The man on stage sits in a chair, surrounded by electronic equipment on the floor. There’s a guitar and banjo at the ready, and a fiddle already singing in his hands.
Konrad Wert wears a T-shirt, a black cap, and jeans as he shifts from playing the fiddle with the bow to strumming it like a guitar before starting in on his lyrics. As he plays and sings, he is a man possessed, a man driven by the music and the story, bouncing in his chair and, at times, switching from his folksy voice to a growl.
Texas-based Wert is the celebrated artist behind Possessed by Paul James, the stage name he chose when he started playing shows while still holding his job as a teacher.
And on July 25, Wert brings his act to Crush Lounge in Whitefish as part of a year-long tour he and his family are on. Wert spoke with the Beacon while his wife Jenny Gillespie piloted the family’s 24-foot Winnebago into Fargo, North Dakota, while the couple’s two sons napped in the back.
Having spent the last 15 years teaching and working in the nonprofit world, Wert decided to take a year not only to pursue his music, but also to film a documentary called “When It Breaks,” focusing on the family’s journey across the country as Wert plays shows by night and meeting with teachers, parents, and lawmakers about special-needs education by day.
His passion for special education radiates from Wert the same way his music flows from the stage: it’s second nature.
“I play music, with advocacy for special education,” Wert said. “I’ve been a teacher and working in the nonprofit sector for about 15 years, and we have had a lot of challenges in funding and support.”
Originally from southwest Florida, Wert picked up on music early on in life. His mom played the piano and the guitar at church, and he and his sister learned the violin in fifth grade.
Music has always been there, he said, and while working as a teacher, he decided to start performing shows.
“Every teacher I know works two jobs, so this is my second job,” Wert said.
His stage name, Possessed by Paul James, came about when he decided to cloak his musical aspirations from his current employers and coworkers. He didn’t want his fellow teachers and administrators to think he wasn’t 100 percent committed to teaching, Wert said.
The name comes from his grandfather, Paul, and his father, James. He was able to keep up his secretive shows for a while, but his one-man act began getting too much attention to keep under wraps.
Soon, Wert was gaining accolades from the nearby Texas music-haven Austin, as well as NPR and the New York Times.
Wert does indeed play like a man possessed, working his instruments and accompanying electronics to perform as if he were surrounded by a traditional folk band. And once he gets singing, it’s all about storytelling and intensity.
“(The show) has some storytelling and conversations about special education,” Wert said. “If folks don’t know the show it might seem a little strange. It’s the way we express the music.”
His use of “we” encompasses his family, who he credits for his travels and successes. His wife “sings real good and dances real good” but isn’t part of the show just yet, Wert said, and still, he refers to all his stage performances as “us” or “we.”
While on the road, Wert and Gillespie will homeschool their 4-year-old and 7-year-old sons, while also giving them an education about family, performance, and dedication.
“We’ve taken them on the road for five summers. This is going to be a little different,” Wert said. “When they ask, ‘When are we going home?’ we just answer, ‘Well, we’re not.’”
Possessed by Paul James has shows booked straight through December, and the show in Whitefish will be one of the first Wert has played in Montana. And though he considers his family his road crew and band, when the spotlight hits the stage, it’s just Wert, but you’d never be able to tell just from the sound of it.
“I’m usually by myself,” he said.
For more information on Possessed by Paul James, including the documentary project “When It Breaks,” visit www.ppjrecords.com.