Time: 9 p.m.

Cover: none

http://www.paulfilek.com or http://www.myspace.com/paulfilek

If you walk down the street in Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Banff, Toronto or even Grand Prairie and you see flocks of women heading to one place, chances are it’s a Paul Filek concert or a shoe sale.
 
Paul Filek, the youngest of six brothers, was born and raised in Kamloops, B.C. by devout Catholic parents.  He was born into a long string of musicians but his siblings chose careers as lawyers, accountants, doctors and engineers. Paul, the youngest child initially took a similar path as his older brothers but music became more important, as life went on. Paul sang in the school choir but never pursued his singing any further.  “Looking back on it, I really did want the solo in choir but never asked for it, I guess I was just too scared to try.” He took piano lessons for years until his piano teacher told him not to come back. “I never practiced. I don’t blame her for kicking me out.” His father bought him a guitar book a few years later.  Paul taught himself how to play a few chords then dropped the guitar.  He also fooled around with the drums but dropped that too.  How does a person go from being a musical drop out to being totally passionate and completely dedicated to his music and songwriting?
 
It all started at a party while he was in university taking Business Administration. He was twenty one years old and getting tired of listening to his buddy talk on the phone to a girl named Lisa.  Paul grabbed the guitar and proceeded to make up a song about Lisa until his friend ended the conversation. Poking fun at friends through improvised songs was the beginning for Paul.  He took time off school and began to bartend at the local bar.  He began playing more guitar and fooling around with songwriting until he wrote his first official song, “Searching”, inspired by a girl.  He played it for a good friend who insisted Paul play at his birthday party.  From that party Paul was hired to perform in Falkland.  Now, Falkland may seem like just a small, little town but Paul proceeded to charter a bus and fill the place with family and friends and he’s been hooked ever since.  It doesn’t matter where you begin but rather, who hears you play.
 
From those humble beginnings, Paul has opened for Collin James, Arkells, Big Sugar, Trooper, Wil, CALRY RAE JEPSON, JULLY BLACK, CORB LUND and STYX as well as performed the anthem at the CALGARY FLAMES hockey games.  He has appeared many times on BREAKFAST TELEVISION on City TV in Edmonton, and Calgary, CFJC-TV in Kamloops and his music is being played on radio stations across Canada.  He was featured as one of BC’s best musicians on VIRGIN Radio in Vancouver, BC as well as CBC. He’s toured the country with his guitar and his dream and single handedly sold 4,500 albums continuing to gain a wider fan base because of his music and his charm.
 
His first album was a nine song acoustic demo called “Revising My Soul”.  That demo introduced him to Henry Small (Prism, The Guess Who, Entwistle), who is an important piece to the musical puzzle.  Together they produced “Honest Songs from a Dishonest Heart” in 2006 and “Good to Meet You” in 2008.  Both albums were critically acclaimed and allowed Paul to pursue his music full time. In April 2008, Paul moved from Kamloops to Vancouver BC to take his music to the next level. “I moved in with my brother”, he says with a chuckle. This move allowed him to tour Western Canada and perform for audiences in theatres, bars, concert halls and stadiums.  He loves the road and wins the crowd over with his easy charm, warm voice and catchy songs.  There’s a reason he won the PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD – BCIMA or SILVER FINALIST BMA MUSIC AWARDS. His music is about lovers, love lost, friends, family, having fun and living life.  Who can’t relate to that?  He has come a long way from living below Patty, which inspired the song, “Patty’s Song” and realizing his mistakes in “Making Everything Right”.
 
His current album “Elephant Shoes” is a blend of love ballads like “Falling for You” or “One Love”, good old rock and roll, some Spanish influences in “Elephant Shoes”, some hillbilly and there’s even a childlike innocence to a song or two. Without realizing it, you are tapping your toes, singing along and smiling as your doing it. “I just want to make people happy” Paul says…and with this current album he does exactly that.