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St. Olaf senior to perform live July 6 on Twin Cities radio show

By David Gonnerman '90
July 1, 2003

Paul Chrisitanson
Christianson
St. Olaf junior and Minneapolis-based singer/songwriter Paul Christianson will perform live on the Cities 97 (97.1 FM) ?Acoustic Sunrise? program on Sunday, July 6 at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The performance, sponsored by the Institute, will take place between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

?Music opportunities have been steadily intensifying over the past several months,? says Christianson. ?We got the ?Acoustic Sunrise? invitation after playing the Cities 97 ?Tunes at Noon? near Orchestra Hall a couple of weeks ago.?

Christianson, a double major in economics and English, writes all of his own material. ?I really can?t claim any life-altering story as the motivation for my material,? he says. ?The only factor that differentiates me from any other 20-year-old is that I happen to write music about the situations that build my life. I want to create a personal relationship with my audience and the best way to develop that rapport is to discuss the factors and feelings that affect our lives.?

Christianson?s debut, self-titled CD will be released at a July 20 performance with fellow Minneapolis artist Tim Mahoney at the FineLine in Minneapolis. Christianson?s bass player Anton Kreisl, who studied music theory and composition at St. Olaf, produced the CD.

The two remaining band members are Rochester, Minn.-native Mark Noseworthy on lead guitar and Todd Budich on drums. Both are graduates of the Berklee School of Music in Boston. The band is managed by Christianson?s brother Jon, who graduated from St. Olaf in 2002.

Christianson and his band recently returned from playing at the Camp Jeep Festival in Virginia, which featured Smashmouth and Minnesota native Alice Peacock. Attendance at this year?s Camp Jeep is reported to have exceeded 10,000 people.

The group will also perform at the Atlantis Music Conference in Atlanta, Ga., July 30-Aug. 2, which will give the band an opportunity to play in front of representatives from major recording labels.

St. Olaf College is a liberal arts institution that fosters the development of mind, body and spirit. It is a residential college in Northfield, Minn., and affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The college provides personalized instruction and diverse learning environments, with nearly two-thirds of its students participating in international studies. For more information, see www.stolaf.edu.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.