Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Finley.
Hi Paul, so excited to have you on the platform. Before we ask about your work life, you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I was born and raised in Waukesha, WI. I got the idea to learn guitar through a 7th-grade music class. I took my brother’s guitar, which he had long abandoned, and started lessons. Things quickly progressed, and I joined my first rock band. By high school, I was recording and playing clubs. Post high school graduation was from the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. I was on the faculty there, too, and have had many teaching positions since high school. I’m the youngest of 6 boys. Everyone in the family listened to music, and a few played or sang. My great-uncles had a dance band from 1920 to 1930 in northern WI. I loved playing with our old console record player, complete with headphones. Music was fascinating this way.
2023 Biography
Guitar virtuoso Paul Finley is, in truth, a storyteller. His hands create places, characters, and dreams. With 4 solo CDs under his belt and a professional career that spans over 35 years, he has become a Texas treasure. From 2002 to 2008, Paul was on the road worldwide with the Austin, Texas-based duo Spoken Groove, releasing 5 CDs. His Metal/Alternative band Renegade/Mas Optica released 1 CD each, including a late 2018 re-release of Renegade’s “Social Pressure,” originally recorded in 1988. Teaching private and group classes since 1986, Paul has taught guitar clinics in the United States, England, Germany, and Australia. A young Canadian boy named Justin Bieber was one of the pupils Paul helped nurture in their skills. A Wisconsin Conservatory of Music graduate, Paul has studied with guitar legends Michael Hedges, Ben Verdery, and many others. He is a great instructor for young and old, beginner and pro! 2020 Teacher of the Year at Lone Star School of Music, Lakeway, TX.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Haha! It’s far from smooth but no less exciting and keeps one guessing. My skills as a musician blossomed readily, but the career path has always been challenging growing up; my primary band was a group called Renegade (we later changed the name to Mas Optica). We had an 11-year run. Released multiple recordings and had good press in Europe. I played many rock clubs throughout the Midwest and had a blast. I moved from WI to Phoenix, AZ, but it fell apart unexpectedly, 2,000 miles from home. All that work, dreams, and efforts are gone. This changed my trajectory a bit, leading me to do more solo and duo work, which meant a bigger acoustic guitar repertoire. But electric band work was always a first love, it’s found it’s way back into my current projects. After 2 years in Phoenix, I came to Austin in 1997. But the first 6 months here were brutal, with no cash flow, but I was playing a bunch and meeting many great musicians and people. Austin gave me the community Phoenix lacked.
Thanks for sharing that. So, you could tell us a bit more about your work.
I’m a guitarist by trade. It speaks to me, through me, and to others. It is like the Holy Spirit, which is life-giving but a great mystery not to be tamed. There is always more to learn about to dance with, explore, and swim with—an inexhaustible entity. The voices of the acoustic and electric guitars are equally compelling. Complementary but uniquely different with their own set of challenges and rewards. I write lots of music and always have a guitar and other instruments. Lyrics, too, sing as well. But again, I am foremost a guitarist. That is my voice. George Strait was a singer and storyteller first. Not a guitar star. He has his band for that, and they hash out the music details. A band is a team sport. Everyone has an area of expertise and gifting. I’m known for playing the guitar, not my excellent singing voice or dance moves. People love it when I play and get down on it. That lights the fire. Teaching guitar and other stringed instruments has been inseparable in my life. Thousands of students have crossed my path! Decades worth how they have given me the opportunities to learn as well. Musically. culturally and personally. I wouldn’t be at all the same without them. I teach for Lone Star School Of Music in Lakeway and Care To Rock online and privately. I’ve been blessed with so many great instructors through the years. They’ve taught me to teach and learn! Giants-all of them.
Most proud of? A group called Spoken Groove I was in during the 2000s was truly unique. Mostly a duo, we toured the world and were a part of people’s lives in the way we stayed at homes, played big festivals down to inner city schools to impromptu gatherings at the drop of a hat. But life is continually unfolding to new things. I don’t need to look backward to be satisfied. My new band, toLoveandRescue, is an original rock band from central TX, and that puts me back at home making new rock music within a band setting that never gets old!
What sets me apart? I carry this spirit of special energy that has always followed me in my playing. I have an attraction to this voice, am always intrigued by it, as well as the listeners or fellow musicians to what I can present. I’m not the fastest, youngest, most popular. But I can move mountains and move hearts. Ultimately, people want the intangible-so do I- and I can offer that if I let go to my heart as I play.
We’d like to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you.
I’d say where I’ve been; there has always been some support structure to help me grow musically. People, teachers, programs, and platforms to play. I can’t recall having “a big break” ever. But in retrospect, I have been blessed to be somewhere that has allowed me to evolve.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.paulfinleymusic.com/blog/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paul_finley/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paulfinleymusic
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-finley-8472095/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/WIFinley
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Paulfinleymusic/featured
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/paul-finley
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@paulfinleyguitar
Image Credits
Blue Jean Creative Studio, Ethan Simcik, Kyle Kummer
