1. Ahead Of My Time (Lyrics by Lori Paul and Music by Rick Genge 2006)

This is our most recently penned song as Rick and I began to write together in the fall of 2005. By that time, I planned to film a live concert of original songs, and I had a fair collection to choose from, but I felt like an introduction of sorts would be helpful in setting up the evening and I needed a song that would serve this purpose. This tune was written around a rockin little riff Rick came up with and was originally going to be a sort of a “Welcome to the Lodge” kinda thing but when we hit the chorus and it came time to make my point, I felt strangely compelled to come clean, to confess... this mindful living is nothing but work,work,work!  It hasn’t simplified my life one bit! It requires a staggering amount of self-responsibility and frankly, it’s was way easier when I could just blame everyone else for all my ongoing challenges! And so the chorus became a thinly veiled complaint about the various uncertainties inherent in following ‘the left-hand path’ and the feeling you get of being out of step with one’s tribe as a result.  So often it happens that you intend one thing in the creative process but what transpires is something else entirely. The question becomes; how much truth to tell?

2. Deloraine (Lyrics and Music by Lori Paul)

From 1998 to the fall of 2004, I enjoyed managing the Front of House for the Arts Club Theatre Company, working out of the beautifully restored Stanley Theatre on Granville Street. Part of my job was to introduce myself and welcome the audience before the curtain rose. One evening at intermission, a tall, fine looking man walked up to me and asked if I was the same Lori Paul who visited his family farm in Deloraine, Manitoba back when we were children. I was indeed! This was John Manshreck, who at the time I last saw him would have been maybe ten years old. In one of those surreal moments one could never anticipate, he smiled conspiratorially and said, “My Mom’s here tonight, visiting us, would you like to say hello?” By the time I walked over to the woman I remembered so well as my dear Auntie Jane, I was in a flood of tears, so surprised and happy to have the chance to see this lovely woman again after 35 years! Sadly, her husband, Ralph Manshreck, had passed away only years before, but here she was, shining at me once again, reminding me of my great good fortune in having been welcomed into the lives of these beautiful people who hosted me for a series of summers at a time when I most needed the kindness and the quiet companionship of their family of farm animals.  I wrote this song to express my deep gratitude to the Manshrecks and to celebrate  the rich tradition of character and integrity still to be found in our farming communities. Let’s buy local, organic produce whenever possible and for us non-vegearians, let’s support the meat-producing farmers who are dedicated to the ethical treatment of their animals.

3. Letter To Louise (Lyrics and Music by Lori Paul)

I wanted to write a song from the perspective of a person who had committed an atrocity (murder, in this case) yet still possessed redeeming qualities in the face of admitted guilt. I find it frustrating to see complicated scenarios and complex personalities reduced to black and white sound bites for the sake of expedient and often sensational news media coverage. While I recognise the challenges we face in our dispensation of justice, I am proud of the fact that our country does not condone the death penalty even when our desire for retribution is fierce. 

4. 3rd House (Lyrics by Lori Paul & Music by Rick Genge)

Rick and I wrote this song from the perspective of someone having served time now wanting to rebuild a life on the outside. I thought I might start by looking up an old flame, someone whose memory might have helped me get through the lonely years.  We took care to make the story non-gender specific but when it came time to sing the lead vocal, Rick’s voice carried the perfect tone to convey a man’s hopeful weariness. He’s made the tune his own.

5. Quit You If I Could (Lyrics by Lori Paul & Music by Bill Fulton)

There’s a school of thought or, more accurately,  a new  branch of psychology which suggests that we are all addicts of one sort or another. I like the idea of talking to the thing that plagues you in the same manner one might address a soon-to-be ex from a love relationship gone bad. This song is written with a sly wink to the jazz singers who swang before me.

6. 20 Poems (Lyrics by Lori Paul & Music by Rick Genge)

This lyric was inspired by a translation of Pablo Neruda’s ‘20 Poems of Love” which seemed apropos when I heard Rick’s classical training coming through on this luscious latin groove. I enjoy the fact that, while this song sounds rather exotic, it’s Canadiana folks, written and performed by Canadians for your listening pleasure. ;-)  ole eh?

7. Earthly Things (Lyrics by Henry Lawson & Music by Lori Paul)

I spent 2 months in Australia last year, attending my dear cousin Heather’s wedding and sussing out the potential for performing down under. Whenever I travel, I like to look up the indigenous artists to get a feel for the culture and to better understand the societal impact of the arts in general. I discovered the wonderful Australian poet Henry Lawson this time around and, happily enough, I discovered that his work is now  in the public domain (so I could ‘borrow’ it without having to obtain permission or pay royalties). I love the verse “The brighter side has won me by the calmness that it brings and the peace that is upon me does not come from earthly things” so I made it my chorus. Rick once sent me a copy of a rehearsal recording of this song erroneously titled “Earthly Thongs” which still cracks me up every time I think about it.

8. House on Fire (Lyrics by Lori Paul & Music by Bill Fulton)

This song grew  from the frustration I feel in witnessing ineffective measures being taken simply because what actually needs to be done is complicated or costly. This applies generally to environmental issues but most recently, to changes needing to be made in B.C.’s child welfare system. So often it’s a case of assistance being rendered eventually but it’s too little, too late.  Accountability is lacking and we as a society have become complicit in our complacence, in my humble opinion.

9. The Place You Are Bound  (Lyrics & Music by Lori Paul)

I’ve always been fascinated by the stars and planets, visiting the Winnipeg Museum’s planetarium countless times as a child, and subsequently, studying astronomy and astrology purely as an adult enthusiast. Navigation by stars has been practised for millennia and continues to be an effective method of making one’s way in the world, especially where landmarks are unknown or unavailable.  This lyric begins with a cautionary comment to an inexperienced soul then provides an assurance of sorts, that in dying, we sail into the ultimate safe harbour. I find great comfort in this metaphor having recently lost my dear Grandma.

10. Better Time (Lyrics by Lori Paul & Music by Mark Vescovi)

I wrote this lyric as a way of coping with the despair I feel when I hear of yet another young person lost to a drug overdose. In this case, an absent parent creates a hole in our heroine’s heart and she goes down in an attempt to garner the attention and more accurately, the approval, she craved early on. These particulars are fictitious but the story is familiar. 

11. Gloryland (Lyrics by Lori Paul & Music by Bill Fulton)

The Coen Brothers make great films and I am a huge fan, especially when they employ the brilliant T Bone Burnett to create the soundtrack. “The Ladykillers” inspired this lyric as I’ve always loved gospel music and especially, the spiritual power in this ‘joyful noise’. I couldn’t resist the chance to take an affectionate poke at the evangelical hypocrisy that sometimes finds it’s way into the pulpit via the “do as I say, not as I do” old school preacher.

12. Masterpieces (Lyrics and Music by Lori Paul)

I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist so this lyric was hard won through years of self criticism. Only recently have I realised that there is beauty in imperfection and each of us contributes, often in spite of ourselves, to the mysterious way the world works. As my hero Joseph Campbell says (and I paraphrase) “...the world is a mess, it always has been, it always will be. We need to learn to joyfully participate in the sorrows of this world rather than deny reality or shrink from the adventure.” I now feel that this life is not a problem to be solved but rather, a mystery to be appreciated.

13. Poetica (Lyrics and Music by Lori Paul)

This song suggests that we all need to own our passion and acknowledge our gifts, even when we don’t believe that we measure up. There’s power in our thoughts and in what we say out loud. Whatever you wish you could do...do it! You’re never too old to begin. Life is short. There’s no time like the present. Choose a cliché and run with it!

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