It took three years to make, but it was worth it.
Lori Paul and Rick Genge of Spiderlodge Studio have just released their fifth album, and they’re having a CD release party on May 11 to celebrate.
Palomino is a country-folk album featuring 13 songs, some with “dark” lyrics, says Paul who wrote all the music.
“I’m a melancholic personality, so my songs tend to be dreamy and sometimes a little bit on the sombre side, but when I play live… I realized in order for me to make the songs listenable and enjoyable for our audience, it was important for me to introduce more uplifting melodies and chord progressions,” says Paul. “I could still have dark lyrics, but they would be more ironic.”
She gives praise to her husband, Rick Genge, who did the majority of the work. This is the 11th album Genge has produced. He says it’s a “learning process” keeping up with the technology used to produce albums over the years.
On the album, Genge also plays guitar, bass, ukulele, keyboards and more. Drums and percussion are by Clay Thornton.
Paul has a long history of songwriting and singing behind her. She’s written 300 songs and this is her seventh album. She’s covered multiple genres including country, jazz, R&B, rock and blues. But for this album, she brought it back to country music which is what she grew up with.
“I end up writing songs about things that either give me delight because they are whimsical and they help me to lighten up, or I write about things that are difficult and that I need to better understand,” she says.
“That’s what the album is full of, songs that go from one extreme to the other. There’s silly and whimsical and joyful, or else they are deep and dark and a struggle… all over the map, just like life.”
One song, Wee Grey Mouse, has polka/folk style to it featuring a tuba.
She says the hit on the album is Love Everlast. It’s an old-timey country song with background vocals by Darcy Potter.
“I think it’s beautifully produced. Rick knocked that one out. We’ve got gorgeous strings on it, and it’s a very lush production.”
Two of the songs — All In Good Time and Palomino — can also be heard on their 2016 children’s album, Pet Songs.
“It’s probably the best song I’ve written,” she says about Palomino.”Because of the simplicity of it, it speaks to people on different levels.”
On the cover of their new CD is a picture of a young boy, about three years old, sitting on a pinto. It’s Jack Paul, Lori’s dad, and the photo is circa 1942. Both he and the pinto look forlorn. 
“The look on my dad’s face is him realizing that he’s not going to go down the street lassoing neighbourhood dogs, he’s going to get two minutes to sit on that pony and he’s going to be pulled right back off again,” laughs Paul. “So the look on his face is one of pure disappointment. And even the little pinto wishes that he, too, were a palomino.”
“Putting that picture on the front just so depicts the mood of the album,” she adds.
When she was younger, Paul would come at her songs from the outside in, trying to fit them into a certain genre and make them commercially viable.
“Now I write from the inside out. I just want songs to be meaningful to me and hopefully true for the listener.”
As with past events, this will be a fundraiser for Chilliwack Community Animal Projects (CAP). The organization rescues homeless animals and attempts to re-home them, they offer financial help and pet food for families who are in crisis, and they tend to the most forgotten animals — feral cats.
READ MORE: Lively party planned for quiet animal rescue group in Chilliwack
Tickets are $20 and $10 from each ticket sale will go towards CAP.
Included with each ticket is a copy of the CD. Palomino retails for $15, so really they’ll be performing for free.
“We’re performing for CAP that night,” says Paul.
Paul and the Spiderlodge group will be doing an hour-long set. Guests playing with Spiderlodge that night include Darcy Potter, Adam Coleman, and Dylan Woelders. Opening acoustic act is Matt Lowen who performs under the name Brian Lowen’s Kid.
The Lori Paul and Spiderlodge CD release party for Palomino is Saturday, May 11 at the Royal Hotel. Doors open at 7 p.m., music is at 8 p.m.
Tickets $20 and available at the Royal Hotel front desk.
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