OK so here’s what happened...I left a good job in the city, working for the man every night and day...wait! That was Tina Turner. OK let me start again. I did have a good job in Vancouver but one day I realised life is short and time is flying so I gave up my sensible, secure existence and retreated to Elk Mountain near Chilliwack, to write my 3rd record. I planned to sing in local restaurants and bars for what you could call a living (if you were inclined to exaggerate).

Calling the small cabin a lodge is a little like calling a Banana Slug a Shetland Pony. There is no running water, no electricity and no telephone. There is a wood burning stove for heat, a propane element for cooking and when the daylight fades, I pull out candles and oil lamps to read by. The cabin looks out over the city of Chilliwack from amidst a typical West Coast rainforest with Spider Creek running close by, year round. My friend Larry (who owns the cabin but lets me use it) had his tongue planted firmly in cheek when he named it “Spider Lodge”.

In winter months the clouds roll in, obscuring the panoramic view, and you feel held up and held in, surrounded by the tall cedars and the nearly impenetrable bush. Happily, you can drive right up to the back porch and unload provisions directly into the small kitchen without having to do battle with the blackberry brambles which look innocent enough until you try to get past them. A footpath has been carved out to allow for trips to the outhouse which, in the cold months especially, are daunting enough without the added challenge of having to machete your way there and back again! But by far, the best thing about the place is the variety of wildlife. Depending on the time of year and the time of day, you could easily come upon...Magnolia Warblers, Goldfinches, Song Sparrows, Winter Wrens, American Robins, Stellar Jays, Spotted Towhees, Dark-eyed Juncos, Chestnut Backed Chickadees, Pileated Woodpeckers, Ruffed Grouse, Hermit Thrush, Black Tail Deer, Douglas Squirrels, Pacific Tree Frogs, Banana Slugs (and countless other varieties) along with moths and butterflies and insects beyond my naming and, of course, spiders big and small.

Canadian author Roy MacGregor recently wrote in his excellent book, “Escape” that “...escaping to the wilderness answers a longing deep in the Canadian soul”.

For me, the cabin has provided the peace of the natural world I needed to decompress. It has given me the perspective necessary to simplify myself in the process. “Songs from Spider Lodge” are reflections from a 40- something woman born in St Boniface, Manitoba, raised on prairie farms and in fast changing Canadian cities, now residing on the West Coast of British Columbia. These songs grew from seeds of my innocence and my experience. They speak directly and indirectly to the people I’ve met along the way. I hope they convey my wonder and my gratitude in having lived to tell. I hope they resonate for you.

THANKS

•  Andrew Franklin & his great team at the Chilliwack Progress especially Jennifer, Jenna, Shea and Yvonne
• Ian Fenwick, Jim Wenting and Sandy Tait at the UCFV as wel as staff & students who helped us stage this event
• Ron and the lovely gals at Decades Coffee house
• Jos & Feiny at UPS...visit their new location in Southgate
• Nick & Darlene, Darren, Joel & Kyle at Gidney Signs
• Peter Classen for the beautiful graphics on all promo
• Kathy McGrath & our lovely dancer Shelby Rurak from the Fleita Tutte School of Dance
• Alex & The Royal Hotel for rooms for our out of town guests
• Larry Caza & The Old Yale Brewing Co. for essential provisions
• Charles Genge (luthier) for Rick’s beautiful guitars
• Marcel Gauthier for TLC of guitars on & off stage
• Bill Knapp for technical support of the drums & percussion
• Mike Evans and Go Audio for last minute gear needed
• Rachel Grasslin for assisting Rick & Lori on the day of the filming
• Jason at the Wild Bird Habitat Store for bird identification
• Pat Todd for lunch on this, the longest of days ;-)
• Shelley, my dear old friend and Judy, my lovely new friend for ‘lobbying’
• Martin Sladek at Bergetti.com for creating our Spider Lodge web site
• and my good friend, Larry Muth, for the key to Spider Lodge!

A FINAL WORD

This show was produced on my Mac ibook, an invaluable tool provided by my dear family, Lorne & Lorraine Johnston, Maureen and Brett Becker and Lenore and Jason Johnson. Without their investment, we would not be here tonight. Love and thanks to my family for their vote of confidence, which came at the perfect time!

I am so fortunate to have this group of musicians onside for the creation of this project. Their contributions have brought these songs to light in ways beyond what I thought possible. Heartfelt thanks to each of them and a big kiss to Rick Genge who  invited us into his home to rehearse and record these past few  months.

Anyone wishing to further support this endeavour is encouraged to pre-order a DVD by e-mailing  lori@loripaul.com.  I will mail your copy to you by June 2006.
Your pre-order helps finance the post-production costs soon to be incurred in the editing process. Artists rely on patrons to continue working so please support your local artists in any way that you can.  We are most grateful!

Lastly,  this wonderful valley community of Chilliwack continues to amaze me with it’s great spirit and growth.  Let’s keep looking out for each other and ensure that our children are makers of art and not merely consumers of it. What a gift you are to me.