"Chattin' With Paxton"

by Diane Anderson
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This summer I had a chance to do a phone interview with Paxton, which is also the name of his band.  We talked about the last tour Paxton did, opening for Dee Snider.  I remember Dee Snider for his days in Twisted Sister.  I asked Paxton what it was like.  Paxton’s first comment was "Dee Snider is a great and fun guy, I would love to go back out on tour with him."  Paxton had great respect for Dee and Dee had great respect for Paxton, which made traveling and doing shows a lot of fun.  Following that, Paxton did a summer tour of coffeehouses with his band playing acoustic sets.  Paxton is now in the studio working on the next project.

We talked about what it was like growing up in Indiana.  He said the Midwest is a lot different then the coast.  Paxton got his musical talent and drive from his mother, and most of his brothers and sisters are in the music field. So he felt right at home with music.

A while back, Paxton's good friend and guitarist Randy Jordan died of cancer which left the band and Paxton in limbo for a while.  But Paxton was able to find another guitarist and released the second album Ginger’s Dish.  The album was named after Paxton's dog Ginger.  Paxton had gotten Ginger for Randy after he was diagnosed with cancer.  Paxton read somewhere that people with animals could live longer.  Now with Randy gone, Ginger belongs to Paxton.  We talked about how our dogs become a family member to us and how we are always worrying about them and making sure they have everything they need.

Paxton's songs come from the heart.  He writes what he feels and what he is thinking.  Listen to the words and you will understand what a compassionate person Paxton is.  Some of his songs are of a serious nature, but sometimes there's a lot of humor in them.  I really had a good time talking with Paxton, and I will be checking out his show the next time he’s here in my city.


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