Discovering Light in the Dark Side

Paul Kimbiris carries himself with the confidence of a well-traveled artist.

He stands proudly. He speaks carefully.  He exudes the intelligence and poise of a professional as he picks up his guitar and begins to play for a packed house.

Within the first few measures, the nuance of emotion built into his melodies rises, filling the space and drawing the audience into his enigmatic world.

The title track to Kimbiris’s new album, “Dark Side of Pearl” expresses the complex perspective of this talented musician.  He draws striking juxtaposition between his dynamic take on life and the simply bright-and-shiny place that is “Pearl.” He offers up his perspective as a poetic tribute to what many undoubtedly feel – that this notion of a carefree life, characteristic of youth and comfort, is a place that each will one day find themselves separate from. The dark side of Pearl becomes the side his audience longs to explore.

And even as Kimbiris expresses the contrast of his worldview with those on what would perhaps be the “lighter” side of Pearl, his catchy, passionate performance demonstrates the positive perspective he has regarding the complexity of life’s challenges.

“Everyone’s got somethin’…,” Kimbiris says as he reflects on what gives the album its emotional impact. “Everyone’s lost something at one point, or they’re sure as hell going to. So…we’re all in the same boat.”

He is, indeed, no stranger to loss. Within the past six years, Kimbiris has witnessed the tragic death of his wife to breast cancer while they were living together in Houston, Texas; and then two years ago, his father died.

“A lot of the record was inspired by that experience….” Kimbiris says, speaking to the emotional weight carried in his newest work. “The record is pretty much a memoir, so to speak, of that time, and also …moving forward,”

“You want to sing them,” he continues, “you want to put them out there…you want people to know about it. And then, you want to move on.”

The unpredictable journey through this life is explored in in his soulful performance of “Another Shot,” as Kimbiris triumphantly sings of some of the moves he has made and the people who impacted his journey toward his present home in Boulder, Colorado.

Since moving to Colorado, Paul has played with some high-profile local talent, citing his work with Gregory Allan Isakov as one of his favorite collaborations.

“He’s a good friend of mine,” Kimbiris states with a smile, referring to Isakov as ‘Sir’ Gregory Allan Isokov, out of utmost respect. “I call him “Sir” jokingly, but he is kind of royalty around this town. …and he helped me with my record. We wrote a song together called ‘Home Soon,’ and it’s one of my favorite songs on the record.”

With the encouragement of Isokov and other local talent such as Phillip Parker, Kimbiris wrote, recorded and released his debut album, “Dark Side of Pearl,” in a little over a year.  The album was met with acclaim; The Marquee rated it 4 out of 5 stars and stated, “Kimbiris puts forth a superbly written effort with songs that are delicately phrased and paired with subtle arrangements that aren’t showy, but tasteful and well played.”

On June 28, after garnering much respect from local musicians and residents following the release of his debut album, Kimbiris booked The Fox – an iconic performance space, recently named the fourth best music venue in the country by Rolling Stone Magazine.

Joshua Buggy was there the night Kimbiris headlined The Fox, and remembers it vividly, saying, “Paul Kimbiris has an incredible stage presence. His lyrics bleed from his soul in a beautiful way.”

Buggy said it was clear that many agreed, as Kimbiris played to a packed house that night.

“Five hundred seventy-five people fit in that room, and previously my shows had been 100 people. So, it was a big risk, but it was worth it,” said Kimbiris of his performance. “I got to play in probably one of the most iconic rooms in America…the sound is incredible there…and I’m looking forward to playing there again.”

“People say, ‘oh, he played at the fox,” he continues. “I don’t know, what does that mean? I mean…it means something to me…there was a legitimacy involved in that.  I felt like I had arrived somewhere that I previously never had. So, for me, it was a big milestone.”

Since playing at The Fox, Kimbiris has appeared live on Colorado Public Radio performing the song he wrote with Isakov called “Home Soon,” and has also been featured at other local venues in Boulder. Shine Restaurant & Gathering Place is one such venue, and Kimbiris is set to play there this Thursday, October 16 at 8 p.m.

After gaining notoriety here in Boulder and building from the network of artists he has met through his travels, Kimbiris is excited that for the first time in his life, making music has become a full time job. In addition to the sales of his album and local shows, Kimbiris has recently had some of his original songs featured on network television including shows on NBC and The CW.

Though Kimbiris’s debut album, “Dark Side of Pearl," does have some sad ballads, and was inspired by some emotional experiences, listeners are not left feeling down. The album is uplifting in many ways, as was his intention.

“Music should be entertaining. The most important thing to me is: is it entertaining? I don’t need to listen to music to make me feel worse…there are plenty of things in life that do that already.”

Watch for Paul Kimbiris at Shine, The Fox, and other local venues; or find his music on iTunes, Spotify, reverbnation.com and CPR.org.