Twenty years into a soulful career that’s seen him swing from Boston basements to major record deals and international tours, Eli Paperboy Reed is still doing what he does best—pouring his heart into every note.
As he prepares to bring his unmistakable blend of soul, gospel, and funk to Australian stages once again, Reed sat down with Forte Mag to unpack the lessons, inspirations, and full-circle moments that have shaped his two-decade journey.
Eli Paperboy Reed 20th Anniversary Tour
with Harlem Gospel Travellers and The Meltdown
- Thursday, May 8: Corner Hotel, 57 Swan St, Richmond, VIC
- Friday, May 9: Theatre Royal, 30 Hargraves St, Castlemaine, VIC
- Saturday, May 10: The Baso, 2 Cohen St, Canberra, ACT
- Sunday, May 11: Metro Theatre, 624 George St, Sydney, NSW
- Thursday, May 15 – Sunday, May 18: Blues On Broadbeach, Gold Coast, QLD
- Tuesday, May 13: (Duo with Simon Burke of The Meltdown) Centro CBD, 28 Stewart St, Wollongong
- Monday, May 19: Byron Theatre, 69 Jonson St, Byron Bay, NSW
- Thursday, May 22: The Memo, 235 Maroondah Hwy, Healesville, VIC
- Friday, May 23: The Gov, 59 Port Rd, Hindmarsh, SA
- Saturday, May 24: Queenscliff Town Hall, 50 Learmonth St, Queenscliff, VIC
- Sunday, May 25: Meeniyan Town Hall, 97 Whitelaw St, Meeniyan, VIC
- All tickets here
“It’s sort of been an ebb and flow throughout the years,” Reed reflects. “The crazy thing to think about is just when you think, ‘this is it, I’ll hang it up,’ more things come along—and that has continued to happen for those two decades. That’s the hardest thing about doing this for your job—you don’t know what will happen day to day.”
Despite the unpredictability, Reed’s throughline has always been curiosity and deep listening. “My biggest piece of advice that I tell anybody is listen. Listen to the records you like and why they’re important to you… How will you make something that somebody else loves if you don’t understand why you love what you love?”
For Reed, that journey started with artists like Sam Cooke and Howlin’ Wolf. “I’ve listened to Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club probably 10,000 times,” he says. “I probably spent more of my time listening than I did playing music—I probably still do.”
So what is it about soul music that’s gripped him for 20 years? “The unbridled emotionalism,” Reed explains. “I was first drawn to blues but I didn’t feel credible as a blues singer—still don’t. But soul music is this combo of all these things I love: blues, gospel, country… The singing, the singers were the biggest thing for me.”
With nine records under his belt, Reed admits he’s only recently begun to understand how to make music with some semblance of a process. “Every single record has come out of a different situation. I don’t have a process—only starting to have a process now, 20 years in. But I think now I understand how to make records in a more constructive way.”
Whether inspired by place, people, or a single idea, each project has started with something meaningful. “You could go all the way back to Come and Get It—my most commercially successful record. I wrote the title song in the basement of my shitty apartment outside of Boston,” he laughs. “Or 99 Cent Dreams, where I knew I wanted to work with Matt Ross-Spang in his incredible Memphis studio and crafted the songs around that.”
Fatherhood and perspective have also added depth to Reed’s work. “Being an adult and becoming a parent has changed my approach… I like to think I’ve created an identity sonically, and now I can continue to cultivate and expand that. The greatest thing anyone can say about a record is it sounds like me, but with new elements.”
Perhaps one of Reed’s most personally rewarding chapters has been his mentorship of the Harlem Gospel Travellers, who are now joining him on tour. “They were my students—13 years old when I met them—at an after-school program in Harlem,” he says. “What’s happened since has been amazing. There was a long time where I played every show with them, but I’ve stepped away and let them do their thing.”
Now, Reed is bringing them to Australia for the first time. “It’s nuts to me. They’ve toured the world on their own, and now I get to take them to Australia and show them places I’ve been before. It’s a very cool, very emotional thing for me.”
As for the live show? Expect the unexpected. “I’d like to run the gamut of everything—deep cuts, single-only cuts, stuff from every record. I go down my huge list of songs and pick the ones I think will be fun to play, keep people guessing.”
And finally, what’s always in Reed’s travel bag? A little magic, apparently. “I have the John the Conqueror root—hoodoo origins from the American South. You’re supposed to keep it with you in situations that are trying or difficult, but you don’t look at it. You keep it hidden. It’s been in there my whole career.”
From gritty apartment beginnings to timeless soul stages, Eli Paperboy Reed’s story is still unfolding—Catch Reed on tour with the Harlem Gospel Travellers and Melbourne’s own The Meltdown coming soon to Aus!
