Paul Sanchez

On the night of the day soon-to-be-former U.S. President George Bush told the press that his government responded well to Hurricane Katrina, I spoke to Paul Sanchez. 
Sanchez, or “Poppy” as he is known to his friends, lives in the French Quarter and is well acquainted with the documented disaster that devastated New Orleans in 2005. 
“Well, it’s hard for some people to see beyond their own grand illusions,” said the seasoned singer-songwriter, who has written for, performed and recorded with some very solid names in the music business. 
The 49-year-old says he is "New Orleans born, New Orleans bred and when I die I'll be New Orleans dead.” He spent 15 years on the road, more than 200 nights a year on stage, travelling the U.S. and Canada, mostly with a group called Cowboy Mouth. The group recorded a few CDs, but dissolved after the hurricane.
“After Katrina, I wanted to be home,” he says. 
Sanchez also wanted his music to sound more like the sound nurtured in the Crescent City, more like the sound he heard as a young man.
“Unlike a lot of cities in the world, and especially in America, there is an old-world quality about New Orleans,” says Sanchez. “We’re stuck in our ways. But there’s also the physical closeness here that you don’t get other places. For one thing, you can walk almost anywhere, and the music is everywhere.”
Growing up in New Orleans, Sanchez said the sound of music penetrated every moment. From his porch as a child he could hear bands rehearsing for Mardi Gras, and on weekends there were parades and processions.
“Music is this town,” says its proud son Sanchez, who will appear at the Coldsnap Music Festival later this month. He’ll be bringing his good friend and fellow bayou native, vocalist John Boutte. The two have performed and written together for more than 14 years.
Sanchez counts many of his New Orleans brethren among his musical influences. He's worked with Shamarr Allen, Ivan Neville, Darius Rucker (lead singer for Hootie and the Blowfish) Herlin riley and a host of others.
Sanchez says he’s looking forward to the change in climate and the opportunity to share some southern songs with northern audiences. He spent some time in Calgary last summer at the folk festival and said he found the city and people there warm and inviting. 
I told him to expect the same here . . . only perhaps a few degrees chillier outdoors, but warm hearts and hands all the time.