Paul Fonfara

Paul Fonfara is a composer, songwriter, jazz clarinetist and all around nice guy, who for many years he helmed the band Painted Saints.  With odd cinematic twists, and dense vivid lyrics, they live in a Spaghetti Western, Heroin Klezmer, Experimental Sad Bastard Chamber Folk, Psychadelic Shoegaze Dirge Motown, Andrew Bird if he was from Twin Peaks sound.

A transplant to Minneapolis from Denver, where after finishing a degree in music studying Clarinet, Fonfara got his start in DeVotchKa, and the Denver Gentlemen then moved on to record and tour internationally with 16 Horsepower/Woven Hand and with Jim White. When Fonfara settled in Minneapolis 14 years ago, his well-honed and exploratory talents were immediately recognized as he became a member of local favorites Spaghetti Western String Co., balancing the precision and delicacy of that band with the raucous playfulness of the Brass Messengers, and the silent movie film scores…