Operation Paul Byrom

Well hello there boys and girls!! Its been a while since I did a blog but I suppose with the world of Twitter and Facebook, you all know what I'm doing pretty much all the time!

It has been an interesting few weeks to say the least. Starting off with the most important information. After a traumatic accident involving my grandma, Im delighted to say she is on the road to recovery and fast approaching her 93rd birthday. She is currently in hospital going through physio and getting stronger. Once they feel she is strong enough, she will be let home and back to normality. However, despite it protestations, we will all be keeping closer tabs on her. I was extremely worried as I am very close to my grandma. I always have been. During my summer holidays as a child I would spend many weeks on end with my grandparents and my Grandma and I would often head into town for the day to look through the shops. I would always end up heading home with a new piece of lego as a treat. Although we wouldn't head home without heading to mass at the Pro Cathedral and then a glass of Guinness for Grandma and a soft drink for me. Then onto the bus and home we would go. They are cherished memories of mine, and therefore my Grandparents will always have a huge part of my heart. That being said, I want to thank you all for your kind wishes and prayers at a time when I was hoping that Grandma's years of devotion would be repaid. I head home in April for a performance to commemorate the Titanic leaving Cobh Harbour. Therefore I will be able to celebrate my birthday with her as its within days of each other. Everyday is a blessing with family and I cant wait to see them all soon.

Things are good with me, and the cruise of the Panama Canal in January was a total blast. It was so great getting to spend time with so many of you and sharing a lot of laughs. Indeed it was also great getting a bit of sun on the bones whilst New York was getting some snow. It certainly broke up the winter for me.
Since coming back I have been working hard with my management and agent to plan out the coming year. We have a lot of exciting plans and are hoping at least half of them come off. Needless to say, any of you that know me, know that I will continue pursuing the dream and trying to get my name out there.

This brings me to the headline of this blog. I need your help. You have all been so effective in getting my name out there and in spreading the word on what I am doing. However, I really feel with all the commitment shown by so many of you, we can achieve a lot more. IF WE WORK TOGETHER. So here's my thinking. The one thing we could do is have certain projects where we are all working together. We have had a lot of great ideas by some of you, so if we work in numbers we could achieve these. Rosie O'Donnell clearly knows all about me now. The strength in numbers.
In the past we have called them street teams, and indeed that idea is kinda what we are talking about. However, I rather call it "Operation Paul Byrom". Something we are all a part of. We are not different teams, we are one. One dream, one mission. I need people who are prepared to take the bull by the horns in there local area and try to get my music out there. I know the power of you all. You are all so committed, loyal and genuine. I wouldn't have been able to take a punt on myself if I didnt believe I would have your support. So here I am, asking you to step up. THIS IS THE MOMENT. Are you with me? If so, please email me at OperationPaulByrom@yahoo.com 


I hope to hear from many of you. From all over the world. The more the merrier 


Thank you and God bless 


My Loves 
My Doves 
My Eggs 


Paul x

News & Events

CONCERT DATES AND PERFORMANCES




March 6th
McGonigal's Pub
Barrington, IL
8pm
TICKETS SOLD OUT 

March 8th 
Edgewood Country Club
Pittsburgh, PA
7.30pm
TICKETS
SOLD OUT

March 11th
The Inn at Ragged Edge
Chambersburgh, PA
7pm
TICKETS

March 12th
Philadelphia Irish Center
Commodore Barry Club,
Philadelphia
7pm
TICKETS

March 13th
"An Irish Heart" with the Atlanta Pops
The Plaza Arts Center
7.30pm

March 14th
The Smith Center for Performing Arts
Las Vegas 
7pm
TICKETS

March 17th
STATION EIGHT, 
1899 OCEAN STREET,
MARSHFIELD, MA
8pm
TICKETS

March 22
Culhanes, Deer Lake
Jacksonville, FL
7.30pm
TICKETS




REVIEWS

IRISH DAILY MAIL
"Paul Byrom brilliantly reprises his role here as the evil villain"

IRISH TIMES
"wickedly good Paul Byrom"

RSVP MAGAZINE
"Lord Beautface played brilliantly by Irish Tenor Paul Byrom"

IRISH INDEPENDENT
"“Easy listening – which the young love ironically and the old love wholeheartedly – is on an upward curve and ‘Velvet’ which reached No. 2 in the albums charts, may just have been the making of Byrom – this show case performance, featuring a 26 piece orchestra has long been a sell-out.:”

“He does not interpret the music so much as channel it, his voice a dark, lustrous force of nature. Around him, the orchestra conjures a crashing swooning swell; listeners may feel as if they have passed through the silver screen and into a forgotten Hollywood musical.”

DAYOUT.IE
"Tenor Paul Byrom returns in another hilarious performance"

Grammy Award winner Julie Gold, composer of "From A Distance":
"BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL.
I LOVED From a Distance and feel you gave it a personal and respectful and unique performance.  THANK YOU for honoring me in such a way.
Gorgeous voice and sweepingly elaborate and beautiful production."


Musical Composer, Frank Wildhorn:
"Love your version of This Is The Moment...great passsion"

Seasons Greetings

I know it has been a while since I have blogged,but between all that was required of my time for the tour and promotion of the new album I never seemed to have the time. However, now as I make my way to Boston for Christmas and have a spare hour or two, I thought I would drop you all a line. 


To start off, I feel I should address my silence on line the past week. Due to the continual unprovoked, nasty and extremely hurtful comments on twitter toward Dominique and indirectly myself, we felt something had to be done. Both Dominique and I understand they have come from a tiny minority, and after a bit of research discovered it was from in fact, one family. What was even more surprising was that it was coming from adults. Needless to say, Im not one to sit and take it. Nor will I ever be. I have no problem with anyone ever criticizing my music or even myself as I accept that not everyone will like what I do or who I am.Thats life. However, these nasty comment were not about me, but about a girl who has been nothing but be loving and supportive of me from the moment I met her through to this very challenging year. It would be all to easy for Dominique to go out with a guy who has a steady job with a secure future. However she chooses to go with her heart and stick with me on what will no doubt be an interesting ride. 
All accusations thrown at her are totally unfounded. If they ever had the chance to get to know her, and not make judgements on a brief encounter (if ever, as we dont believe they have) they would see her for what she is. There is no want in her to ever be in the limelight. She is happy for me to chase my dreams and longs to be in the background. 
I do feel that by even acknowledging these moronic people I am giving them credit, however, the point of it is to assure you, that we know we have huge support and lots of friends across America, Canada and the rest of the world and we are EXTREMELY grateful. The other piece of information is to assure you that I wont accept this behaviour to anyone I love. So on that note Im glad to say we have been in touch with the proper authorities and they have been extremely helpful. They have taken all the communications sent to Dominique and myself from these people and consider it very serious. It is being monitored by them and action will be taken Im assured. This may seem extreme to one or two, but I dont take gambles on the happiness of my family or loved ones.Therefore, I will do whatever I can to protect myself and them. On this occasion, I was advised to stay off twitter whilst they found out more about these people. Thankfully I have been told I can return to social media. Dominique on the other hand is undecided. Although with the mass amount of support she has received and the overwhelming messages of love in recent days, I cant see her staying away!!


Moving on from that, as I said earlier, Dominique and I are on our way to spend Christmas with some very close friends in Cohasset this Christmas. Obviously Christmas is a time to spend with family and loved ones. Although we wont be home in Ireland for the holiday season, they are very very close in mind and heart. Today I was on Skype to Jack and Kate,and to say they are wired would be an understatement. They both sang their songs for me and showed me pictures from their nativity plays in school. Jack was an angel ( I nearly choked on my breakfast ) and Kate was a lamb (thought they were gentle!! ). Needless to say, I think the casting director at their schools probably wont be moving into theatre, movies or tv anytime in the near future!! I will say though, I was filled with huge pride. 
Christmas to me is all about the children. To see them all so excited about the coming of Santa, and indeed more importantly, the understanding of baby Jesus being born and all he brings to the world. Im not one to bible bash, but I do love that at this time of year, we all take stock as to what and who we are. I also feel that, whether your Christian, Muslim, Jewish or non fate, its a time for all. A time when you can meet up with those you haven't seen in  along time. Whether through distance or indifference. A time that you can use to set aside any ill feeling, and a time for helping those who may be less fortunate than yourself. Many think it important to donate time or money to charity, of which I concur. However I also think its a time to consider those who are lonely. Many sit a lone on Christmas day. Some through their own fault, many because thats just how life dealt them the cards. Either way, I always think Christmas is a time to reach out to them. To show them, they are not alone. In fact it can be said that there are some who are surrounded by many, but are still very lonely. All that is needed is for someone to show they care. That can be the difference to many between a sad time of year and a great time of year. 
Not being home this year for Christmas is proving to be tougher than I thought it would be. Indeed in the past I have been away from my family for Christmas, but only occasionaly. In fact quiet rarely. What I will miss is the smothering of attention that my mom showers on me. She always always made Christmas special. There is always music on in the house. The fire lit. The tree's glowing and indeed the kitchen smelling of everything you can dream of. Coming home after midnight mass and having her pull the ham from the oven covered in honey and brown sugar and helping ourselves to what can only be described as the best sandwich in the world! Then on Christmas morning going to visit the rest of the family and seeing all the toys the kids got, or catching up with family you havnt seen in a long time. Of course the best part was always going to visit Grandma and Grandad. They lived in a small house in Dublin, and when you rang the doorbell, Grandad's huge towering frame would welcome you with the biggest of smiles. He was always so happy to see us. He was proud that his family were all around him, and he got great pleasure in being the host. He would make sure everyone had a drink, young or old, and then a toast would always be made. Indeed as a child, you always assumed that he would be there for ever. That he would always be there to welcome you at the door. That things would never change and you would always be the apple of their eyes. Of course now Im older and time has taken Grandad from us. Although there is rarely much time that passes that I dont think of him.In fact I always carry a picture of him with me. But every Christmas, I wish I was going over to their house and for him to be at the door again. Im sure many of you reading this have very similar stories and memories.Indeed I know Im not the only one who wishes tomorrow they were spending it with loved ones who have passed. Im so proud of the fact my grandma is still with us though. 92 years and still rocking around the Christmas tree! I have always had a very close relationship with her. A bond that is very hard to describe. She often tells me of the day I was brought home and she held me in her arms on the couch in her living room. She feels the same as me, and for that, I feel very blessed. 
I know they will miss me as much as I will them. However,, with the world as it is today, we will be talking to them tomorrow on SKYPE. Or as my Grandma says.....through the telly! 


This year has been a very eventful and exciting year for me. To say I am eternally grateful to you all would be a massive understatement. I hope we will continue to share many more wonderful memories in the years to come, but in the meantime. Enjoy Christmas, create new memories and love the ones you love. 




My warmest and most heartfelt wishes of peace and happiness goes out to you all. 
Keep well 
My Loves 
My Doves 
My Eggs 


Paul 
xxx      

Autumn Leaves

I've always had an affection for this time of year. As I make my way around each day in  New York on what is our first Autumn in this great city. Im struck at how the season is changing. This may sound like Im rambling about something that shouldn't really be all that interesting. However, if, like me, your from Ireland, you will understand that we dont get four seasons. Yes, technically we do. In that it gets colder around now at home, and then slightly warmer around Spring, then maybe a bit of sun in July. One thing is for sure though. It rains ALL year. So to experience the seasons as I am here in New York, is a real treat.

Noticing the leaves change though, spell one thing to me......the tour is getting close!
After almost 9 months of planning, my first solo tour of Northern America is literally three weeks away. As you know there have been many sleepless nights had, and one or two more to be had before it starts.
So where are we now?! Well, obviously tickets are still available. Much as I would love to say its all sold out, there are still tickets available for all the gigs. All details are on this website under "News and Events", with purchase links attached. Needless to say, if you are in reach of the gigs, I would love to see you there. This is very much a tour to show many in the industry, that I can do it here in the States and that I can do it alone. Its also a tour for you to see me in a more intimate setting.
The support I have gotten to date has been incredible, but I am aware that a lot want to see if the support has carried over to my solo performances. I have been very flattered at the news that some are traveling from Europe and Australia to see me. Not to mention the miles many are making in America and Canada. This is overwhelming. Needless to say, I will do my best to put on an evening to remember.

There have been a couple of questions recently about certain aspects of the gigs. So the point to this blog in particular is to address one or two.

For many of the gigs, there is no seating plan, so first come first seated. Details of when doors open are also on all the purchase links.

Photos ARE allowed. However, filming is NOT.

Unless you have won a private meet and greet which has been organised by the "Byrom Babes" by promoting my concerts in their area, or through WQED, there will be no meet and greets for sale for any of the other gigs. However, it is important to state, I WILL BE DOING SIGNINGS OF PAUL BYROM MERCHANDISE by the merch stand AFTER THE EVERY GIG. So I will get to thank you all in person.

There will be NO CREDIT CARD MACHINES at the merch table, so all transactions will be CASH ONLY. Im sorry about the inconvenience, but as I state regularly, this is a small tour with a tight budget. Therefore having these facilities is not an option for me.

Merchandise for the tour will be exclusive to the tour initially. If there is excess at the end. I will at that point look into selling it here on line. There will be 6 items on sale at most gigs. However, if we are sold out of what you are looking for, we can only apologize in advance.

The new album "This Is The Moment" will be available on general release on November 8th. Barnes and Noble at this moment are the only store selling it. On line sales will be done through Amazon and iTunes. If your Barnes and Noble is sold out, PLEASE ASK THEM TO RE-ORDER!!

In other news, Dave Cooke, Celtic Thunders former Musical Director on tour, will be joining me for this tour. I am truly delighted as we get on great and will have many a good laugh on and off the stage. He is a fantastic musician and a great friend. This I think will add to the banter on stage. Plus, its nice for you folks to have a recognizable face on stage with me!
Flights are booked for him and myself. So we will be in Portland well in advance of opening night. Im only today after finalizing all our flight details for the West Coast and then we start on our bus from St.Louis to the end in New Jersey.
Hotels are next on my agenda, so am hoping it wont be too difficult. All of a sudden, Im tour manager, production manager and singer! Im surprisingly enjoying all the work. Its a great learning curve and hopefully when I get to have larger tour schedules with bigger productions, I will have a greater knowledge of what is needed to make all these things happy.
I find myself in front of the laptop screen from early morning till quiet late, but always take a break and head to the gym to clear the head. So far so good.

Before I go, it was a great buzz to see me top the charts on Amazon. A real boost in the arm. It made me realise more than ever before that I have many behind me supporting. I wont lie. I do often worry about ticket sales, album sales, meeting budgets and breaking even. So when I see a chart like that, ticket sales increasing and all the wonderful messages of support, it fills me with energy to do more and strive on.
I am SO grateful to you all. Wholeheartedly, Thank you. I cant wait to get on the road and see you all again in person. I cant wait to sing the songs I love for you. This is going to be fun. At this point, I just want to get going.
Please continue to spread the word for me. Please continue to hand out flyers if at all possible, but more importantly, keep believing.

Thank you
My loves
My Doves
My Eggs

Paul xxxx

9/11

Im woken this morning by the beautiful powerful rays beaming into my room from the gorgeous sun in the September sky. Much as I love waking to the sun shinning. Today I wake with a very heavy heart. Heavy, because I know it is an exact replica morning of September 9th 2001.
How many woke on that morning full of the joys of live? Thinking about all they needed to do that day. Many lying beside their loved ones. Delighted to have them beside them, or in a room near by.Maybe being woken by tiny feet coming into the room looking for hugs cuddles and some breakfast!
Or those who woke alone, looking forward to meeting that special one in the near future. Dreaming of one day having a family of their own.
Of course their were many who wanted neither and were going about their lives surrounded by family and friends who loved them very much. One thing is for sure, every person Im talking about is being missed this morning.

I didnt know anyone who died on September 11th. Yet I wake this morning feeling like I lost someone very close to me. Im not sure why. Maybe because I live here now? No. Maybe because I used to vist the eyes of the world bar when working as a student back in 2000? No. Or maybe because I know so many good Americans? No. None of these reasons are sitting with me. I think its simply because I am a normal human being. It aches to think of so many dying through such horrible acts of evil. It aches that someone somewhere would plot to take another persons life. To take nearly 3,000 lives.
Not only did they take those lives, but also killed the soul of those who lost a loved one.

Im not all together sure why Im posting this blog. Its not meant as "thoughts of the day" piece. I think its because I need to share with others how sad I always feel on this day. To know Im not alone, and that although I wasn't directly affected, Its alright to be upset by what happened.

Flying in last night to New York, I looked out from my plane window and saw the New York skyline in the evening light.The setting sun was breaking through the clouds, and the rays were dispensed across the city. Like light through a stain glass window. Ive never claimed to be too holy. In truth I could be a lot better. However, when looking out that window, It really looked like God was shinning over New York last night. That all his attention was just on that city for a short while. Like he was checking in and confirming that despite it all, he was still there looking out for us.
I know many like I, were asking on that fateful morning, where was God at 8.47 am when evil took to town. Im sure many still do? Although I have no answer for myself still, I believe all that suffered are at peace now. That blaming God, the government, the intelligence agencies, the airlines etc. etc. None of it will change anything. That those who wish to cause harm on others will do so whether all the above are involved or not.

Again, I have no point to this blog. I just wanted to share how I am feeling this morning. That my thoughts are with all that died, and that all who survived, but still lost a piece of themselves on that morning.  That I pray for all who have been left behind aching and longing for the loved ones they lost.
I ache at the thought of never seeing my loved ones again, and not being able to say goodbye, or to tell them I loved them. So I cannot begin to imagine how so many (too many) are feeling this morning.

I think on September 11th 2001, we all lost a little light in our souls. The world has changed so much since then, and will never be the same.

May the souls of the departed rest in peace. May those who lost their loved ones find some peace, and may God protect us from ever experiencing anything like that again.
Let us never forget.

For now,
My loves
My Doves
My Eggs

Paul
x  

First Day Of School !!!

Well to say it has been an eventful few months home would be a massive understatement! Obviously the main objective was to come back and get my new album done. This of course was never going to be a quick job, especially considering that I am working with a lot of perfectionists. 
Joe Csibi my producer, brought together a serious amount of musicians, arrangers and songwriters to work on it, and I honestly think it is my best yet. With age you learn a lot, and looking back over the past few albums Ive done, Im honestly able to say a lot has changed. Growth as a singer, recording artist and a performer has always been my objective, and Im proud to say that is all going according to plan. For better or worse, you shall be the judge of that!


Now that its all done it has been sent to LA to get the finishing touches and I hope to have it available to you all very very soon! One or two deals in the air, and either way, good auld www.cdbaby.com will have it available to you. That being said, I will be letting you all know the track list for the album very soon. But as you know, I like to give a little teaser. 
You already know This Is The Moment is the title, so obviously thats there. I mentioned in a previous blog that Phil Coulter played piano on my version of his hit Scorn Not His Simplicity. A beautiful touching song written about his son. Then for any who were listening to my interview on RTE radio during the week, you would have heard me mention that I am after recording one of my all time favourite songs All My Loving by Lennon and McCartney. I recorded this because when listening to the lyrics to such a joyful upbeat song, I realised that it was in fact a very sad song about leaving your loved one behind, which on many occasions I have had to do. When I can relate to a song, then that is generally enough for me to be confident in being able to deliver it. Needless to say, I have put my own spin on it, so Beatles fanatics like my mother, will either love it or hate it! Unfortunately, thats how the cookie crumbles! 
Then the last track I will tell you about today, is a song I fell in love with the first time I heard it. As Im sure many of you reading this have lost loved ones in the past, and with it being the only guarantee in life, will lose loved ones in the future, this song really touches home. When I sing it I think of my Grandfather who, like my grandmother, was so close to me and my sister. He was always so proud when he would come to hear me sing, and often would tell my sister and I that we would never know how happy we made him. I only hope he realizes how happy we were to be around him. I also think of my father, who tragically died a couple of years after him. I rarely talk about it as it is something my whole family had to deal with. Maybe one day I will sit and tell you the story, but for now, I am happy in the knowledge that the two men are "just a breath away", and that every time I shall sing "To Where You Are" they will be very much in my thoughts. I am blessed in the ability to release my emotions through song, and I hope with these recordings and more, you will all be able to share those feelings with me. 
The rest of the track list will be released as we come closer to the album hitting the shelves! 


On Wednesday morning I was up early to bring my nephew/godson to his first day at "big boy" school. I was incredibly proud when he came into my room in his uniform and asked if I could make his hair look like mine!! God Love him!! However, It was even stranger seeing him wear the same uniform I wore all those years ago. Kate had been back a few days in her school at this point,and has taken to it like a duck to water.No fear with her. She is so confident and outgoing that she is just taking it in her stride. 
So we dropped her first to school, then went with Jack to his. When we walked in to Willow Park school, the waft was the exact same as it was the day I walked in as a young terrified boy.  However there was no more blackboards, all computer now! And the class rooms were far more high tech than when I was there. 
His new teacher is a lovely lady and very welcoming. Indeed she remembered me from all those years back, and was delighted that she had my nephew in her class. Although, she did say there would be no special treatment!! When leaving him in his class alone, trying to catch another boys eye, I felt a lump in my throat and hoped that the following years ahead for him would be as enjoyable as they were for me. I hoped he would be quick to make friends, and that the lessons he learned would not be a struggle early on. Mad thinking like this when he isnt even my son! Although Im sure you have gathered at this point, we are a very close family. So he is as close to a son as I have, and always will be! 


Im at the point now where I am looking forward to getting back to our apartment in NY and hitting the ground running with all that is coming up in the next couple of months. With the new album, I hope it opens a few doors and indeed introduces me to more people who may in turn become fans. 
I am hoping to make a few tv appearances if they will have me on, then its all go for the tour in November. To say I am nervous would be an understatement, but this is the path I have chosen, so without sounding like a broken record, I want to move on. Before I do that, I will ask you all to do your very best in spreading the word for me. The next few months for me are critical and I hope I will look back in years to come and say "wow. why did I ever worry?"


This Friday coming, I have been invited on the top Irish tv show to perform. Its called the Late Late Show, and although I have been on it twice before, I am still very excited about it. Being involved with the Irish rugby team has been a real honour and getting to perform Irelands Call on the show, is going to be great fun. 
The plan is that the next day I will be on a plane to NY to meet back up with Domi and our temporary house guest Louis! 


I do hope you have all battled through the horrific weather conditions and that you and your loved ones are safe. 
I look forward to seeing you all very soon 


Keep well 
My Loves 
My Doves 
My Eggs 


Paul 
xxx 

Damian

Just wanted to post a short blog to congratulate Damian in his success last night. Indeed I feel he won the show for more than just his musicality, and dance ability "ahem". Damian showed from the first day I met him that he was a very hard worker and extremely professional. This shone through throughout TGP shows. When he couldn't get something, he would keep at it till he did. This is a quality that not all possess.
When working at this game, one realizes that having a talent is only the beginning. Its what you do with it that matters.
I know Damian will do very well on the show, and will give it his all, for every waking hour he is on the set. Indeed I trust he will continue to be the gentleman he has grown up to be on and off the set. His life has taken an incredible turn, and Im sure we are all in agreement that we hope he goes on to even greater things.

Congratulations Damian. The very best with everything in your future. You have made us all very proud and indeed installed a sense of Belief to even the more haggard of us in the business.
Dreams do come true for those who believe, and those who want it enough.

Here's to when are paths cross again.

Paul