Hot on the heels of his Debut LP - Eleventeen, released in August 2013 to critical acclaim. In fact Eleventeen made it onto Popa's Tunes Top 10 Albums of 2013 !! Scottish Singer/Songwriter Paul Saint John 2nd album Panic Merchant finds our prolific songster exploring appalachia and combining with his Scottish folk roots for a great folksy record. Availble on Amazon, iTunes and CDBaby
PT: How long ago did you move from the UK and what prompted the move, how do you like philly, music scene, cheese steaks, pretzels, scrapple etc.
PSJ: I moved here in 2000 after meeting my bride in San Francisco in December 1999, I didn't play the guitar from 1997 until 2012 until I tore my knee, then I had the time to sit down and recuperate and I picked up my guitar again. I Love Philly, Big fan of The Eagles,Cheesesteaks, Scrapple, Yeungling etc
PT: The song Front Street mentions all the great streets in philly, are there any philly parks you find remind you of home?
PSJ: Front Street does mention making your way down Broad, South, till Front, I have been going to Fairmount Park since I came here, particularly around Valley Green.
PT: The harmonic is more prominent on Panic Merchants then on eleventeen and adds a homespun folk with a touch of appalachia to the scotish roots of your songwriting, is america rubbing off on you?
PSJ: I started playing the harmonica back in March for a show at the Tin Angel for the Philadelphia Folk Society, I'd always played it somewhat but now I cant imagine writing a song without it.There is a banjitar on this record that I just played as an overdub, I don't play anything else really.
America has rubbed off on me, I view myself as a Philly guy, though clearly I will always be Scottish first.
PT: The title of the ep Panic Merchants sounds like if would be a continuation on some of the political themes on eleventeen, though they are not. what does the title mean?
PSJ: Panic Merchant is just a term that is used in everyday slang by people in Scotland and possibly further. Meaning - someone who gets flustered easy, can't take pressure, someone who gets overexcited about a situation and tends to hit the panic button in their head, a bit like Tony Romo in the playoffs haha.
Its a term I've always liked as it puts two separate words together to great effect.
PT: How do you go about your writing process?
PSJ: My writing process consists of playing chords/riffs until I hear something I like, I then put words to it, if I get words that I like, finishing the songs tends to happen really quickly.
PT: Who is Cecily?
PSJ: Cecily ! Lets just say it is possible ( not confirming this ) that I must have been watching the weather on 6ABC when I came up with the song, then I changed the girls name several times but I didn't like anything better than Cecily.
PT: Any shows coming up, tour in the future?
PSJ: My main aim is to get Cecily, or If The Morning Comes, onto the radio which is already happening. I wanted to do a stripped down acoustic EP that would highlight my Live performances and maybe would endear me to a few Folk festivals etc , I am working with my producer Mark Robinson on a single ( The Great North Road ) for early 2015 that will have a much fuller sound.
My hopes for 2015 are more showcases, more festival slots, more airplay, and maybe a song on a tv show or movie.
Panic Merchant
Track List:
Back In Aberdeen
Front Street
Cecily, There's Gonna Be A Rainstorm
If The Morning Comes
