The Roadside Dolls Hitchhike onto Our Radar

Grab your free download of Boston's The Roadside Dolls today.

Let the proverbial needle drop for 10 minutes as the nostalgic music of Boston’s The Roadside Dolls drifts through your living room like an inconspicuous breeze.

What started out as a singer-songwriter project of Paul Nelson has evolved into a full band outfit of The Roadside Dolls. And with this next phase comes a well-rounded 3-song sampler of sentimental thoughts and vintage charismatic touches.

“I've learned to respect the abilities of the other bandmates and watch it all take form as a separate entity,” says Nelson on the topic of going from solo artist to band member. “I see Paul Nelson solo [music] much differently from The Roadside Dolls. All band members have their own interesting solo projects. I think it's healthy to foster and allow side solo projects because it allows us to feel comfortable with our rolls and abilities within this band.”

The Roadside Sampler, released in February 2014, is the debut EP from the band. Although the desire exists to release an LP, The Roadside Dolls are taxed with similar financial limitations as most other local bands. When the alternative DIY path is presented, Nelson states, “I know I'm capable of delivering an extremely strong artistic effort if we were to record and release our own LP, but I also know a self-made LP will call for a lot of time, tears, alcohol, and banging my head against the wall. The Roadside Sampler took a great deal of individual effort, so we'll focus on live performances for a while and probably release singles along the way.”

As a true songwriter, Nelson doesn’t divulge the inspiration or meaning behind a RSD track, leaving it up to the listener to decide. “All songs must be confessional in some way. But as soon as they are heard by somebody outside the songwriter, they immediately take on new meaning.” A meaning we’ve decided is hopeless romantic who splits his time between a 1950’s soda shop and a western saloon. However, the singer advises, “If there's any objective, it's to be respected as true artists, and for people to understand that unshowered country rockers can be artists too.” We fully agree.

Check out the true artists of The Roadside Dolls on Facebook for upcoming shows and download The Roadside Sampler for free (at a name your price donation) on Bandcamp today.