Kype, Paul & Texas Flood - Hard Roads and High Water

Tracks

		Track Name	Length
	1	Run Buddy Run	03:12
	2	Shakedown	04:08
	3	Pretty Vain	02:23
	4	Into the Mystic	04:45
	5	Happy	03:36
	6	Hell or High Water	05:43
	7	Crawl	04:54
	8	English Rose	04:10
	9	Ten Feet Tall	03:53
	10	Hard Road Ahead	04:42
	11	Prodigal Son	03:32
	12	Victim of Pride	05:28
	13	Ya Won't Get Far	03:49

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Information/Write-up

A masterful guitarist with a tone instantly recognizable to anyone who has heard him onstage, Paul has been playing since the age of ten, shaping his style around the electric-blues greats—Hendrix, B.B. King, Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan—and transforming those influences into something unmistakably his own. His solos carry both precision and emotional weight, and it isn’t unusual for audiences to respond with a mix of cheers and stunned disbelief. Fellow musicians often comment on his touch, his dynamics, and his ability to shift from explosive phrasing to quiet lyricism without ever losing the thread of the song.

Born and raised in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Paul joined his first band, Legal Tender, at sixteen. Although he played bass in those early years, the guitar was always his true voice, and after moving north for work he recommitted himself fully to the instrument. For nearly a decade he played the western Canadian club circuit, sharpening both his guitar and vocal chops in the demanding six-night-a-week environment that shaped so many great regional players. These years connected him with musicians from Prince George to Winnipeg, building the network that would later become the backbone of his own band.

In 1993, Paul formed Texas Flood with drummer Jerry Adolphe—already a fixture in the Vancouver scene through Chilliwack, Jim Byrnes, and countless studio sessions—and longtime club mate Simon Hardman. Through the 1990s, Texas Flood became a powerhouse on the B.C. blues/rock circuit, known for tightly executed sets, fiery improvisations, and the kind of road-hardened chemistry that can only come from constant touring. Their break came in 2000 when the band secured the legendary Monday-night house-band slot at Vancouver’s Yale Hotel, the city’s most important blues room. For three years the weekly residency drew packed crowds, touring musicians, and countless blues fans, with Texas Flood sometimes backing visiting American artists and becoming known as one of the most reliable and exciting live bands in the region.

One of the friendships forged at the Yale was with Canadian rock icon Jerry Doucette, who invited Paul to join the Doucette band as second guitarist. Their onstage interplay—Doucette’s fiery attack paired with Paul’s melodic strength—became a draw of its own, earning praise from fellow players and fans who made a point of catching the band whenever they appeared together. Paul continues to perform with Doucette’s group, and the two developed a mutual respect that lasted well beyond the Yale era.

The year 2000 also saw Texas Flood accompany Chicago lap-steel legend Freddy Roulette on a full festival tour—including sets that introduced Roulette to a new generation of blues fans in western Canada—and culminated in a long-imagined trip to Austin, Texas, where the band played a series of shows in the birthplace of much of Paul’s musical inspiration.

After relocating to Alberta in 2004, Paul kept Texas Flood active, building a new audience in Calgary and the surrounding region while continuing to return to B.C. for shows and festival dates. The band released Long Time Comin’ in 2014, an album that reflected both their years on the road and the tight, intuitive chemistry forged through decades of playing together. The record earned strong word-of-mouth among blues-rock fans and reaffirmed Paul’s reputation as one of western Canada’s most compelling guitarists.

Texas Flood remains committed to keeping high-energy rock-blues alive, and Paul continues to perform with the same fire that first brought him onto the stage as a teenager in Abbotsford. With a career now stretching across generations of the western Canadian scene, he stands as one of its most respected and quietly influential guitar players—a musician whose mastery is matched only by his dedication to the craft.
-Robert Williston

Paul Kype: vocals, guitar, bass
Steve Keenan: vocals, guitar
Brady Valgardson: drums
T. J. Waltho: keys

Mike Wedge: bass guitar (tracks 3, 7, 12)
Darryl Havers: keys (tracks 7, 9)
Kurt Ciesla: bass (track 4)
Josh Davies: trumpet (track 4)
Andrew Ichikawa: tenor sax (track 4)
Greg Gomola: guitar solo (track 8)
Peter Noel: harmonica (track 6)

Produced, engineered, and mixed at Bearfoot Studios by Paul Kype
Mastered by Dave Horrocks at Infinite Wave Mastering
Album artwork by Jenn Kype

Special thanks to Joanna Grant, Jarret Zukiwsky, and Michael Ayotte for their generous contributions
Special thanks to Louise Hoffman Broach for exceptional support, promotion, and friendship
Thanks to all friends, contributors, and supporters worldwide

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