Artist description A singer/songwriter with a flair for folk, social issues, and historical story-songs.

Music Style Folk singer/songwriter

Musical Influences Joan Baez; Bob Dylan; Peter, Paul & Mary; Paul Piché (from Quebec); Leonard Cohen; Peter Himmelman; Gabriel Yacoub (from France)

Artist History Paula Eve Kirman is a writer, poet, and crafter of song. She is best known in her home city of Edmonton, Alberta as a freelance Arts writer and Web artist. Her poetry has been published in a variety of literary journals and anthologies, and her published articles, book reviews, and interviews span ten years of newspapers and magazines across the country and beyond. Always surrounding herself with creative pursuits, Paula's passion has always been music. Her love for the acoustic guitar began when she was 13, with a 6-string guitar purchased for $50 at a local music store, later followed by a 12-string model that she got as her high school graduation present. She started writing songs almost immediately, and created a large body of work that remained mostly unheard -- until now. Today I Lit A Candle is a collection of eight of her songs, presented in their naked, bare essentials: guitar and voice. Produced by Ian Martin at Twilight Living Room Studios, Today I Lit A Candle is simple and unfettered; a duet between Paula's jangly, folksy guitar work and uninhibited, raw voice. The title track was written after Paula attended a memorial service for the victims of the December 6, 1989 shooting at L'École Polytechnique in Montreal. In the summer of 2001, Paula played and sang the song for a friend, singer/songwriter John Spearn, and he immediately fell in love with it. John heard more of Paula's work and encouraged her to record a few songs. On the very cold days of January 21 and 22, 2002, Today I Lit A Candle was created. In addition to the title track, several of the songs deal with tragedies of our day. "Shoah," (the Hebrew word for "Holocaust") is an anthem directed to the current generation never to forget. "As time goes on and many Holocaust survivors are passing away, we need to make sure that the memory lives on," says Paula. "That's My Boy" is a story of a young couple's journey to Israel, where they start a family. Years later, the eldest son is conscripted into the army, where he gets killed during the violence that rocks that part of the world. "It took me a long time to write the song, and an even longer time to be able to sing without breaking down in tears," she says. Many of the songs span back several years, such as the introspective "Falling," which features Paula on both 6 and 12 string guitar. "Topaz" is an instrumental with a bluegrass feel. "Moving On" is country/rock charged, about how life tends to get ahead of us no matter what we do. Bridges to Burn is the title of Paula's forthcoming demo EP, schedule for release in early 2004. Most of the songs were written especially for the project, and are also introspective, especially the title track. "Why He Cries" is a decidedly political song about hate crimes, while "Lonesome Road" is an old-fashioned country ballad. Paula grew up on 60's folk music like Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary, and Buffy Sainte-Marie. Her musical tastes expanded to include classic rock (Beatles, Moody Blues, Jethro Tull), the early work of U2, and singer/songwriters like Robbie Robertson, Daniel Lanois, and John Gorka. Since her university days, Paula has cultivated a passion for ethnic music from around the World, especially singer/songwriters from France (Francis Cabrel, Maxime Le Forestier, Gabriel Yacoub), Quebec (Paul Piché, Richard Séguin), and Germany (Konstantin Wecker). When she is not playing, singing, listening, reading, or writing, Paula cycles around Edmonton and always has her camera in hand.

Instruments 6 and 12 string acoustic guitars; mandolin; vocals

Albums Today I Lit A Candle, Bridges to Burn

Location Edmonton, Alberta - Canada

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