Possessed by Paul James

Possessed by Paul James plays The Saxon Pub on Saturday, August 29, at 7 PM. The name is the project of Konrad Wert, who has put out five full-length albums under it, two of which topped the Bluegrass Billboard charts in 2013 and 2020. The band hails from Kendal County, Texas.

Wert is working on a sixth album, Fighting For Our Own Survival, which includes the track "See You On Sunday," recorded live with WAF in Laramie, Wyoming, with Joe Macheret on fiddle. That's the kind of detail that tells you where the music sits—bluegrass roots and live recordings from the road. The set will draw from his catalog, with the newer material sitting alongside the older records.

There's a bit of a double life to the whole thing. Outside the music, Wert has spent more than 20 years working in special education and advocacy, and he's still at it—raising a family in Texas and putting in a 50-hour week in public education while he keeps releasing records. It's a lot to balance, and the music happens around the edges of that.

Tickets are $20 to $30, and the show starts at 7 PM on Saturday, August 29, at The Saxon Pub, 1320 S Lamar Blvd.