Paula & Karol – Folk/Pop

In the organizer's words:

850 kilometers lie between Hamburg and Warsaw, a long way that the duo Paula & Karol are happy to travel even after twelve years of collaboration, including four albums, an EP and many concerts, in order to work together on their heartbreakingly light, airy and sun-drenched pop music. The two have gathered a band family around them, recording their music between the very different lives of Paula in Hamburg and as a professor of the sociology of digitalization in St. Gallen and Karol as a DJ, composer, producer and concert promoter in Warsaw. Over the years, the five have become friends for life: "Even if life gets a bit strange, we'll always be playing music" is the band's motto.

The new album Lifestrange will be released on 18.06.2021 by Dynamite Platten. The album title is a neologism created by Paula & Karol's bassist Jakub Czubak. It is his expression for when things in life go differently than planned - and it also fits well with the band's emotional state during the creation of the album. All the songs were written before the start of the pandemic, at a time of great social and political uncertainty in Poland and elsewhere. The recordings then had to take place in two stages: before the start of the pandemic with the entire band in the studio, and later each band member alone with sound engineer Jacek Trzeszczyński. It was later produced and mastered in numerous "Zoom Happy Hours" by Arjen Mensinga in Utrecht together with Paula & Karol.

Inspired by artists such as the early Hall & Oates, Bob Dylan or the band Whitney from Chicago and influenced by the current situation, the album has probably become the most eclectic in the band's history to date. Americana meets psychedelic folk and 1970s dad rock. Paula comments on the sound: "I really like the new vibe we created on this album. It's more slick, but it's still heartfelt. I feel there is a bit more coolness, less of a folky and 'be happy' vibe than we usually do".

The first single "Safe from Harm", released in February 2021, with its casual-cool vibe is like a joyride on a warm summer evening. "Memories" with its wild, almost psychedelic sound is an improvised mess like a jam session in a barn, and the chorus in the song "Leave Me" tells of "taking care" of another person and the worry that they might no longer be there at some point: "As we have witnessed, life gets scary and strange sometimes", says Karol, and continues: "This album is about caring and loving each other in a world that seems to be crashing, changing and overall is a very strange place".

Paula & Karol have performed with their band family in many parts of the world - from Austin, TX, to New York, Toronto, Kiev, Reykjavik and London, and especially in Germany and Poland, where they have played dozens of concerts over the years. The first two albums were released on the Warsaw cult label LADO ABC. With the third album Heartwash they found their way onto the German market and the fourth album Whole Again was released by the Dresden label Dynamite Records together with the Polish label Agora.

The line-up:
Paula Bialski is a full-time professor of digital sociology at the University of St. Gallen, where she teaches seminars on the sociology of music, among other things. She has Canadian and Polish citizenship and currently lives in Hamburg.
Karol Strzemieczny and the other three band members have been an important part of the alternative music scene in Warsaw for more than ten years. Karol and bassist Kuba Czubak are both club DJs, produce music and also play in other bands. Drummer Igor Nikiforow was a concert promoter in one of Warsaw's largest event halls for ten years and is currently active as a producer and composer, often for various Warsaw theaters. He also releases music for children with the band Jerz Igor, which is very well known in Poland.

Admission from 19:30

Tickets are available for 15/18 euros in advance at Culton Ticket and TixforGigs, B.O.: 18/20 euros.
VVK runs until 17:00 on the day of the event, after that there are always remaining tickets on sale at the B.O.!
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