Konrad Wert is a man of many voices. As a special education teacher, he is articulate and intentional. As an advocate for justice in education, he is passionate. But as an artist and musician, better known by his stage name Possessed By Paul James, his voice is expressive, holding rest and action in tandem. In truth, “Paul James” is a fiction, a combination of the names of Wert’s father and grandfather. Those who have seen him perform, however, would agree he seems possessed by something.

 

After 20 plus years working within the realms of special education & advocacy work, Konrad Wert continues the balance with yet another upcoming album while in the classroom. Continuing to raise a family in Texas & working a 50 hr work week within public education, Wert has still been able to release 5 full length albums, two of which topped Bluegrass Billboard charts in 2013 & 2020. Possessed by Paul James’s upcoming 6th album, titled Fighting For Our Own Survival, set to release “sooner than later”.

Placaters are a twin-cities based 4-piece with a sound richly steeped in Americana, roots, soul and blues which produces a frenzied form of lounge music covering the gap between legends like Sinatra and Waits into new territory like Rateliff and Cauthen.
For fans of Garage/Blues/Spaghetti/lounge/Americana