Art & Life with Paul Balazs

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Balazs.

Paul, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I grew up in Toledo, OH and first picked up a guitar when I was 13. Toledo School for the Arts opened up many opportunities and I was introduced to playing jazz guitar among other things. During that time, I had started and stopped several bands in the punk, grunge, and noise rock styles. All the while learning to incorporate the jazz, I had been studying through college. “A.M. Error” was a turning point for me when it came to making loud, heavy rock music with a dynamic jazz infrastructure. My time in Toledo ended due to the bad economy for such a small town.

I moved around for a few years and during that time I recorded my first solo album under the name “Edict Flush”. When I moved to Phoenix, AZ in 2010. From there, I wanted to form a band so I started what was to become The Psychedelephants. I have been trying to push my boundaries and my comfort zone in songwriting ever since. Each album is a project of its own and I intend to challenge myself to create something I haven’t heard before.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I write songs and create a world for them to live in. I have really been getting more into doing things with a concept in mind. The Psychedelephants last EP “The Abyss” is generally about coping with depression and being close to someone who is also dealing with it. The idea that you can sacrifice your internal conflict for the mental health of someone you love seems very comforting to me. The art for “The Abyss” is two scuba divers in an underwater cave. One of them is out of oxygen and the other is giving away their last breathe of air. This art was inspired by the lyric from the title track of the EP “One pocket of air left, it’s yours”. The intro track “Submerged in Water” has a liquid droplet vibe and serves as a bookend along with the ending moments of the EP.

I am now working on my biggest project/album. It is well underway and I am very excited about it. This one will be more than just an album to listen to. It will also be a comic book/graphic novel I am writing. The story is set in 1952 LA and has a film noir feel to it. Investigation, murder, and betrayal are a few themes that will be covered in this story called “Hazel”. The album will serve as the soundtrack for the story and the lyrics touch on the feeling of the characters with a conscience narration at times.

I like to keep things somewhat vague most of the time. There is a beauty in presenting an idea through imagery that a listener can have an entirely different take on. Usually, to me, this can make things more meaningful and personal. I just love using metaphors for a common theme that may seem unrelated until you connect the dots. Even then, your constellation will be different than mine.

In your view, what is the biggest issue artists have to deal with?
The biggest challenge is getting heard and finding YOUR audience. There is a lot of work involved to get that result an artist is looking for and the music business is a whole new can of worms. It seems networking to meet people in the right avenues is the way to go anymore.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
You can visit us at http://thepsychedelephants.com

There are news updates on the progress of our new projects, lyrics, videos, and more.

FB: https://www.facebook.com/thepsychedelephants

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.thepsychedelephants.com
• Email: thepsychedelephants@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepsychedelephants
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thepsychedelephants
• Other: https://thepsychedelephants.bandcamp.com/

Image Credit:
Elaine Thomas Campbell
Megan Seeds
Bill Goodman

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