The Paula Boggs Band traverses jazz, bluegrass, soul, folk and Americana. This Seattle-brewed “Soulgrass” group features Paula Boggs (vocals/guitar/ukulele), David Salonen, Tor Dietrichson, Paul Matthew Moore, Jacob Evans and Darren Loucas, creating a rich, roots-driven sound rooted in harmony, storytelling and groove.

Paula Boggs is a former member of the President’s Committee on the Arts & Humanities who resigned following the Charlottesville riots. Her song “Benediction,” inspired by the Charleston church murders, premiered in Charleston with the Mother Emanuel AME Choir. Before music, Boggs served as a federal prosecutor, attorney for the White House and U.S. military, and later as Starbucks’ top lawyer and a VP at Dell.

The band’s acclaimed new album, Sumatra (2026), features collaborations with the Blind Boys of Alabama, Valerie June, Josh Neumann and James Falzone. Blending blues, gospel, folk and Americana traditions, the album explores aging, ancestry, hope, loss and resilience through mostly acoustic instrumentation.

Rainbow Rodeo called the band “an organic continuation of the music of people like Odetta and Mavis Staples,” adding, “We need more people to be making this kind of music.” Americana Highways praised Sumatra as “10 charming melodies” spanning “jazz, bluegrass, soul, folk & Americana with a rootsy soul,” while declaring, “there isn’t another [album] that gets close to [Paula Boggs Band’s] creations.” Valerie June described the closing collaboration with the Blind Boys of Alabama, “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round,” as “a perfect balm for these times.”