J. Paul Slavens

J. Paul Slavens (born May 20, 1962) is an American composer, musician, and voice actor based in Denton, Texas.

He plays piano and keyboards along with many other instruments, primarily in the Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton area but has toured nationally with several bands including Ten Hands, Baptist Generals, The Travoltas and others. In addition to regularly composing and playing live music, Paul produces a weekly radio show on KXT in Dallas.

Biography
J. Paul Slavens was born May 20, 1962 to J. Phil and Marion F. Slavens in Dakota City, Nebraska and graduated from South Sioux City High School. He then attended Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa receiving a BM in Piano Performance. He then moved to Denton, Texas to pursue a Graduate Degree in Computer Aided Music Theory from NTSU (UNT).

He began taking piano lessons at age 9 and began composing music almost immediately. His siblings also took lessons and he wrote his first songs with his older sister Karen while still in Jr. High School. Always active in band, choir and theater he won awards for acting in High School and was offered a Theater Scholarship to Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa. He decided to pursue music instead and received a BM in Piano Performance in 1984. While at college he performed in a "progressive" rock band called Onyx for which he composed most of the music. The band played mostly in the Sioux City area opening for bands such as Steppenwolf, Vixen and John Cougar Mellencamp. The group disbanded when Slavens moved to Denton, Texas to study Music Theory and NTSU (UNT).

Upon moving to Texas he continued to compose and play in bands. It was in one of these groups named The Gonemen that he met future Ten Hands guitarist Steve Brand. When that group dissolved Brand and Slavens teamed up with Gary Muller, Matt Chamberlain and Mike Dillon to form Ten Hands, a Denton, Texas-based rock band. Although he completed his course work, activities with Ten Hands kept him from completing his thesis. He played with Ten Hands for nearly a decade, playing frequently throughout the Southwest and releasing several albums for which he was keyboardist, lead vocalist and primary songwriter. Ten Hands and Slavens have released 5 albums and won numerous Dallas Observer Music Awards in various categories.

After several of the original members of Ten Hands left the band Slavens and Ten Hands stick player Gary Muller suspended Ten Hands and joined The Green Romance Orchestra, a group put together by former Pearl Jam drummer Dave Abbruzzese. The group put out one full-length release on Emperor Norton Records.

During this time Slavens was taken on by Kim Dawson Talent Agency in Dallas Texas as an on camera actor and voice talent. Slavens also studied improvisational comedy with former Groundlings member Randy Bennet and became the Musical Director for the Fort Worth improv group Four Day Weekend, with whom he performed for several years before leaving to pursue his own musical improv show. While with Four Day Weekend he produced a live music and improv theater production called The Texclectic Radio Hour and a Half. The show was occasionally sponsored by Dallas NPR affiliate KERA and in 2004 Slavens was taken on as a host for the long-running 90.1 @ Night show on Sunday evenings. Slavens retooled the format to great success. When KERA purchased another station KKXT in 2008 and designated it as a music station, Slavens moved over to that station and the show became The Paul Slavens Show.

Anime

 * Crayon Shin-chan (1992-present) - Additional Voices (FUNimation Dub)
 * Case Closed (1996-present) - Stanley Aikman (ep. 127)
 * One Piece (1999-present) - Wyper, Den, John Giant, Additional Voices
 * Fullmetal Alchemist (2003-2004) - Exile
 * Basilisk (2005) - Amayo Jingorō
 * Hell Girl (2005-2006) - Additional Voices
 * Mushi-Shi (2005-2006) - Antiques Dealer (ep. 18)
 * Trinity Blood (2005) - Father Petro Orcini
 * Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE (2005-2006) - Village Chief (ep. 30)
 * Rosario + Vampire (2008) - Tenmei Mikogami
 * Rosario + Vampire Capu2 (2008) - Tenmei Mikogami
 * Soul Eater (2008-2009) - Additional Voices
 * Fairy Tail (2009-2019) - Jiggle Butt Gang Boss, Additional Voices
 * Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009-2010) - Storche, Additional Voices
 * Lupin the 3rd: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine (2012) - Additional Voices
 * Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (2012-2013) - Additional Voices
 * Attack on Titan (2013-present) - Additional Voices
 * My Hero Academia (2016-present) - Additional Voices
 * Pop Team Epic (2018) - John K. (ep. 4), Additional Voices
 * Tokyo Ghoul: re (2018) - Additional Voices

OVAs & Specials

 * One Piece 3D2Y: Overcoming Ace's Death! Luffy's Pledge to His Friends (2014) - Burndy Byojack
 * One Piece: Episode of Skypiea (2018) - Wyper

Anime Films

 * Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might (1990) - Amond (FUNimation Dub)
 * Evangelion 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance (2009) - Additional Voices
 * My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising (2019) - Additional Voices