype, on both the songwriting and the production."

Koudouris has been busy promoting his album by playing live shows with his band and doing some solo shows. "This year we played at the Sundance festival in January, and at South by Southwest in March," he said. Koudouris has also played gigs in New York, Pittsburgh, plus many shows in Austin.

"I'm also looking forward to filming several music videos of songs from my album, starting with key cuts 'Born To Be Young' and 'Get Busy Living'. I'm excited to be working with top video director Andrew Bennett, who has worked with Katy Perry, the Deftones and Nickelback. Eventually, I hope to do videos of all the songs from the album." - Singer Universe - Dale Kawashima

Paul Koudouris is a man after my heart.
His new album Twenty Something is a great collection of songs in pure bluesy, folk-pop fashion.
Have I mentioned that this dude’s soul can sing!?
A singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas, Paul “can’t be satisfied with sunny day songs”. Better Off With The Blues is [for right now] my favorite song, but each one is an experience all its own.
A self-taught multi-instrumentalist and song crafter, Paul is on a mission to take music back to what it always has been, “A way to tell stories through the beautiful melodies and the heartfelt lyrics that hit the lives of many.”?
Have I said anything about his killer vocals yet?
Twenty Something was recorded in Los Angeles at Killingsworth Recording Company with the help of Tomas Costanza. He released the album this year at Sundance Film Festival.
To up the ante even more, Paul was at Sundance as a featured artist! Need I say more?

Read more at http://www.midtnmusic.com/paul-koudouris-is-better-off-with-the-blues/#0uVrbdyMtKJIKjvo.99 - Joshua Smotherman - Middle Tennessee Music

Paul Koudouris is a man after my heart.
His new album Twenty Something is a great collection of songs in pure bluesy, folk-pop fashion.
Have I mentioned that this dude’s soul can sing!?
A singer-songwriter from Austin, Texas, Paul “can’t be satisfied with sunny day songs”. Better Off With The Blues is [for right now] my favorite song, but each one is an experience all its own.
A self-taught multi-instrumentalist and song crafter, Paul is on a mission to take music back to what it always has been, “A way to tell stories through the beautiful melodies and the heartfelt lyrics that hit the lives of many.”?
Have I said anything about his killer vocals yet?
Twenty Something was recorded in Los Angeles at Killingsworth Recording Company with the help of Tomas Costanza. He released the album this year at Sundance Film Festival.
To up the ante even more, Paul was at Sundance as a featured artist! Need I say more?

Read more at http://www.midtnmusic.com/paul-koudouris-is-better-off-with-the-blues/#0uVrbdyMtKJIKjvo.99 - Joshua Smotherman - Middle Tennessee Music