An elated Paul Cauthen might have been enjoying a motorcycle ride through Big Bend National Park last week, but he was already looking forward to returning to one of his favorite destinations: Northwest Montana.

Life’s been good for Cauthen. The acclaimed singer-songwriter from East Texas released his fifth album “The Book of Paul” on April 3 is preparing for another tour — and the arrival of a son with his wife Elizabeth.  

“I'm going to have two or three months at home ... I've got to do diapers and all that stuff, you know. I'm just getting into dad mode for the first time and it’s a whole new adventure,” Cauthen told the Daily Inter Lake.  

Cauthen will perform at the Majestic Valley Arena on April 18, launching a new chapter for the venue, which saw a change of ownership earlier this year. New Orleans folk duo The Crow and Northwest Montana-based Radio Ranch will also take the stage Saturday night.  

Cauthen has dropped into the Flathead Valley several times in recent years, including an acoustic set last summer and past appearances at the Under the Big Sky music festival. He said Outriders Present, which is putting on the Majestic Valley Arena show and organizes Under the Big Sky each year, is one of his favorite crews to work with.  

“I've got a good crew of friends up there ... With that team, they're just too kind and they just honestly care about you and helping to build your career — they're some of the best,” he said.  

When he and his family visit, they’re always looking to hike, fish and just generally enjoy the outdoors in Big Sky country. 

Cauthen laughed when asked about his love for the area. 

“You know, it’s all the ugly landscape and no good fishing and terrible outdoor things to do,” he joked. “It's the most amazing state. It's Texas and then Montana for me, if I had my two [states] in the country. Those are my people.” 

CAUTHEN EXPECTS to pull heavily from his new album, which he said feels like a full-circle moment and a return to his roots. He grew up in the Church of Christ, with his father as a song leader and his uncle a preacher.  

His whole family sang in the church: gospel and “heavenly highway hymns,” he said. But at home, they'd tune into songs by Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins — classic Grand Ole Opry acts. It was a wholesome mix of music, he said.  

“Singing is so more powerful, whether you're a believer or not. A song can bring a tear to your eye — and that's power. To be able to do it is a gift,” Cauthen said.  

He pulls from both of those influences but isn’t one to be boxed into a particular genre. He fondly remembers the first time he heard Nirvana’s “Nevermind” album. As a child, he was a fan of rapper Biggie Smalls. His music is a mix of country, rock, folk and blues. 

With his deep, baritone voice, Cauthen earned the nickname “Big Velvet.” He got his start playing in the Americana/indie-folk duo Sons of Fathers with David Beck in 2009. When he went solo, he found success with his first album “My Gospel,” which was listed on the Rolling Stone’s top 40 country records of 2016. He later found a viral hit in “Cocaine Country Dancing” which was on his 2019 “Room 41” album.  

Themes about faith reemerge in “The Book of Paul,” but Cauthen still wants to keep people dancing.  

“I just wanted to give the people what they have loved. You know, the types of songs that really make them dance, make them cry or make them feel — and songs that are honest from my upbringing to this point,” he said.  

Cauthen said “Book of Paul” would be like his “chapters, scripture and verses” if he were to write about the past 20 years of his life. Keeping up the quality of his music is always on his mind, but knowing that being “honest to himself and honest to the song” is just part of the job.  

“It's been years and years of work. A lot of these tunes, a lot of these riffs, lot of these hooks have been around. Then, I knew when I got around these certain songwriters, I could pitch things to allow them to elevate themselves into this realm with me, and we just serve the song at that point,” he said.  

The long process has paid off and now it’s time to think about taking the show on the road again, he said. Planning a tour across the U.S., and later Europe and Australia, Cauthen said he’s ready to bring the whole family with him as they travel around the world.  

Tickets for Cauthen’s show on April 18 start at $42.01 for general admission. Doors open at 6 p.m.  

More information and a link to purchase tickets can be found on outriderspresent.com/.  

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4440 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.

    Paul Cauthen performs at the Under the Big Sky Festival in Whitefish on Friday, July 15, 2022.