Paul Baribeau is an American

folk punk Folk punk (known in its early days as rogue folk) is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was popularized in the early 1980s by the Pogues in England, and by Violent Femmes in the United States. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in ...

singer-songwriter from

Grand Ledge, Michigan Grand Ledge is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city lies mostly within Eaton County, though a small portion extends into Clinton County to the north. The city sits above the Grand River 12.7 miles (20.4 kilometers) west of downtown La ...

. He was signed to the independent record label Plan-It-X Records. His self-titled debut album was released on Plan-It-X Records in January 2004. In 2006, he embarked on a tour with Ginger Alford on which they collaboratively covered Bruce Springsteen songs. They subsequently released an album on

No Idea Records No Idea Records is an American independent record label based in Gainesville, Florida which focuses on punk rock and its sub-styles and produces both vinyl records and compact discs. The label also organizes The Fest, an independently operated ...

, ''Darkness on the Edge of Your Town Tour'', which contains studio and live versions of these covers. His second album of original material, ''Grand Ledge'', was released on Plan-It-X Records in June 2007. ''Grand Ledge'' was recorded in a barn belonging to a friend of Baribeau's father, in Grand Ledge, Michigan. Baribeau's most recent album under his own name, ''Unbearable'', was released on No Idea Records on March 10, 2010. Since 2015, Baribeau has been releasing more electronic focused music under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

of New Boy. His latest EP, Blue Maze was released in August 2020. According to a 2011 article in inWeekly, he lives in

Bloomington, Indiana Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the central region of the U.S. state of Indiana. It is the seventh-largest city in Indiana and the fourth-largest outside the Indianapolis metropolitan area. According to the Mon ...

and follows a

straight edge Straight edge (sometimes abbreviated sXe or signified by XXX or X) is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs, in reaction to the excesses of punk subculture. For some, this ...

lifestyle.

Critical reception

The punk music website

AbsolutePunk ''AbsolutePunk'' was a website, online community, and alternative music news source founded by Jason Tate (the most recent CEO). The website mainly focused on artists who are relatively unknown to mainstream audiences, but it was known to featu ...

praised Baribeau's album ''Unbearable'' and described it as "beautiful in the sense that it's crisp and clear." The website Punknews.org positively reviewed ''Grand Ledge'', mentioning that Baribeau's lyrics were "often heartbreaking and always honest."

Discography

*''Paul Baribeau'' (January 2004) on Plan-It-X Records *''Darkness on the Edge of Your Town Tour'' (2006) on

*''25'' (4 July 2006) *''Grand Ledge'' (June 2007) on Plan-It-X Records *''Unbearable'' (March 2010) on

*''new boy'' (2015) (as New Boy) *''FLIRTS'' (2016) (as New Boy) *Blue Maze (2020) (as New Boy)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Baribeau, Paul People from Grand Ledge, Michigan Folk punk musicians Musicians from Michigan Living people Year of birth missing (living people)