Paul Wassif is a singer, songwriter and guitarist from Bristol, born in 1963. His early career is in punk and rock, including work with The London Cowboys, before he moves into a different musical direction through a series of New York bands linked to former New York Dolls members Jerry Nolan and Sylvain Sylvain.

Style and repertoire

Wassif’s music is identified with melodic country, blues and folk. His first album, Looking Up Feeling Down, presents a set of original songs alongside traditional material drawn from those musical traditions. The album highlights his guitar work, songwriting and arrangements, ranging from fingerpicked acoustic pieces to electric guitar-driven tracks and slide guitar passages.

Recording and collaborators

Looking Up Feeling Down includes guest appearances by Bert Jansch and Eric Clapton, who perform together on the album for the first time. Other contributors include Evan Jenkins, The Watson Brothers, Robin Clayton, Lynn Glaser, Steve Counsel and Seamus Beaghen.

Musical approach

The record includes pieces such as “900 Miles”, “Lonely Highway”, “I Missed It All”, “Rosemary Lane” and “Just for You”, which together show Wassif working across fingerpicking, electric guitar and slide guitar in a country-blues context.