056: Paul Sontheimer

Up until he was a teenager, Paul Sontheimer excelled at piano, which was no surprise considering his mother was one of the best piano teachers in town. Still, when he got to high school, he decided to switch instruments and picked up the cello and eventually bass.  After playing in local prog rock band Astaroth for a few years, he leaves Erie in 1979 and moves to Dallas where he lands a job with Showco and eventually travels the world as a roadie and then sound engineer for rock tours with artists such as Eric Clapton, Julian Lennon, Boston, KISS, Bad Company, The Kinks, Judas Priest, Genesis ... and the list goes on.  He even had a brush with The Pope! He eventually returned to Erie and these days can be found playing bass for Matty B and the Dirty Pickles.

Thanks to the JPT Foundation for sponsoring the Erie Music History podcast. The goal of the foundation is to provide education scholarships to grade school-age children as well as annual giving to local organizations and charities. The foundation has a large hall that hosts bingo four days a week and is available for rentals, and it is also the home of this podcast’s monthly music night, which is the first Tuesday of the month from 6-9.  

 Many thanks to the folks (like Angelo Phillips!) who have donated to the podcast. If you would like to help out, Venmo me at @Dan-Schell-6. 

For information on what bands/musicians are playing in Erie, PA and the surrounding area, please check out Jack Stevenson's 2 Man Happy Hour podcast and webpage, and be sure to listen to “Live Music Chat With Nat The Hat” on any podcast app.  

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