All songs written by Paul Irvine - © Paul Irvine / One Eye Music 2022 - SOCAN
Paul Irvine - "They Were Children"
Released 8/31/2022
I was compelled to write “They Were Children” on Canada Day, July 1, 2021, shortly after news broke of the discovery of unmarked graves around Canada’s former residential schools.
The arrangement and production approach came together over many months with final mixing and mastering in July of this year (2022). I sing and play all instruments on the track, which was recorded in my home studio. Thanks for listening.
All vocals, instruments, production and engineering by Paul Irvine.
Paul Irvine - "Fanfare For Norval Morrisseau"
Released 4/17/2020
"Fanfare For Norval Morrisseau" recalls an encounter on the astral plane with the great Ojibway shaman-artist. It is a song of respect and admiration, a drum song, a healing song.
"The paintings of Norval Morrisseau, Copper Thunderbird (spirit name), have always connected with me, igniting a deep sense of ancient wonder, allowing me an entry point to reflect on my Ojibway heritage. "Fanfare For Norval Morrisseau" celebrates his extraordinary contributions to art and culture in Canada and abroad.
"In 1988, I was vacationing on a distant, solitary island in Georgian Bay, Ontario. It was to be a songwriting retreat of sorts, just me and my dog, Megan.
"At the start of the week, I came up with the chorus for "Fanfare For Norval Morrisseau" and a rough idea as to where the song would go, but as the week progressed, I could not get beyond the chorus, as it played over and over in my head, almost to the point of distraction. It felt like my muse had been hijacked and thought the week akin to an unsuccessful fishing trip. However, years later, in 2013 to be exact, the song sketch came back to me, demanding that I complete it, and in a flash of inspiration it was made whole.
"I debuted "Fanfare For Norval Morrisseau" with my band, The Soulless Young Devils, at the Rivoli in Toronto in September 2013, but it took another 7 years to commit the song to record. And so, thirty-two years after receiving the initial inspiration for "Fanfare For Norval Morrisseau", I am truly thrilled to finally release the song and pay my respects to a man most deserving of a fanfare."
All vocals, instruments, production and engineering by Paul Irvine.
Paul Irvine - "I Got Stoned"
Released 4/20/2018
A tabla-driven piece with a focus on the oft avoided subject of denial.
All vocals, instruments, production and engineering by Paul Irvine.
Paul Irvine - "Good Place Now"
Released 5/16/2016
Ah, the sport of baseball. "Bases loaded, two men out... a wild pitch hits the ground, the winning run is homeward bound"
Lead vocal, instruments, production and engineering by Paul Irvine. Bass and back-up vocal by Ken Wannamaker
Paul Irvine - "We Will Have Ourselves A Flood"
Released 5/15/2015
Recorded early in 2015 using a restored and recalibrated vintage Moog synthesizer to accentuate the bottom end, a pared-down drum kit, upright piano and whammified Strat to provide the backdrop for lyrics drawn from the intersection of politics, finance and war. All vocals, instruments, production and engineering by Paul Irvine.
"We Will Have Ourselves A Flood" - Video Synopsis: The Minister of War has conjured up a scheme. His pal, the Banker, is skeptical at first, but agrees it may just work. A shady character will help with their plan, provided they sign a declaration before midnight.
Dylanesque vocals, a grinding bass, a whammy drenched Strat guitar and emotionally charged lyrics: politics, finance and war!
All vocals, instruments, production and engineering by Paul Irvine.
Paul Irvine - "Faux Pop - Vol. 1"
Released 8/31/2012
"This collection of songs was written and recorded between the living room and workshop during off-hours", states the CD text to Paul Irvine's debut album, Faux Pop - Vol. 1. The album was recorded entirely at home with Paul performing all vocals and instruments (except bass guitar on most songs, cello on "When The Conversation Ends" featuring Mike Olsen (Hidden Cameras, Arcade Fire), and horn section on "Wrong Side Of Love", "Save The Laugh Track" and "Hey There John" featuring members of the Shuffle Demons). He wrote, arranged, engineered, produced and mixed all songs. "Between 2008 and 2012, I set about recording the songs that form Faux Pop - Vol. 1, but the writing actually began in 2004," he notes. The album contains 14 storied songs that cover a wide range of topics. The musical arrangements and accompaniments, along with catchy and sing-able lyrics and vocals are evocative of early solo Paul McCartney, The Beatles, The Band and Randy Newman. The album makes good use of the folk, pop and rock genres, with jazz and blues overtones, all contained within the song format.
As a multi-instrumentalist, Paul employed his 120-year old upright piano, along with his "odds and ends" drum kit, to lay down a solid rhythm foundation for each song on Faux Pop - Vol. 1. "I studied percussion from an early age. In fact, I was a grade-school drum roadie; my dad was a weekend jazz drummer, so I would help with the load-in. I made a mental note at that time not to pursue drumming as a career path - far too much work." Instead, flute and saxophone became his forte. He went on to record and tour with many notable artists, including Corey Hart and Ronnie Hawkins, among others. On Faux Pop - Vol. 1, Paul demonstrates his untapped skill as a vocalist: "I'm a little more comfortable singing now than I was a few years ago. I think of my voice as an instrument that happens to use words as part of its sound."
There are some real gems on this wholly original debut album and while the listener will form their own opinion, one thing is for certain: Faux Pop - Vol. 1 is an exceedingly enjoyable listening experience. It is Triple Eh "A" Canadiana: Accessible, Adventurous, Au Courant! Presented under a deceptively misdescriptive title, the songs that are Paul Irvine's Faux Pop - Vol. 1,are at once memorable and more than worthy of a wide listening audience.
1) Jump With Me: “Who is the best man for the job, Old Man Devil or Old Man God?” Chosen as the lead-off track, its uplifting vibe invites the listener to explore what “Faux Pop – Vol. 1” has to offer. This song went through a number of storylines as it wound its way to completion. Ultimately, I guess it's about choosing the best option from an array of sometimes clear, sometimes shadowy choices.
2) Don’t Leave Me Paris: “Give me one more day in your sad café, my heart will surely break in two… Don’t leave me Paris.” She is the city of lights. She is a femme fatale. You are blinded but you willingly follow her light. The track begins simply and ends large. The mid-section features an echo-drenched sax solo.
3) Wrong Side of Love: “Sugar, sugar and fire, she was everything my heart desired.” We all end up here at one time or another. Some of us make a quick exit of it. Some of us enjoy the drama so much that we keep coming back for more. The track features members of the Shuffle Demons in an understated New Orleans-style horn section that envelopes the song with a dirge-like melancholia – “Welcome to the Wrong Side of Love.”
4) White Room: “There are some people I know who want a piece of my soul.” Cultism? Religion? Rites of passage? A room that is white? The music biz? Take your pick. Add your own. This song carries with it a certain paranoia and uneasiness. For inspiration, when Paul was recording the vocal, he had “Night Of The Living Dead” muted on the TV. Ron Gosling drives the bottom end of this track with his remarkable fretless bass performance.
5) Save the Laugh Track: “And if I ever miss the joke, it’s not your fault, you’re not to blame, I need you laugh track to keep me sane.” Claquers of the world unite!! Evidence suggests the laugh track is disappearing; a dying species. If so, from what reference point will the masses take their cue if not the ever present laugh track? Rue the day prime time TV leaves laughing to viewer discretion! This song is a call-to-arms; a charge to the front to save the laugh track from the meddling whims of upstart TV executives.
6) Coleman Hawkins, Tenor Man: “They’re going to take down Coleman Hawkins long before he’s dead, then they’ll fill their horns with the sweetest sounds, the sweetest in the land, to celebrate their fallen king, Coleman Hawkins, Tenor Man.” The stuff of legend. A dedication to a great musician.
7) Wrecking Yard of Life: “In the rusted dreams of Henry Ford, the wrecking yard’s the great reward, for all the times you washed and waxed, filled ‘er up and made some tracks.” A spirited 2-step in praise of auto mechanics everywhere. The mid-section features an awesome jaw-harp hoe-down break-down.
8) Son of a Jailer Man: “There are two ways to live, only one way to die, and a mob from the town came to help him decide.” A gritty, grinding 12/8 groove featuring a rockin’ flute solo. The tale of a shady character who, as the son of a jailer, believes it’s his birthright to enforce the law to his benefit.
9) When the Conversation Ends: “At the level crossing, where I met with you today, where you gave me back the ring I gave to you just yesterday.” A simple, punchy rock track with odd bars and a fantastic cello mid-section performed by Mike Olsen (Hidden Cameras, Arcade Fire). A story of love found and love lost.
10) Ballad of Virginia Travis: “Come and ride with me my sweet Virginia, it’s a wild magnolia summer night.” Meditative. Hymn-like. A particularly poignant track that pays tribute to Virginia Travis, the first wife of Delta Blues legend, Robert Johnson. Virginia died in childbirth. It is thought that this event may have caused Robert to go down to the crossroads… and the rest is history.
11) Hey There John: “And though you were shot down in the middle of the road, hey there John, in love you go.” A dedication. John Lennon lives on! Thank heavens!
12) Broke Down Umbrella: “Feel like a broke down umbrella, waiting for the rain.” I was driving into town one day, actually it was a very windy, stormy day, and I witnessed the unusual: on the streets, in the gutters, tangled in fences, there were numerous discarded umbrellas. That coupled with the grey down-trodden day gave rise to the idea for this song.
13) Letter to You: “Leaving someone’s so hard to do, I am writing this letter to you.” Many of us have written and sent them. Many have received them. Sometimes they are lengthy tomes, sometimes they are less than 140 characters, but the effect is always the same: Goodbye.
14) Everytime It Rains: “…we were two young lovers in the misty light of spring.” Atmospherics shape our memories. When I think of memorable occasions I often recall what the weather was like. Spring rains are magical, so full of promise and hope. This song tries to capture some of those timeless emotions. The track features Ken Wannamaker’s beautifully executed fretless bass interludes.
MUSICIANS that appear on Faux Pop - Vol. 1:
Vocals, 1892 Nordheimer upright piano (named June), drums, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, alto and concert flutes, tenor sax solo, clarinet, percussion, jaw harp, Elka organ, vocorder, melodica, Pavlov's dog-bell, glockenspiel: PAUL IRVINE
Bass tracks 1, 5, 8, 10, 11 & 14 (Fretless Bass Interludes): KEN WANNAMAKER
Bass tracks 3, 4, 9, 12 & 13: RON GOSLING
Horn section tracks 3, 5, 8 & 11: RICHARD UNDERHILL-Alto sax; PERRY WHITE-Tenor sax; BRYDEN BAIRD-Trumpet; STEVE DONALD-Trombone
Cellos track 9: MIKE OLSEN
Pavlov's dog bark track 5; piano during interlude track 1; handclaps tracks 5 & 6; field drums track 13: JACK IRVINE-TENCH
Handclaps tracks 5 & 6: ATIKA IRVINE-TENCH
Band, Horn Section and Cello arrangements: PAUL IRVINE
Production Assistant: ATIKA IRVINE-TENCH
Mastered by JEFF WOLPERT at Desert Fish Studios
Produced, Engineered, Arranged and Mixed: PAUL IRVINE
Cover photo: GREG RYAN Headphone photo: ALLAN FRANK Circle image photo: PAUL IRVINE