Paul Venezia

 Paul comes from a mixed musical background. He began playing bass in his junior high school jazz band, and subsequently in his high school jazz band. He then began listening to the blues. At age 15, he met Travis Colby, Adam Carroll, Dave Curtis, and Tim Wichland, musicians his age in his town. Travis played piano and Adam played guitar. The King Bees were born. It was a stormy, short-lived band, but it fostered Paul's thirst to play in a working band. To this end, Travis and Paul would routinely drive 45 minutes to the Rynborn Blues Club in Antrim, NH to play at the jam. Being underage, they had to sneak in, and only were able to play when a certain bartender was working. Eventually, at age 17, Paul began playing with Otis and the Elevators, a local blues band. He then brought Travis into the band, and they began playing all over NH, VT and MA. A regular gig was as the house band at the Rynborn. There, playing at the blues jam every Thursday night for almost two years, he frequently played with Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson. After two years, Paul took a break from playing full-time and worked in computers, building an Internet Service Provider in his hometown. This led to another job, as a consultant, that took him to New York City for 6 months.

Spending time in Manhattan, Paul frequented Manny's Car Wash, Chicago B.L.U.E.S., and other blues bars in the city. He also began going to jazz shows around town, notably the Mingus Big Band. This, in addition to a substantial collection of Blue Note groove jazz from the 50's and 60's greatly influenced his playing. Upon returning to New Hampshire, he was contacted by Luther Johnson, and offered the bass gig in Luther's band. He accepted, and began touring the country and the world with the Magic Rockers, with Travis on piano.

Now currently playing with Al Alessi, Paul writes most of the music for Chameleon.

Paul is currently 22 years old, and lives in Swanzey, NH.

Paul plays a mixture of basses, a prototype Trace Elliot T-Bass, an Ibanez SR506 6-string fretless, an Ibanez SR1200 4-string,  an Epiphone Les Paul bass, a bastardized Fender Jazz with a Moses graphite neck, and a Fender Standard Jazz Bass. He plays through Ampeg and Hartke amps.
12.27.99
chameleon@jpj.net