Today we’d like to introduce you to Paul Connolly. They and their team shared their story with us below:
Portrait of a Drowned Man is an instrumental post-rock collective originating in Duluth, MN, in 2003.
Recruiting numerous Twin Ports musicians through its existence, PoaDM has not-so-quietly carved its niche in the Duluth music scene with its wall-of-sound performances over the past 15 years. The band has three studio albums and numerous live recordings they have largely self-released in collaboration with local labels.
Working with filmmaker Mike Scholtz has led the group to expand into film and improvised live scoring. Their improvisational performances have grown to feature collaborative efforts with additional musicians such as Richie Townsend and Tyler Scouton.
After a 4-year pandemic-induced hibernation, PoaDM is once again slowly re-emerging. PoaDM is currently made up of Paul Connolly (guitar), Justin Kervina (guitar), Ken Nyberg (drums), Aaron Richner (guitar), and C.J. Keller (bass).
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Portrait of a Drowned Man’s (PoaDM) long-running resilience is, in part, due to its acceptance of change. Leaning into a rotating cast of contributors, PoaDM operates as a collective where no single person is responsible for something that can’t be replaced.
Instead of mourning the loss of a portion of their sound, they look forward to reinventing themselves and their songs. Some established songs carry forward. Others are left behind. Sometimes, this leads to extended periods of inactivity, but it rarely means the end.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe you can tell us more about your work next?
Speaking for myself (Paul Connolly), as one of the co-founders of Portrait of a Drowned Man (PoaDM), we initially started playing instrumental rock music when a past indie rock project called the Vermont Connection lost its vocalist due to a move.
However, at the same time, I was working at a record store (Electric Fetus in Duluth, MN) with fellow Vermont Connection guitarist Justin Kervina. We were just discovering records by bands like Mogwai, Explosions in the Sky, and Godspeed! You Black Emperor. Locally in Duluth, MN, we also soaked up more experimental instrumental performances by If Thousands and I Am the Slow Dancing Umbrella.
We were decidedly a guitar rock band, but without a vocalist, we seemed to weave through the local music scene, finding ourselves on everything from metal bills to hip-hop shows (and everything in between). During this time, we also began being approached by other artists to collaborate. Not just musicians but performance artists and filmmakers. Our wordless music was especially suited to indie filmmakers doing what they loved, just like we were.
I’m especially proud of our work with filmmakers and film festivals. It’s been a joy to improvise live scores to films, play at film festivals, and have people trust their visual art with our music.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
Growing up, I had an older cousin who set off my interest in music. He is a great guitar player and inspired me to pick up the instrument as well. My brother and I would stay at his house, write songs, and record them on cassette decks. He was introducing us to Hendrick, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Guns & Roses, etc. Shred stuff, too, like Steve Vai and Joe Satriani.
As I entered my early teens, I fell in love with grunge/alternative rock. So many great records were coming out in the mid-90s, and I was soaking them all up. I am reading rock magazines, going to record stores, and starting to go to some of my first live shows.
After I moved to Duluth, MN, to study graphic design at UMD, I started playing in some of my first bands that would play out at clubs and bars. During this time (early 2000s), I also worked at Electric Fetus. As a hub for the local music scene I met a lot of my future band mates but also was getting a deep dive on so many different genres of music I never listened to from my co-workers.
All of this led to the foundation of PoaDM. Lots of different tastes in music coming together. Even though I had been playing guitar for many years, I had no interest in learning the technical side. I found that my preference is to play by ear, and I realized my limitations as a player. In PoaDM, we surround ourselves with a mix of skills and approaches, but everyone maintains a certain respect for the art of feeling out songs.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.poadm.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/poadmduluth/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/portraitofadrownedman
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/poadmduluth
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@portraitofadrownedman8263
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/portraitofadrownedman
- Other: https://portraitofadrownedman.bandcamp.com/
Image Credits
Aaron Reichow
