Paul K - Clippings - Lex Herald Leader


Paul K and Weathermen will stick with music come rain or shine
By Walter Tunis Contributing music critic After spending nearly two years in New York, Paul Kopasz figured that his odds of success in the music business might be better in Lexington, where he fronts a trio called Paul K and the Weathermen. The band will play at Babylon Babylon on Saturday. "If you’re a musician from Austin, Texas, you’re probably in one of only 10 bands or so," Kopasz said. "In New York, it’s more like one in 500. "It’s next to impossible to make it no matter where you are. I’m just trying to change the odds a little bit." A Detroit native, Kopasz came to the University of Kentucky on a debate scholarship in 1980. Three years later, he found himself in New York playing beside such notables as bassist Jaco Pastorius (known for his work with Weather Report and Joni Mitchell), guitarist Jorma Kaukonen (formerly of the Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna) and drummer Rashied Ali (who played with the legendary jazz saxophonist John Coltrane). Even then, Kopasz said. his time in New York was anything but glamorous.	Paul K and the Weathermen	"He holds the record for being with us the longest," Kopasz said. "Good help is hard to find these days!" The Weathermen have stayed busy during its two years as a group. The band has issued about 20 independently recorded tapes of mostly original music, as well as an album called Patriots. Recorded nearly a year ago, the album was released only last month. Asked whether capturing the band’s often rough and vibrant sound on vinyl was difficult, Kopasz said, "Not with the equipment we were using. It was pretty primitive. I’m really proud of that record, though. It was definitely the best work we were capable of doing at the.time." The band is talking to several independent record companies around the country, including the blooming SST label. The band also keeps a hectic touring schedule, regularly playing cities as far away as Minneapolis. "If somebody put a record contract in front me right now, I would probably sign it," Kopasz said. "But if nothing came up we’d still be at it."
	Who: Paul Kopasz, guitarist, vocalist, founder; Tim Welch, drummer; Joel Crisp, bass guitar. When: 9 p.m. Saturday, Babylon Babylon. $3. Quotation: "If somebody gave me $30,000 to make a record, I honestly don’t know what I’d do with it all. Probably buy a house."--- Kopasz ______________________ "When I met Jaco, we were both basically living on the street." One of the most-imitated bass guitarists of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Pastorius died penniless in New York last year. Returning to Lexington in August 1985, Kopasz teamed up with drummer Tim Welch in a band called the Johnsons. Since forming the Weathermen a few months later, Kopasz has been actively pursuing a guitar-heavy sound based on a host of late ‘60s psychedelic artists including the Velvet Underground and Jimi Hendrix. Bass guitarist Joel Crisp, who joined the group six months ago, completes Ihe lineup. Crisp is the latest of eight bass guitarists to have played in the Weathermen.