Paula Tozer
Country rock music artist Paula Tozer has a great sound, great attitude and great advice for other artists. Paula has released a fabulous EP called Blue Muse. My favorite track is the song Wintersleep, because I love the rock beat mixed with her country style.
Wintersleep is Paula Tozer’s favorite track too. I was surprised to learn that the Paula wrote the song as her way of sending love to the Middle East. Paula told me, “There’s so much going on over there, and I really didn’t know how to send or do anything. For me, as a songwriter, I wanted to do something that spread the love that was in my heart and hope to send a bit of healing to people. So, if you listen to that song, you’ll know what the lyrics are about. It’s all about peace.”
Paula Tozer prefers to write songs with her guitar. “I’m a novice guitar player compared to the guys that I work with. The acoustic guitar player you hear on the EP is my soul brother Mark Fisher. The guy that plays on Wintersleep is Chris Scribner; he works for the recording studio.”
I was surprised to learn that Paula has no formal music training. “I go mostly by instinct and inspiration. I’ve learned so much from the musicians that I’ve worked with and from the recording studio. I pick everybody’s brain that I can.” She laughed and told me, “It’s really helped a lot with writing songs and being able to communicate with people who actually know the language.”
Paula has an eclectic mix of influences. Her mother and father were both country music fans, so her country influences include: Loretta Lynn, Charlie Pride, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Anne Murray. She smiled and added, “Of course, the Johns: John Lennon, John Denver and Jon Bon Jovi, my favorite rock star, and Leonard Cohen, k.d. lang, Jeff Healey for blues and even classical artists. I don’t like being tied to any specific genre. I’m kind of an eclectic thinker. I think my music will always reflect that.”
Paula recently launched a brand new website. “I was blessed to have two children who are a graphic designer and a computer programmer. For my birthday, they made me a website. They put everything into it that I love to do: my poetry and prose as well as my music. It’s my social media platform as well.” Her graphic designer daughter works under that name Medic Tairie and her son, Michael Richards, is the programmer.
On the social media side, Paula Tozer started on ReverbNation, then added an artist Facebook page and moved on to Twitter. “It’s a really good thing to get on as many social media platforms as possible, so you can connect with different members of a fan base or audience. Different people do different social things. You attract them to your website or Facebook page, in order for them to get to know you. All those things integrated and working together are the best way to go.”
When Paula Tozer looks to collaborate with another artist, “I look for someone who has more musical background and training than I do in regards to the technical side of things, so they can add different instrumentation and arrangements. Currently, Paula Tozer is working with David Somerville, writing songs that are country rock oriented. In addition to writing songs for her next EP or album, they are working to build a catalog for licensing (music for movies or TV and to pitch to other artists) and publishing.
Paula Tozer has big plans. As soon as Paula finds a lead guitarist, she’s going to put together a country rock show. She plans to submit her EP Blue Muse to the East Coast Music Association. “I’m hoping that somebody will notice it’s really cool.” She’s also joined with recording artist Debbie McCann and guitar player Mark Fisher to form a band called Kindred Hearts. “We’ll be playing as much as we can in the local area.”
Paula and Mark in Jeff’s Musical Car
Paula has researched artist success factors over the years. “We artists are creative beings, but we also have to have a business plan, if we want to truly succeed. First of all, have a vision. You have to see it to be it. I visualize just like athletes do. I see myself on that stage. I see where it can go. Because of that, I can create a plan to get there.”
She continues, “On the business side, first, there is promotion. I am a shameless self-promoter. You have to be able to put yourself out there and show up with a big smile on your face. Get professional photographs done. Put together some really good demos. Then, when you have the funds available, find a producer who shares your vision and create a really good, professional recording. Hire a promoter. Then, as they say, you can run with the big dogs. That’s what people have been telling me and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
Like Amused Now, Paula Tozer and family also recognize the need for artist promotion. They built a prototype talent promotion magazine and published three issues. “It got so big that we didn’t have time to finish it. We had to stop and think about what we were going to do with it. Maybe, later on, we’ll do it again. There are so many artists out there who don’t have representation, who deserve to be heard and platforms, such as the one you’re doing, is a super way for folks to get to know us.”
Paula would love to tour the UK, so here’s a #ShoutOut to British Amused Now fans. If any of you can make that happen…Go, go, go!
Watch the complete video interview on the Amused Now YouTube channel: http://youtu.be/2BScLGaZYbc
Amused Now Featured Artist Series
Paula Tozer
PaulaTozerMusic.com
@pauladtozer
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Cynthia Kahn, Founder of Amused Now
@Amused_Now
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Photo credits to Nick Gaines Photography for all photos except the one from Jeff’s Musical car.