Thorn brings ‘Pimps and Preachers’ to Second Street

Editor’s note: Paul Thorn will perform as part of the 2010-2011 Second Street Live Concert Series at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 9, at the SSL on 101 N. Second St. in downtown Fort Smith. Link here for ticket and other details.

review by Peter Lewis
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There is a theory that the hills of northern Mississippi hold the nexus of American music.  It is there that the disparate sounds of the American experience co-exist in a harmonic symphony. And from out of this mess spills forth the great sounds of rock ‘n’ roll.

It has birthed Elvis, Junior Kimbrough, Sam Cooke and Charley Pride. And the list could stretch on for a page.

Somewhere nestled amid the list of Mississippians is Paul Thorn. He takes these various influences and melds them into a sound that is so solidly American and yet so completely original that it almost escapes comparison. But it is indeed comparable to those giants that have come before him. It is their sound, their similar world, in which he has grown up. The voices of those that come before him aren’t cast aside. Instead they are honored and built upon. Thorn is a torch-bearer for the legacy of Mississippi and her music.

Thorn’s most recent release, “Pimps and Preachers,” is perhaps his most complete exploration of the confluence of southern influence. Released in June 2010, “Pimps and Preachers” is a restless exploration of the personalities that make up the southern experience. Each track is a story of the people and experiences of the southern landscape. That is to say, it is a study of polar opposites.

Like no other place in America, purity and Paphian prurience takes root in the soil of the south. This intermingling is what germinates the minds of southern musicians like Thorn. The magical duality drives and bewitches; it becomes the musical pin prick that alleviates the confused souls of southerners.

Unlike many folks, Thorn is able to see the perspective of potential beauty and transcendence that is granted to those that live on the other side of the coin. He knows almost intuitively that the experiences of life are what shape the songs, and that the more dangerous, the darker the experiences are, they just lend more beauty to the experience of life. At times, his work seems to be a physical manifestation of the adage that it is “always darkest just before dawn.”

Thorn himself perfectly summarizes this aspiration towards duality in his music.

“Look, there’s nothing wrong with songs about holding hands or sitting by the phone and waiting for a girl to call. But I wrote songs like that when I was 15. I’m trying now to sing about things that mean something to me, for people who want something real, who not only want forgiveness but are willing to give it.”

It is a testament to his prowess as a lyricist and musician that he succeeds so thoroughly in his aims.