Paul Metsa

“He’s a folk singer, a blues singer, a guitarist, a social activist, a Finn, a story-teller, a comedian, a philosopher, a conspiracy theorist and a lounge lizard.”

— MN LAW AND POLITICS

"Paul is a great artist. I always look forward to playing with him.”

— LYLE LOVETT

“Minneapolis to me is Willie Murphy, Curtiss A, and Paul Metsa”

— Sir Doug Sahm

“Paul Metsa is America’s answer to Billy Bragg.”

— AT THE OPERA, NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO

“Think of Paul as Bruce with a Midwestern drawl.”

— UTNE READER

“Pretty good stuff!”

— JERRY GARCIA

“Paul Metsa rocks the house and plays from the heart. I am happy to call him my friend.”

— JOHN HAMMOND

“Metsa is a great musician”

— DAVE PIRNER, SOUL ASYLUM

“Paul is an exquisite musician, fluent in every style”

— WEE WILLIE WALKER

No Kings, No Crown… NO ICE!

We are proud to present this video featuring recent images from the ICE occupation in our beloved Minneapolis as the bedrock for my song No Kings, No Crown that I was honored to record with Alan Sparhawk last October. It is an historic moment in time and we hope to warn other cities of the damage that ICE did here in Minneapolis. The artists involved in this project stand in solidarity and resistance to the madness. I consider some of my songs to be "bullets in the machine gun of peace and social justice.” Here's another one — dedicated to the memory of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

See Metsa Live This Friday

Upcoming Shows

Paul Metsa’s Books

Blue Guitar Highway

This is a musician’s tale: the story of a boy growing up on the Iron Range, playing his guitar at family gatherings, coming of age in the psychedelic seventies, and honing his craft as a pro in Minneapolis, ground zero of American popular music in the mid-eighties. “There is a drop of blood behind every note I play and every word I write,” Paul Metsa says.

Alphabet Jazz: Poetry, Prose, Stories, and Songs

Alphabet Jazz is a collection of poetry, prose, stories, and songs that Metsa wrote between 1984 and 2022. Metsa describes it as "a personal diary of sorts- midnight blasts of inspiration, love letters in poem, personal tributes to musicians and friends who have passed on, true stories, letters to the editor and friends, and songs I have written along the way that I still perform."

Blood in the Tracks: The Minnesota Musicians behind Dylan's Masterpiece

The story of the Minneapolis musicians who were unexpectedly summoned to re-record half of the songs on Bob Dylan's most acclaimed album

Bob Dylan in Minnesota: Troubadour Tales from Duluth, Hibbing and Dinkytown

Bob Dylan was born in Duluth in Minnesota, grew up in Hibbing, Minnesota and cut his musical teeth in the folk scene of Dinkytown, Minnesota. This travel guide brings together wonderful stories from these key locations and the roots and early life of Bob Dylan.

Minnesota State Arts Board and Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment logos.

Paul Metsa is a fiscal year 2022 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.