Paul Ammendola
Band Story
PAUL’S REVIVAL: FROM THE BRINK TO THE BEAT OF REDEMPTION
Paul came into this world with music in his blood and a smile that could light up a room. As a child, he was pure energy—joyful, outgoing, and full of dreams. But life has a way of wearing down even the brightest spirits. By the time Paul was in grade school, the cracks had started to show. A relentless darkness settled in—a toxic cocktail of depression and undiagnosed hypothyroidism—eating away at his joy and spirit. He tried to self-medicate at just 10 years old, downing a bag of random pills handed to him by a classmate, searching for relief from the pain that had become his constant companion.
High school brought more shadows. Drugs, alcohol, sex—Paul dove headfirst into the chaos, chasing an illusion of peace while his inner world crumbled. Music became his only real outlet. His talent was undeniable, his voice powerful, his lyrics aching with emotion. But fear of vulnerability kept his songs cryptic, distant, like letters never sent. Labels came knocking, sure his voice could sell love songs to the masses. But Paul couldn’t deliver—because he didn’t know what love really was.
What followed was a decades-long spiral of spiritual seeking and existential disillusionment. He chased fame like a man on fire, and when it didn’t come, he chased everything else: Native American mysticism, Buddhism, new age rituals, smoke, stones, tarot cards, and anything that offered even a whisper of meaning. His search took him to Arizona in pursuit of spirit guides—and it was there he proposed to his wife, Lisa, during a chapter of life soaked in ambition, desperation, and emotional wreckage.
By 2001, Paul dropped a solo album that earned critical praise and even flirted with Grammy recognition. He sang jingles, produced artists, rubbed elbows with the industry’s elite—but it was all surface glitter. No peace. No real breakthrough. When his daughter Camille was born, even her baptism became a battleground of beliefs, signaling just how fractured his life had become. With a marriage in crisis, bills piling up, and dreams fading fast, Paul found himself playing weddings to pay the mortgage. The “wedding singer” era had begun.
Then came September 2002.
Paul was invited to sing at a 9/11 memorial in Malverne, still leaning on the spiritual buzzwords and “deep” lyrics that had kept him afloat. But when a humble preacher—Bishop Craig Bates—stepped up to speak, something cracked open in Paul. That night wasn’t just another gig. It was the start of something real.
Soon, “coincidences” began to pile up—too many to ignore. A woman from Canada named Laurie began emailing Paul, urging him to consider rewriting his lyrics for the Christian market. Then a Sweetwater Sound rep named Matthew Harwood started debating Jesus with him… and ended up becoming his co-writer. Unbeknownst to Paul, Matthew was collaborating with Father Joe Ciccarello—the same priest tied to the church where Bishop Bates preached. Even old high school friends reappeared, now believers, now members of the same congregation.
God, it seemed, was staging a full-blown ambush.
By Christmas 2002, Paul and Lisa were on their knees—emotionally broke, spiritually bankrupt. They attended a Christmas concert at the Church of the Intercessor, enrolled in the Alpha Course, and on February 22, 2003, Paul was baptized in the Holy Spirit. What followed was nothing short of a spiritual gut punch—weeks of illness, the loss of his singing voice, and a surreal moment of clarity inside a Las Vegas strip club where he found himself ministering to dancers instead of performing for them.
That Easter morning, Paul’s old life died.
He stepped away from music for a year—just listening, learning, healing. He dove into scripture, took the Alpha course again (twice more, just to be sure), rebuilt his marriage, and became the kind of father he never thought he could be. Slowly, the voice returned. The joy. The purpose. And then, the music.
Paul now serves as a counselor for those battling addiction at Bridges of New York. His songs—once clouded by pain and obscurity—now burn with clarity, hope, and conviction. His first song in four years, “I Am With You,” co-written with Matthew Harwood, is part of the Treasure in Heaven compilation from the Church of the Intercessor and is being sung across the globe. He’s back in the studio, recording a full Christian album, finally singing about the love he never understood all those years ago.
“I used to see coincidence,” Paul says. “Now I see a God who orchestrated every step, every person, every moment. I was blind. Now I see.”
And you can hear it in every note.
Stay tuned—Paul’s just getting started.
Paul came into this world with music in his blood and a smile that could light up a room. As a child, he was pure energy—joyful, outgoing, and full of dreams. But life has a way of wearing down even the brightest spirits. By the time Paul was in grade school, the cracks had started to show. A relentless darkness settled in—a toxic cocktail of depression and undiagnosed hypothyroidism—eating away at his joy and spirit. He tried to self-medicate at just 10 years old, downing a bag of random pills handed to him by a classmate, searching for relief from the pain that had become his constant companion.
High school brought more shadows. Drugs, alcohol, sex—Paul dove headfirst into the chaos, chasing an illusion of peace while his inner world crumbled. Music became his only real outlet. His talent was undeniable, his voice powerful, his lyrics aching with emotion. But fear of vulnerability kept his songs cryptic, distant, like letters never sent. Labels came knocking, sure his voice could sell love songs to the masses. But Paul couldn’t deliver—because he didn’t know what love really was.
What followed was a decades-long spiral of spiritual seeking and existential disillusionment. He chased fame like a man on fire, and when it didn’t come, he chased everything else: Native American mysticism, Buddhism, new age rituals, smoke, stones, tarot cards, and anything that offered even a whisper of meaning. His search took him to Arizona in pursuit of spirit guides—and it was there he proposed to his wife, Lisa, during a chapter of life soaked in ambition, desperation, and emotional wreckage.
By 2001, Paul dropped a solo album that earned critical praise and even flirted with Grammy recognition. He sang jingles, produced artists, rubbed elbows with the industry’s elite—but it was all surface glitter. No peace. No real breakthrough. When his daughter Camille was born, even her baptism became a battleground of beliefs, signaling just how fractured his life had become. With a marriage in crisis, bills piling up, and dreams fading fast, Paul found himself playing weddings to pay the mortgage. The “wedding singer” era had begun.
Then came September 2002.
Paul was invited to sing at a 9/11 memorial in Malverne, still leaning on the spiritual buzzwords and “deep” lyrics that had kept him afloat. But when a humble preacher—Bishop Craig Bates—stepped up to speak, something cracked open in Paul. That night wasn’t just another gig. It was the start of something real.
Soon, “coincidences” began to pile up—too many to ignore. A woman from Canada named Laurie began emailing Paul, urging him to consider rewriting his lyrics for the Christian market. Then a Sweetwater Sound rep named Matthew Harwood started debating Jesus with him… and ended up becoming his co-writer. Unbeknownst to Paul, Matthew was collaborating with Father Joe Ciccarello—the same priest tied to the church where Bishop Bates preached. Even old high school friends reappeared, now believers, now members of the same congregation.
God, it seemed, was staging a full-blown ambush.
By Christmas 2002, Paul and Lisa were on their knees—emotionally broke, spiritually bankrupt. They attended a Christmas concert at the Church of the Intercessor, enrolled in the Alpha Course, and on February 22, 2003, Paul was baptized in the Holy Spirit. What followed was nothing short of a spiritual gut punch—weeks of illness, the loss of his singing voice, and a surreal moment of clarity inside a Las Vegas strip club where he found himself ministering to dancers instead of performing for them.
That Easter morning, Paul’s old life died.
He stepped away from music for a year—just listening, learning, healing. He dove into scripture, took the Alpha course again (twice more, just to be sure), rebuilt his marriage, and became the kind of father he never thought he could be. Slowly, the voice returned. The joy. The purpose. And then, the music.
Paul now serves as a counselor for those battling addiction at Bridges of New York. His songs—once clouded by pain and obscurity—now burn with clarity, hope, and conviction. His first song in four years, “I Am With You,” co-written with Matthew Harwood, is part of the Treasure in Heaven compilation from the Church of the Intercessor and is being sung across the globe. He’s back in the studio, recording a full Christian album, finally singing about the love he never understood all those years ago.
“I used to see coincidence,” Paul says. “Now I see a God who orchestrated every step, every person, every moment. I was blind. Now I see.”
And you can hear it in every note.
Stay tuned—Paul’s just getting started.
Band Members
Paul Ammendola
Paul Ammendola
Location: AMERICA NORTH: USA: New York (NY)
Genre: Rock