Urban Roots with the Occasional Rural Punk

“The point of the live show is to share and with that intent, there is no program. Rather the energy is thrown right back at ya in an appreciative way,” says Konrad Wert. “It’s loose, it’s meant to be sincere and sometimes there’s magic to it.” The one-man band has performed “folk with a gut” music under the moniker Possessed by Paul James since 2005. The name is a tribute to his father and grandfather because “I never wanted to convey music as an individual, as it’s just one massive reflection of life’s influence,” he says. Wert grew up in a small Mennonite community, and now draws inspiration from “my classroom, my lover and my children, my friends’ battles, the challenges of providing and the challenges of living in a way that feels purposeful and is helping others in some way.” Wert says he plays “urban roots with the occasional rural punk—roots and composition with rhythm via fiddle, banjo and some stomp” and believes Texas’ Travis County is “one big-ass soup pot and ya bump around and learn from everything—Austin is a great city to develop and learn what you want to find in music.” He released There Will Be Nights When I’m Lonely this past fall and hopes to put out new music in 2014 after touring in Alaska and Canada. “Time is always the issue. But writing and playing at home is constant. This album was meant to be a celebration of all things. It’s the beginning of a great process and we’re eager to do this again.”