2010 Convention Kick-Off Performers

Blending elements of neo-soul, folk, old-time blues and pop, Justin Nozuka has the guts of Ray LaMontagne and the soul of Marvin Gaye. This guitar-slinging aficionado has the street smarts of an urban swinger and the heart-bending soul of a gospel preacher and is adept at blending a dark, bluesy Americana vibe with warm, acoustic soul where bits of old folk music and flamenco tunes swirl in and out of earshot. Half Japanese, half American, Justin was born in New York and grew up in Toronto. Raised by a single mother, he was the sixth of seven children. All four of his brothers are artists in some form. As a teen, he spun Motown, folk and hip-hop as he fleshed out his music skills learning guitar with his Mexican friends at boarding school. Justin has just finished working on the follow-up to his critically acclaimed album "Holly", called "You I Wind Land and Sea", scheduled for release in March 2010.

Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves
Paradigm
Booth 617

On his major label debut, Come and Get It (Capitol Records), Eli "Paperboy" Reed proves to be the life of a soulful, sweaty party in which everyone eventually gets dragged onto the dance floor. As a performer, Reed is as authentically gritty as he is ingratiatingly sexy. He incorporates the feel of classic R&B and soul into a largely self-penned, 12-song set, produced with Mike Elizondo, the bassist-turned-producer whose credits include Eminem, Pink, Gwen Stefani and Fiona Apple. Admirers have likened Reed to such luminaries as Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett; the Boston Herald called him "Boston¹s answer to Sam Cooke." But he¹s not merely trying to recreate a sound; Reed is channeling his influences and inspirations into making something all his own. "For me," he says, "it¹s all about writing pop songs. Soul music was the greatest pop music of the 20th Century and its influence is so far-reaching. When I pick up a guitar to write a song, the influence of the music I love invariably comes out."