Everything's Gonna be Paul Wright

Paul Wright was alright with me. I just typed that because I liked the way it rolled off the tongue. The truth is he was way more than “alright.” He was a remarkable human being.

Last weekend, Mike Butterworth and I flew to San Fransisco to attend the Celebration of Life of a longtime friend and musical collaborator of ours. We were joined by friends and colleagues from all over the country. Paul had passed away at the end of the year after a long battle with cancer. He lived his life surrounded by music so his family wanted to host a celebration that gave us all an opportunity to play music and reminisce about our time together.

We landed late at night but were encouraged to go over to his house anyway where people had been gathered for a few days already. It had been several years since either Mike or I had been to visit. We were immediately greeting by his wife Keri who gave me the best hug and reminded us that we were all family. I could feel Paul’s presence everywhere. Not only in the shrines, pictures and tributes that were there for that purpose but also in each room which contained the tools of his craft. His kids were there as well, including his two boys, who each in their own way were the spitting image of him in voice and mannerisms and the pacing and delivery of a sentence.  I’m not saying his ghost was there but I am saying his spirit was there.

Every room I walked into brought memories flooding back. Not because I had been there before but because Paul was there. Everywhere. Even the smell of the place reminded me of our first couple of records. Every session started and ended with the burning of some Nag Champa incense.

We met Paul sometime in the early 90s playing the college circuit. We had recorded one record and he made us believe that we could do better. The influence that Paul had on our music can be easily observed by listening to our first record, “Not a Sound” and then listening to our second or third record which we recorded just a year or two later. The difference is NIGHT AND DAY. That was all Paul. He was a genius and he was willing to help teach us to be better at songwriting, arranging, producing, playing our instruments and taking the craft seriously. We owe a 30 year career and trajectory of our lives to Paul Wright.

The celebration of life took place at the Hop Monk Tavern in Novato, CA. The Hop Monk is a legendary music venue. Paul and his friends and family had often enjoyed shows there by artists such as Willy Porter, Steve Poltz, James McMurtry to name just a few. The musicians on this day were: Myself, Mike Butterworth, Jon Locker, Tony Bohnenkamp (The “Old” Nadas), Jason Reeves and Nelly Joy, Billy Hawn, Greg Gamet and Craig Just as well as Paul’s son Simon Wright. We played new originals written for the occasion, old songs to wax nostalgic, and some of Paul’s favorite covers.

This is Simon playing an Original song called “LA Friends”. This celebration of life was Simon’s first time playing on stage and in front of an audience. He is a natural.

We laughed, we cried, many of Paul’s friends and family members shared words of remembrance. Pictured are his brother Dewey, his friend and collaborator Dana Carvey, his son Logan and his wife Keri.

It was a celebration of life, it was a memorial, it was a reunion and on top of all that it was a reminder to tell the people you love that you love them. It was a reminder to squeeze every last drop out of life while you can. It was a reminder of legacy and those that follow behind, paving their own way but following in the footsteps of those who went before. Paul was an inspiration and he will be missed.

Thank you Paul.

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I hope to spend the first half of 2026 playing house concerts around the country. If you or someone you know is interested in hosting please send me a message.

To my friends of The Nadas and The Racontourist Many of you are here because you are subscribers to The Nadas “Weekly Email.” We will still be using that list to get you info from time to time. While The Nadas emails have become less frequent, I have been writing a column here on substack. If you are new here I wanted to ensure you that much of what I write is light hearted and music and travel focused. Many of you are here because you follow me at Jason Walsmith Storyteller or The Racontourists on youtube and instagram. I invite you to go back into my archives to look for posts about songs and lyrics as well as travelogues and other topics. Occasionally, I find something timely or culturally relevant that I want to explore such as the series I did on food insecurity and homelessness. I hope you will dive into the heavy stuff as much as you do the light hearted stuff. It’s not all fun and games, but if you do stick with me through thick and thin, the experience will be richer and deeper for it.

Thank you for your support and encouragement

Jason

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