With a rich background involving The Avett Brothers and Danny Fields, Paleface is ready to rock Athens.
From New York City open mic nights to Radio City Music Hall and now to Athens — Paleface has made its name known.
Since 1989, the mystery man, never revealing his real name, has been traveling the nation depicting the lands and people that constitute it with his blend of “high energy folk infused with a history of rock ‘n’ roll.”
“It’s been a long journey,” Paleface said. “It all started with Daniel Johnston. At the time, he was a cult figure. People knew who was.”
Paleface met prolific singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston in 1989 on the streets of New York City.
“I met Daniel and got so inspired,” Paleface said. “I saw this kid looking into a window with a guitar on his back. I thought he looked cool, so I just went up and introduced myself, and we became great friends.”
Paleface attributes his success in the music industry to several key figures he met in New York City while he was still trying to make a name for himself.
“(Johnston) introduced me to Danny Fields, (who) started managing me,” Paleface said. “After seeing me do a gig at the Chameleon Club in New York, I was with Fields.”
Known as a “punk pioneer,” Danny Fields was a part of Andy Warhol’s Factory clique, publicized The Doors and then managed the Ramones, MC5 and The Stooges.
Fields’ industry expertise proved beneficial to Paleface, as the artist said it led to him playing alongside The Avett Brothers at Radio City Music Hall.
“(The Avett Brothers) ended up inviting me to play with them on the Four Thieves Gone record,” Paleface said.
Paleface went on to reconvene with his former New York roommate, Beck.
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“We used to go to all the open mics together,” Beck said “Paleface taught me Daniel Johnston songs on the sidewalk and let me sleep on his couch. … A great songwriter, a generous friend and a big influence on my early stuff.”
Paleface described his latest, 2010 album, One Big Party, as a blend of good with bad, love with hate and happy with sad.
“The title track was a song written for a crackhead girl who would always turn up at the laundromat. We called her ‘one big party.’ Lots of songs on the album are happy, but that one isn’t, and she wasn’t happy. I was trying to relate my history to her,” Paleface said. “I like the fact that One Big Party could mean something good and something not good, yin and yang.”
The complex mix of emotions displayed on Paleface’s One Big Party album garnered enough attention for a short documentary: Paleface - The Making of One Big Party.
Since the mid-2000s, Paleface has been a duo with the addition of the artist’s girlfriend, drummer Mo Samalot. While still cruising the New York underground scene, Paleface met Samalot and began a mutually beneficial relationship.
“Rehearsal space in New York was so expensive we just kept jamming in her apartment,” Paleface said. “We moved south and kept it up.”
Paleface will play Thursday night at Jackie O’s Pub and Brewery, 24 W. Union St., for a free concert that is open to anyone 18 and up.
“We’re not consciously trying to be psych rock or anything,” Paleface said. “There’s so many niche genres to get into, but then you have to follow the rules of that genre, and we’re not into that.”
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