听 听 听 听 听 听 After a year-long hiatus due to a medical issue, singer-songwriter Lorri Solomon-Matthewson is back-and she's hard at work on material for a new album and tour. The project's working title is 鈥淢ortified鈥� in honour of her friend, Moose Mountain-area potter, Gerald Morton, who passed away in 2014.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淢ort was an unrepentant artist,鈥� says Solomon-Matthewson. 鈥淭hat's what he did. And this project is a nod to the idea of an artist who is unflinching.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚 loved Mort,鈥� she continues, holding a pottery cast of the potter's face and a vintage edition of American writer Dorothy Parker's poems. 鈥淢ort would cook fish and this (book) was his- I would read this to him. He said to me 'You should read this.' I borrowed it, but he ended up giving it to me.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭o me, Mort was an artist and I own a lot of his work. The dishes I use every day, all day- all Mort's. I like that his hands were on them, creating them.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭here is an energy to his pottery,鈥� adds Solomon-Matthewson. 鈥淚 learned that there's the art and the craft. They're both vaild forms of expression. For me, it's more about the art as opposed to the craft, but you need both. That's something I learned from Mort.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Although 'Mortified' is a working title for Solomon-Matthewson's next project (鈥淚t could change鈥�), she says that the artistic inspiration her late friend provided her with permeates the nearly 30 songs she will choose from to decide the CD's final cuts.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淥f course, there's a song about Mort,鈥� smiles Solomon-Matthewson. 鈥淚t's called 'Mort's Toast.'鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 In this tribute to her friend, Solomon-Matthewson references Morton's iconic Saskatchewan pottery, as well as homey pleasures, writing: 鈥淎nd there's marshmallow cookies, like you had at your mom's/ Piled in your potter's dish.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭his one might be (Mort's) favourite,鈥� she says, of another verse with an irreverent twist on Morton's peace being disturbed by 鈥渢he park police鈥� in a place where 鈥渢he laws and the rules all make sense...鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Another person whom Solomon-Matthewson credits with her return to music is her husband Greg Matthewson.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淲hen I was sick, I almost sold my gear,鈥� she says. 鈥�'The Mister' told me: 'You don't have to do that now; wait until you get better and see how you feel then.'鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淵ou go through a phase in writing songs where you only present the ones that don't offend,鈥� adds Solomon-Matthewson. 鈥淵ou don't want to ruffle feathers.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥� But being sick reminded me that life is short. Before, I thought I had a lot of time,鈥� says the now-healthy performer. 鈥淏ut now there's so much more urgency to it all.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Case in point: Solomon-Matthewson says much of the new material she's currently writing is similar in tone to her song 'I Don't Have To Be Nice', from her second CD 'Two Days In June.'
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淏ut I've been renewing things as far as songwriting goes. I'm back into journalling, back into writing,鈥� she continues. 鈥淚t's a process. I've been bouncing some songs around lyrically and bouncing some around musically, but definitely, there will be more songs like 'I Don't Have To Be Nice.'鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淟ately, I've been listening to old blues stuff and swing standards. Lyrically, they're just better than what's played on mainstream radio today. They say stuff, and that's what I want to continue to do.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淏ut I want to stress that this CD isn't a downer,鈥� adds Solomon-Matthewson. 鈥淚t's irreverent, funny and less censored than anything I've done before.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Born in Ottawa, Solomon-Matthewson grew up on a farm near Manor. 'Barn Went Flat' is a song which came about after the singer-songwriter revisited her childhood home.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淩ecently, someone burned down my parents' old farmhouse near Manor,鈥� she says. 鈥淢om and Dad are both gone now and nobody's living there, but even before it burned down, someone went out there and broke all of the windows in the house. I saw it right after that and the song, 'Barn Went Flat'听 was the result of that experience.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 She writes: 'I said I'd never go back, but last week I did/ Dug my toe in the dirt like when I was a kid...'
听听听听听听听听听听听 'Windows smashed out, swing sets junk/Waist-high weeds around the water pump/Clothes line pole but there is no line/A bumper crop of thistle from the garden this time.'
听听听听听听听听听听听 Solomon-Matthewson says for her, the writing process is ongoing.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥� I always research, write and perform,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 usually write longhand, because I听 carry a journal with me and I always have a notebook. The lyrics end up on my computer, simply because I have them right up on the screen, when I'm figuring out where the chords go.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Solomon-Matthewson's upcoming recording will be her third.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭he first one was recorded at CBC Radio One in Regina,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he second one was recorded at home. This one-the third- will be wherever the producer says we'll record. And I'm really hoping that producer will be Ken Hamm.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚'm following the process that the CBC used,鈥� adds Solomon-Mattweson. 鈥淲ith the first (album), there were 24 to 30 potential songs. That was my rough draft. Then we crowd-tested them and the CBC sent them to my producer. It's not a matter of pushing out a product, but I'm tentatively planning a 'test-tour' to try out which songs will make it onto the CD and then, I'm hoping to do a small tour after that. But touring all depends on when the CD is finished.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 Solomon-Matthewson says a brief return to the stage in August underscored her commitment to performing live.
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淭his summer, I was booked to perform at a place called Hillbilly Hoedown outside Prince Albert,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 invited a friend to come along and perform with me because I hadn't played in a year and I was terrified. But it was a good, warm place and I felt the encouragement.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淚 play every day for the joy of it,鈥� says Solomon-Matthewson. 鈥淲e race each other to the bottom when we don't value what we do.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淲hen I was sick, I felt like I had to get back to music. It was a case of 'If you're going to waste the gift; we're going to take it from you.'鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 鈥淣ow, getting back to music feels like coming home.鈥�
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