Three Q’s with Paul Brady

If you were sitting in a pub somewhere in Ireland and the
conversation turned to music, Paul Brady’s name would be first to
surface. But it’s not just in his homeland where his music is
passionately embraced. Brady’s songs have appeared on albums by
Brooks & Dunn, Cher, Santana, Tina Turner, and, of course,
Bonnie Riatt, who he’ll share the stage with next Tuesday, February
14. With his latest album, Say What You Feel, firmly tucked under
his arm, the Strabane-born singer is coming to Santa Barbara to
share his emotive ballads.

Do you always “say what you feel”? I always, eventually, say
what I feel! But perhaps the older I get, the more I think before I
say it. While I have never thought any less that saying what you
feel is one of the most important things, I’ve realized that other
people have their own pace of accepting things. So it’s only fair
to be considerate of other people in that respect.

With such incredible success at home, what reaction do you get
overseas? I’ve always felt that I have some sort of instinct for
what people want to hear. And I was fairly confident that, I once
got in front of them with what I had to say and sang it, that I
would make a connection. I have had well over 30 years of
experience in this part of the world playing for people and writing
songs that connect with people. And I don’t believe that people are
fundamentally all that different no matter where they are in the
world.

And what are you expecting from Santa Barbara? This is a little
different for me because it’s not my concert. I will be Bonnie
Raitt’s guest and most people who come won’t be expecting me to be
there or know very much about me. But I’m not going to get
discouraged if some people will be spending their time at the
merchandising table rather than watching me. And I have a rather
virulent core following throughout California so I am hoping that,
between the people who know what I do and those who are prepared to
give me a chance, we will make a reasonable connection.