New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Nashville-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer
Paul Johnson mixes his indie-folk roots with pop hooks and sparse, airy production, on "Constellation," his second full-length studio album under the name Canyon City.
On October 6th, Nashville-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer
Paul Johnson released his second full-length studio album under the name Canyon City. The ten-track album, titled "Constellation," mixes Johnson's indie-folk roots with pop hooks and sparse, airy production. The album has received praise from notable mainstream, indie and folk publications including the Huffington Post, AXS, Indie Shuffle, Elmore Magazine, Glide Magazine, and Mother Church Pew.
"Constellation" arrives one year after Canyon City's debut, "Midnight Waves," a viral hit whose soft-spoken songwriting racked up an impressive Spotify audience. Now with "Constellation," Canyon City's Spotify audience has surpassed 1 million monthly listeners and his channel presently has over 24.6 million streams. Tracks from "Constellation" were recently added to major Spotify playlists including "Autumn Acoustic" and "Fresh Folk." The streaming service also created "This Is: Canyon City," a playlist specifically for the artist with his most popular tunes.
Paul Johnson wrote, performed and produced "Constellation" himself in his home studio in Nashville, Tennessee. You can hear a sense of that intimacy throughout the album's ten songs, whose lyrics spin stories of love, struggle, and personal journeys. Rooted in the quiet strum of Johnson's acoustic guitar and the hushed croon of his voice, "Constellation" shines bright during moments like "Midnight Flight" — a quiet anthem about seizing the moment, while fully acknowledging the moment is fleeting — and "Find You," a warm, woozy travel song. It's a personal album that speaks to something universal, creating the soundtrack for a generation of lovers and listeners who are looking not only to find their partners, but to find themselves, as well.
Appropriately, it is Canyon City — Johnson's most individualized project to date — that gave its creator the chance to find his true musical identity. Years earlier, Johnson found himself focusing on a different sound, creating music for TV shows, movie trailers and other multimedia opportunities. He was good at it, too, landing songs in the preview for the Gerard Butler film "The Family Man," as well as the Hallmark program Chesapeake Shores. Even so, Johnson wasn't happy. He wasn't writing music for himself, and he was letting the promise of a paycheck get in the way of pure, honest art. Things changed once he began funneling his profits into his home studio in Nashville, creating a place where he could spend his days and evenings working on music that moved him.
"Canyon City is the project I quit my old job to pursue," Johnson explains, "and coincidentally, it's the project that wound up opening so many doors for me. It's allowed me to do what I want to do."
It's fitting, then, that the name of Johnson's one-man band conjures up a hidden town nestled between surrounding mountains. There, with no one else in sight, a person can feel free to pursue their own passions and interests. Canyon City is a safe haven, in other words, and it suits Johnson both sonically and personally. NPR agrees, adding Canyon City to The Austin 100 in 2017, their popular annual list of 100 must-see acts during SXSW. "Paul Johnson's warm, bright folk-pop songs feel like letters from a friend," the outlet wrote.
"Constellation" is now available on all digital platforms including Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Google Play. Johnson will donate 10% of his October album sales and Spotify streaming income to the Red Cross, in light of recent tragedies and disasters.
SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/1a4HUfuepjN78mIL5BIMYz
APPLE MUSIC: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id1268844037
ITUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/album/id1268844037?ls=1&app=itunes
UPCOMING TOUR DATES:
Oct. 18 - Nashville, TN @ The Basement
Oct. 20 - New York, NY @ Rockwood
Music Hall
Oct. 27 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Hotel Cafe
