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Welcome!
Paula Sinclair is not your ordinary songstress. Although singing is Paula's first love, songwriting and guitar follow close behind. At 14, she was already performing in local coffee houses. From there she developed her style as a singer-songwriter, blending her original lyrics and powerful, earthy vocals with an alt-country flavor that is all her own.In 2006, Paula released
Avalanche, her CD of original songs about survival and self-renewal, available on CD Baby.
Recently, Paula has taken another step in her journey. Turning the poetry of Oregon writers into powerful songs, she recorded her latest CD, The Good Horse, also available on CD Baby.
PAULA'S BLOG: July 20, 2008
Rob Barteletti (RB) and I spent much of the week with producer Rob Stroup (RS) at 8-Ball Studio in Portland working on the first tracks for my next solo CD.RB, my manager, also contributed five of his songs to the project. Add five of my own, plus a Steve Earle cover, and we have the makings of my next album! I'm very excited about the quality of these songs. RB invited me to "edit" his songs, and that turned out to be rewarding for us both. Neither of us had done much musical collaborating before, so we were happy with the results of this synthesis. I'm thinking that all the work I've done with the poetry projects these past two years has helped me approach another songwriter's songs more effectively. (RB said he's going to write about that more in his blog: www.myspace.com/robbarteletti).
During our first week, Drummer Drew Shoals and bassist Arthur Parker laid down the best rhythm tracks we could have asked for. These guys are so creative and musically invested in this project, and they are also professionally top-notch players. I'm very happy that Drew will accompany me on percussion at my show opening for Tracy Grammer on August 10 at The Bite of Oregon (see my schedule for details). The bonus is that they are also two of the nicest, smartest, and funniest musicians in town! I really enjoyed hanging out with them.
At the end of the week I added my acoustic guitar tracks and three lead vocals, all under the patient and expert guidance of RS, who also produced my previous two CDs, The Good Horse and Avalanche. RS is a magician at the board and a brilliant arranger. As an outstanding musician and songwriter himself, RS brings amazing gifts to every project he works on. On top of that, he added some rich guitar textures to the track to round out the week. No wonder Don Campbell wrote in The Oregonian that RS is becoming Portland's hottest record producer!
Next week: I'll finish my guitar tracks and lead vocals. Then Tim Ellis (lead guitar), Jean-Pierre Garau (keys), Tony Furtado (banjo, slide guitar, and dobro), and Paul Brainard (pedal steel) will add their talents to the project. More on that next time.
Special feature: Talented young filmmaker Derrick LaMere, will be videotaping sessions on Monday and Tuesday for a music/documentary "behind the scenes" video we're planning to make available either with the new CD or online, or both. More about that in my next blog.
Paula at The Bite of Oregon
This year's "Oregon Voices" show at The Bite of Oregon at Waterfront Park will open with Linda Hornbuckle & Janice Scroggins on Sunday, August 10th. Paula will go on next, followed by Tracy Grammer & Jim Henry. Paula is honored and thrilled to be included in this lineup!Here are the details:
OREGON VOICES
A diverse sampler of Oregon's world class voices
1:20 – 2:20
LINDA HORNBUCKLE & JANICE SCROGGINS
The "Soul Diva" & Grammy nominated "Keyboard Goddess" debut "Sista," their perfectly named album
www.lindahornbuckle.com
2:40 – 3:20
PAULA SINCLAIR
Oregon's singer/poet laureate
www.sinclairsinclair.com
3:40 – 4:40
Signature Sounds recording artist TRACY GRAMMER & JIM HENRY
Top-Ten Americana featuring songs by Dave Carter & other songwriting masters
www.tracygrammer.com
Paula's First Music Videos
Paula's new music videos of "Dust" and "Our Story" from The Good Horse are now available free on this website, myspace, and You Tube. Just click and play.
Paula to Perform with The Starlight Symphony on October 5
Allan Halbert, conductor and music director for The Starlight Symphony, first heard Paula's newest and as yet unrecorded William Stafford songs a few months ago when Rob Barteletti, her manager, introduced them one evening at dinner at Rob's house. "The Animal Who Drank Up Sound" caught Allan's imagination, so he asked if he could score it for the symphony. He has just finished the score and has invited Paula to sing it, along with another Stafford song, "Even in the Desert," on Sunday, October 5, 2008, at the Tigard United Methodist Church at 6 p.m. as part of a program featuring three local composers. This event will cost $8 at the door and open to the public of all ages. Paula is very excited about this new experience performing with a symphony orchestra!UPCOMING SHOW DATES:
View all shows here. July 26, 2008 (Saturday): Paula Sinclair at East Burn,1800 E.Burnside Portland, OR. 10:00 p.m. No cover. Solo acoustic.August 10, 2008 (Sunday): Paula Sinclair at The Bite of Oregon at 2:40 p.m. Paula will perform a set of her originals plus the late, great Dave Carter's beautiful "Tanglewood Tree" as she opens for headliner Tracy Grammer & Jim Henry on the "Everything Oregon Stage" at Tom McCall Waterfront Park in Portland, OR. Tracy and Jim will perform at 3:40 p.m.
August, 16 2008 (Saturday): Paula Sinclair at The Gotham Tavern at
9 p.m. 2240 N Intersate (and Albina), Portland, Oregon 97227.
No cover, non-smoking, ages 21 and older.
August 31, 2008 (Sunday): Paula Sinclair at Edgefield Winery 2126 SW Halsey St Troutdale, OR 97060 at 5 p.m. Free solo acoustic show in the Wine Cellar.
September 6, 2008 (Saturday): Paula Sinclair at The Hotel Oregon 310 N.E. Evans Street, McMinnville, OR 97128. Free solo acoustic show at this historic hotel in the lovely Oregon wine country.