PAIGE CLEM
Perhaps it’s the combination of her insatiable musical curiosity and her formative years spent growing up in the South, but Paige Clem’s arrestingly direct lyrics and velvety, unaffected vocals exude that most elusive of musical qualities — Soul. With a natural flair for connecting with an audience, her roots-infused music is melodic and warm, yet packs a punch with introspective tales of pain and redemption garnered through loss, love and life.
This disarming emotional candor and musical authenticity is at the heart of Paige’s long-awaited debut album Firefly. Produced by Jeff Berkley (Berkley Sound, San Diego, CA), the March 2018 release includes nine “Crowd Picks” songs earning weekly featured placement on ReverbNation. Inescapably Americana in its sound—Firefly unapologetically spans genres and does what it takes to distill down to the essence of each song. Paige’s smoky vocals and captivating reverie offer tantalizing vignettes into a life journey that resonates with anyone who’s loved another—and often with clever accessibility. Drawing on threads of folk, rock, blues, soul, country and even “old-school cool”, the tracks of Firefly weave together a refreshing eclectic sound that is distinctly…Paige. Rule-breaking quirks permeate the charm of the record which features a rhythm section comprised of Jeff Berkley on guitars, Rick Nash (Chaka Khan, Chris Isaak) on bass, Bob Sale (Rick Elias, Eric Johnson) on drums, and Sharon Whyte (Kenny Loggins, Eric Johnson) on keys, organ and backing vocals. Special guests appearing on the album include Johnny Cash guitar player, Jim Soldi, legendary bassist, Tim Lefvebre (Tedeschi Trucks/David Bowie’s grammy-winning Blackstar), famed singer-songwriter, Steve Poltz (co-writer of “You Were Meant for Me” with Jewel), Jon Graboff on pedal steel (Ryan Adams & The Cardinals), and celebrated Bay Area organ player, Danny Eisenberg (The Mother Hips, Anders Osborn). The record also features “The Long Time Coming Choir”—an assemblage of Bay Area singer-songwriters including Moonalice’s Roger MacNamee, Pamela Parker, Michael McNevin and more recorded at Hyde Street Studios. With that certain je ne sais quoi that effortlessly lends itself to the songwriting and performance throughout the album, the long-awaited results of Firefly
seem to only add to Paige’s mystique and leave listeners wondering what’s to come. Paige Clem is quickly becoming a major force on the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. She performs her original material as a solo artist and in Paige & The Clementines—an Americana music project that gathers a cast of talented players with Paige’s soulful songwriting prowess. She is the creator, curator and host of the popular “Songs About Something: Old, New, Borrowed and Blue Tunes in the Round”—an ongoing monthly songwriters-in-the-round series held at Albany’s Ivy Room—and she can frequently be found performing at various Bay Area showcases. She has shared the stage with countless bands and artists including members of Dead and Co., Further, Railroad Earth, Leftover Salmon, ALO, Fruition, Anders Osborne, RatDog, Achilles Wheel, Tea Leaf Green, New Monsoon, Moonalice, Tracorum, Front Country, Midnight North, Dead Winter Carpenters, Shook Twins, Doobie Decibel System, and has performed with Melissa Ethridge, moe., Steve Poltz, The Brother’s Comatose, Joe Craven, James Nash, Mark Karan, Eric McFadden, Scott Pemberton and more. Paige has served multiple stints as songwriter-in-residency at The Bazaar Café and has appeared on stage at High Sierra Music Festival, DelFest, Hangtown Music Festival, Cuko Rakko Music Festival, ULUV Music Day, The Fillmore, The Independent, Great American Music Hall, Terrapin Crossroads, Boom Boom Room, Freight & Salvage, Sweetwater Music Hall and more.
