Search - Paula Kelley :: Some Sucker's Life Pt 1

One of the great unexpected circumstances of moving house is unearthing long-lost memories in physical form. For Paula Kelley, this manifested itself in the discovery of a box of cassette tapes that seemed hauntingly familiar. Looking at scrawled markings like "Snot Rod" and "BW S---," Paula knew she had uncovered a potentially embarrassing collection of early demos and god knows what else. Teaming up with guitarist/co-producer Aaron Tap to digitize the lot resulted in a cache of nearly 100 recordings ranging from the bizarre to the sublime. After discarding the chaff - early boombox recordings, half-formed 4-tracks, and dubious live tapes - the pair discovered that there was a cool collection developing in front of them. The resulting album, Some Sucker's Life, Part 1, is a compelling set of songs that showcases this talented songwriter at many different stages of her career. Drop Nineteens fans will be elated to hear "Born to Be A *," a track Paula wrote and recorded while living in England shortly after extricating herself from the dysfunctional shoegazing band. Two demos from her first "solo" band, Hot Rod, are included here, as well as a slew of tracks from her days in Boy Wonder. Some are enlightening early versions of songs that later appeared on the band's two releases, but many others never saw the light of day.