HEALTH CONSCIOUS ADRENALINE JUNKIE
PAUL EPIC IS ‘SOUTH OF HEAVEN, NORTH OF HELL'  ON HIS HARD-EDGED INDIE ROCK DEBUT
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Two Time North American Power Lifting Champ And
One Time World Champ Brings The Same Blistering Intensity To His Songs That He's Brought To Motorcycle Racing, Kickboxing, Stunt Training and His Current
Living On The Edge Activity, Skydiving
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Currently available via, Sony Connect, Rhapsody, Napster and E Music — And Soon To Be Hitting iTunes—The Vancouver Based Singer/Songwriter's Debut Was Produced By Mike K (Nelly Furtado, U2, Everclear, Elton John) and Features Drummer Randy Cooke (Five For Fighting, Natasha Bedingfield)

In the second verse of “Faster,” Paul Epic's crackling, supercharged “need for speed tune,” the former pro weightlifter turned indie hard rocker sings of “twisting the wick” as motorcyclists do when they're revving up, ready to explode from the starting line. That's an apt metaphor for the Vancouver based singer-songwriter's burgeoning musical career, which like all of his extreme sports endeavors—motorcycle drag racing, kickboxing, stunt training and his latest passion, skydiving--reflects an intense gusto for life and a yearning to live on or over the edge.

“Faster” mentions a '76 Orange Charger and Epic drives a 2006 black Corvette in real life, but these days, it's his mainstream rock with an edge debut South of Heaven, North Of Hell that's taking him, full throttle, on the most thrilling creative journey of his career--with some incredible company riding shotgun, too.

Having worked in the past on a heavy metal project with guitarist Jimi Bell (Black Sabbath, House of Lords), Epic's electric guitar heavy but surprisingly soulful 12 song collection features the exciting skinning of drummer Randy Cooke (Five For Fighting, Natasha Bendingfield, The Veronicas) and was helmed by multi-platinum producer Mike K, who has worked with or shared the stage with the likes of Nelly Furtado, Elton John, Delta Goodrem, Everclear, Destiny's Child and Amy Sky.

Currently available via, Sony Connect, Rhapsody, Napster and E Music, South Of Heaven, North Of Hell —whose title is both an ode to Epic's many years singing in gospel choirs as well as the earthbound/spiritual dilemma we all find ourselves in—will be hitting iTunes any minute. He is earmarking 10% of his proceeds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Having set a record for lifting 810 lbs before he was 21, the 6'2'' heavily tattooed Renaissance Man launched his career as a pro weightlifter in the mid-80s. In just a few short years, Epic became a two-time North American power lifting champion, a one time World Champion (1994) and participated in the World's Strongest Man competitions in 1996 (in Mauritius) and 1997 (in Las Vegas). Now he pours that strength and passion into his music just as he has every other endeavor he's set his mind to over the years. The list is literally countless and he's been successful at every one.

“I'm a singer, songwriter, recording artist, business person, skydiver, wingsuit pilot, daredevil, biker, car enthusiast, philosopher, traveler, spiritualist, philanthropist and much more,” he says. “I'm driven yet at peace, seeker of knowledge and truth, lover of life, seeker of deeper secrets and truths. I AM. I bring a part of me to every song I perform. “Besides being a description of the place we all are spiritually as human beings,” he adds, “it's a personal reflection of both my wild side and my calmer persona, and the way I take my music in many different directions. It's a little bit of this and that, part angel, part hellraiser. The earlier project I had worked on was more hardcore, very therapeutic kind of stuff for me, but South Of Heaven, North Of Hell explores more emotional territory when I'm not chasing speed demons in tunes like ‘Faster.'”

The mid-tempo power ballad “Remember Me” is a reflective look at the aftermath of a relationship, when you want to be left alone but you want the person to keep thinking about you. “Last Stop On A Long Fall” is a fiery, tongue in cheek rocker about a girl Epic met once in Las Vegas that he pegged as a hard to resist troublemaker. He helped her get away from her jerk companion, but thought all future partners would just be the latest stops on a down bound train.

The most heartfelt song on South Of Heaven, North Of Hell is “Proud”, a track dedicated to his adoptive father, who suffered from Parkinson's Disease for years before passing away recently. The meaning of fatherhood runs deep for Epic, whose biological father, he discovered, was a native Bermudan who sang “Motown and old school music” professionally for 20 years with a group called the Bermuda All-Stars; Epic himself is the proud parent of an 11-year-old son and two daughters, ages six and eight.

“I'm basically singing to my dad who passed away, asking him would you be proud of me now,” he says. “When I was younger, I was a little wilder, running around and doing my own things. But once I had my own kids, I started to look at things differently. So it's like asking, after everything we've been through, what do you think of me?”

Since retiring from pro weightlifting in the late 90s, the health conscious Epic has indulged in a series of wild passions, including his current love of skydiving, which he's done regularly for close to four years at Pitt Meadows in his native British Columbia. First he tried his hand at pro-modified drag racing on a motorcycle that went from 0-60 in one second; his bike was capable of going 165 mph in the quarter mile. Epic later won a gold medal at the World Wingsuit Competition in Stupino, Russia outside of Moscow; at this event, he blew away everyone from the Soviet Military, world level extreme athletes and lovely Russian damsels with an impromptu music set at a local bar.

In 2004, Epic, a warrior at heart who sometimes calls himself the “Ronin Of Rock,” decided to pursue both stunt training and his lifelong dream to become a skydiver. Paul went out and learned the art of use of equipment such as air rams, wire work, repelling head down and conventional style stunt driving, choreographed fighting, high falls and other stunt disciplines. He also earned his skydiving wings learning to do such things as sit flying, stand flying, Hybrid relative jumps and other skydiving thrills. Finally, Epic decided to train for a kickboxing match and competed in 2004 winning his first local fight in Vancouver by TKO in the second round. Like all athletes, Paul takes his health very seriously, adhering to a rigorous weight training, fight training, and cardiovascular work out schedule. He readily attributes his success in singing, skydiving, sports and life to his active, drug free lifestyle, preferring a natural high to one that is artificial.

“I started playing the piano when I was very young and have always sung in gospel choirs,” he says, “so my extreme sports life experiences and all of my musical endeavors are pretty much stirred into the same pot. Both are an important part of who I am. With skydiving, all the little barriers that used to stop me from doing anything have fallen away, and my musical career has certainly benefited from this new attitude. There's a certain powerful energy I get through doing sports and skydiving, and a whole other kind when I'm writing, recording and singing onstage. The incredible synergy with the audience is a big rush just like the first time you skydive. What I love about writing is that I get to explore myself as the process develops. I hope to be able to record one album a year and touch a lot of people's lives with my music and being dedicated to many worthwhile causes.”