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[taylortriumphs]

Getting To Know Paul McDonald of American Idol

Paul, so you went to Auburn… What did you think of the national championship?
Man it was awesome!! I was actually doing all this American Idol stuff and I was the only one backstage watching the game. Everyone kept coming up to me asking who I was cheering for and what I was doing. To be honest I had to beg for them to put the game on for me in the green room. They wanted me to stay focused for my song, but I had to watch the game!

If you could tour with any two artists who would they be?
That is a great question. Um, there are so many people to choose from. I love Mumford and Sons and Ray Lamontagne. I would really be happy touring with anyone who is one of the higher level shows at Bonnaroo or Coachella music festival.

When Katy Perry was here she said that she would rather have Chick-fil-A than In-N-Out Burger on the road. What is the one thing you would like to have on the tour?
Oh man, Chick-fil-A everyday would be awesome! We really don’t ever get to eat there on the road, but they just put the first one right down the road from my apartment in L.A. I would love to have that as much as I could! There chicken biscuits are awesome!

http://arenaatgwinnettcenter.blogspot.com/

This post has been edited by taylortriumphs: Jul 27th 2011, 12:57 PM

[taylortriumphs]

"Paul McDonald stopped at Dinosaur BBQ. He told NewsChannel 9, “The whole downtown, it was raining, it was kind of quiet. And then you saw Dinosaur BBQ and it was just slammed with people. I walked in and they sat me down. Yeah, it was good; had a local brew and some local foods. It was good.”

Paul strolled Armory Square too."

http://www.9wsyr.com/news/local/story/Idol...T1m7549krA.cspx

[taylortriumphs]

Post-‘Idol,’ Paul McDonald Continues to Grow

By Emily Ramey
Dec 1 2011

Paul McDonald draws musical inspiration from his life, which, if you’re up on your pop culture you’ll know, has been positively brimming with spectacular, whirlwind song material. The 26-year-old singer-songwriter placed eighth on season ten of American Idol, met, dated, and got engaged to Twilight starlet Nikki Reed, and toured the country, playing arenas, as part of the Idol tour, all within the first eight months of 2011.

This sort of dizzying fate blindsides all American Idol contestants; however, unlike many of his bright-eyed, freshly scrubbed young competitors, McDonald was living a musician’s life before the show, writing and touring endlessly as the front man of the Grand Magnolias, a Nashville-based Americana rock band.

The veteran songwriter in a cast of budding performers, McDonald has been a wild card element from the beginning. But his effortless charm, uncomplicated passion and raspy tenor vocals promoted him to an easy favorite. “It wasn’t my goal to win ‘American Idol,’” he admits. “I kind of did it for fun, but we’ve met so many great people, and it’s opened up so many doors.”

Amid all these new avenues and opportunities, his songwriting process has remained remarkably the same. Of his compositions, McDonald says, “They come in different waves. Sometimes I’ll pick up my guitar and a song will just come out, or sometimes I’ll write the guitar part or the piano part and then put lyrics over it later. It’s just kind of how they come out of my body, you know?

“I’ve tried to open my mind to a lot of different kinds of records and experience different artists, make my writing a little bit better,” he elaborates. “I’ve got a lot of material to work with, and I’m just going to go into the studio and take my time, try to make something really good. To me, it’s really never been about anything more than making good music and playing good songs."

http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/post-i...ntinues_to_grow

[pumpk]

there's a video also at the site...

Former Idol Paul McDonald on "Rocksmith"
Published : Monday, 12 Dec 2011, 8:57 AM EST

You remember him as the guy with the gravelly voice and blinding smile from American Idol season 10, where he finished eighth.

And now he's going to show you how anyone can become a rock star, in the privacy of your own home.

Of course, we're talking about Paul McDonald who joined Good Day from Los Angeles, courtesy of Ubisoft.

For more information on Paul McDonald and the new video game "Rocksmith," visit http://www.thepaulmcdonald.com/ and http://rocksmith.ubi.com/rocksmith/en-US/home/

[stuart]

Idol Alum Paul McDonald Talks Music, Celebrity Status

MyFoxHouston - American Idol season 10 alum Paul McDonald joined us on FOX 26 Morning News live from Los Angeles. He discusses his band, the release of his new album, and living life as a celebrity….


http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/entertainm...elebrity-status