The Paula Boggs Band has recently released the first single from the “Janus” album. The single is called “King Brewster” and it tells the true story of one of Boggs’ ancestors who was enslaved and emancipated. The lyrics are very powerful. “The song is very emotional for people regardless of race,” she said.
Boggs said that her friend wrote her privately to let her know that the song made her cry. It’s a heartbreaking story of a father who treated his own son as property. The lyric goes beyond talking about how African-Americans were treated and explores the relationship between a father and a son. A part of the song describes his father whipping him because that was what he was taught to do.
The song also features the legendary Dom Flemons on the song. Boggs said she wanted to partner with Flemons on the song and he agreed. “I felt King’s voice needed to be in this song and I couldn’t provide it fully,” she said.
The full “Janus” album will be released on April 1. Boggs explained that she chose the name Janus with intention because Janus is the god and goddess (Roman) of transition. Although it’s a different spelling, it is also her mother’s name.
Boggs said all of the songs on the “Janus” album were either written or re-imagined during the pandemic. Each song on the album is said to represent an aspect of life since 2020, whether it’s talking about the health crisis, race, or politics. Accodring to Boggs, “Janus” is the most sonically consistent album they have done to date.
Boggs’ journey to this point in her music career has been nothing short of remarkable. Her impressive resume includes working as a federal prosecutor and working in high-level positions in companies such as Starbucks.
“Music has always been a part of my DNA,” Boggs said. Her parents started her with learning to play the piano, but she said it didn’t take her long to discover the guitar, and then she started writing songs shortly after that. Later, she served in the military and had demanding jobs after she was discharged. Boggs said she put her music on the back burner. “I had a mindset of it being something I used to do,” she said.
Boggs said she was in a very dark place after her sister was killed in a car crash and her spouse encouraged her to get out her guitar. It wasn’t long until she learned about a songwriting class being held through the University of Washington. Boggs said she had to audition for it and she became a member of 15 songwriters in the class.
Following the class,, she wanted to continue her music. Her New Year’s resolution in 2007 was to try to do one open mic a month. She later made the decision to leave her job. “By the time I left Starbucks, I made that leap until the unknown more than once…I became more comfortable with it.”
For more information on the Paula Boggs Band. check out their website at www.paulaboggsband.net. They can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.