“She writes the kind of songs people say nobody writes anymore. The kind of songs written by the greatest of the great singer-songwriters – songs with uniquely poetic lyric wed to gorgeous melodies, songs in which both the words and the music are equally inventive and inspired.”
Music Connection – New Music Critique
“McMath Is a straightup compelling artist whose work takes unexpected turns, from soothing to unsettling.”
Music Connection Review / Volume 34, No. 7 July 2010
Berklee’s Pat Pattison, Master Class honoree
“Paula McMath is writing and performing at a very high level. It has been my honor to have worked with her in several master classes. I can always count on her to have a wonderful song to begin with, and to be able to execute changes quickly and effectively. She is a joy to work with — a real pro.” Pat Pattison
Songwriters Vantage
“Paula McMath’s “Trust The Sky” is a self-affirming, moving tribute to one’s own journey through life. The melody takes just enough twists to keep it fresh when we least expect it. Produced lucidly to reveal the storyline, that makes it even more personal to the listener. “
Music Connection – Hot 100 Unsigned Artists
paula mcmath named in Music Connection’s – 15th Annual Hot 100 Unsigned Artists, Volume XXX, No. 25 12/04/06 to 12/31/06
“McMath and her able backup musicians take the singer-songwriter format into the rock realm on a collection of tunes that showcase a strong, expressive voice. She comes out struttin’ on “lonely blue”, a very good choice to open this disc. “Wet” marries a rocking track to bitter lyrics. “Consumed” is a bluesy ballad with vivid imagery and vocals tones that imbue the song with emotions. McMath is working at a high level and warrants industry attention.”
Music Connection Review / Volume XXX, No. 12 06/05/06 to 06/18/06
itunes review
“A rockin’ album from an amazing Canadian transplant to the city of angels. Paula has a rich and powerful voice and some searin’ lyrics that burn to the soul.”
-itunes review of because we bleed
Industry and Peer Reviews
You’re very good at what you do, but sometimes it takes a while for the world to figure it out. As Woody Allen famously stated, a big part of success is showing up, and with that I heartily concur. In our culture now people are used to things happening very quickly. TV shows like American Idol perpetuate the myth an entertainer can become famous overnight. The reality is, it takes a lifetime for an artist to gestate.
The wife and I have practically worn your current CD out!
– Ric Menck, member of Velvet Crush (drummer; Matthew Sweet, Liz Phair, Marianne Faithful)
Shows tremendous talent. Thank you for sharing it with me. Reminiscent of Joni… and there couldn’t be a better compliment. Very impressive. Keep going Paula. I’m looking forward to where you’re headed!
– John Pozer, Filmmaker/Director, Cannes Film Festival award-winner / “The Grocer’s Wife”
I feel really strongly about this music. I think Paula’s voice, the lyrics, and the melodies are amazing.
– Producer John Hanlon, who has engineered and produced with Neil Young
I love this CD! There’s a surprising elegance to its blend of edge, sensuality, intimacy, and bluesy rock. The more I listen, the more I appreciate it – especially paula mcmath’s honest, expressive voice. Because We Bleed is a worthy, sometimes edgy, sometimes quietly poetic, stream of paula mcmath’s relationship reflections… with a little grit on the mirror. It’s great.
– Susan Haight, singer-songwriter
some comments from listeners
Dear Ms McMath
You do not know me and probably never will. But I feel compelled to say a few things to you. I saw you perform Saturday night at McCabes. I go there quite often and have seen a lot of shows there. Something about yours though, touched me more deeply than I can express. I don’t quite know why. Your music was lovely of course but it was more than that. It was more the way you seem to be as a human being…..There is an openness and a kind of vulnerability about you that affected me strongly. It is something I strive for when I write an essay but you put it into your music. I have been around the block a few times and I don’t say this lightly……. I believe when an artist, in any medium, should know about when their work touches someone… and now you do…. Thank you for a lovely evening.
Larry
Paula,
Hi, I just wanted to say that I say you performing the other night on 3rd St. in Santa Monica, and though I was only able to catch a few songs, I wanted to let you know that I thought you had a great voice and I enjoyed what I heard. I don’t always find myself doing that when I’m walking down 3rd St, but I had to check out your site. Love what I hear, and looking forward to catching you play again soon.
Jon
Dear Paula,
Last week me and my family were traveling in the US and we heard and saw you play across the street from where we were dining in Santa Monica. You sang covers of a lot of my all time favorites and you gave that ‘extra touch’ to our dinner. I bought your album and I found that you have also written a lot of material yourself.
I really love that album and I hope there will be more in the future.
Traveling in the US is always a great adventure but the little extra’s make such journeys especially memorable. Seeing black bears in Yosemite, whales heading north along the coastal highway and your performance in Santa Monica were some of my extras. And since I can’t thank the bears or the whales… 🙂
Thanks!
Bart
The Netherlands
Jan. 21, 2011: Featured on NPR’s “Marketplace”
This morning, I found out that a piece I was interviewed for, in December, is airing today on NPR’s Marketplace. Alexandra Schmidt conducted interviews and wrote the piece. It centers on how QR codes are bridging the gap between real life and cyberspace. If you’re interested, you can listen to the spot by cutting and pasting the link included below. The segment starts at about the 14 minute mark. I’m also including the written article in this post.
[ find an easy link to NPR’s Marketplace on the blogroll ] http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/01/21/am-qr-codes-bridge-real-life-with-cyberspace/
I blogged previously about Warbasse Design and how Philip Warbasse designed QR codes for me. You can see previous posts below, Week 20 and Week 17.
The ripple is expanding…
_______________________________________________
QR codes bridge real life with cyberspace
Little black and white squares have started popping up in magazines, on billboards and storefronts. They’re called QR codes, and are aimed at linking the online world with the real world.
This photo taken March 11, 2005, shows a ‘QR Code’ being displayed in a camera-equipped mobile phone in Tokyo. QR Code allows users to enter text information such as name and address on a name card, Internet URL or e-mail address, into mobile phones easily and quickly. (TORU YAMANAKA/AFP/Getty Images)
The QR Code for marketplace.publicradio.org. (Code courtesy of qrcode.kaywa.com).
TEXT OF STORY
STEVE CHIOTAKIS: You no doubt have seen a bar code. Those line markings on all kinds of products that get scanned at the grocery store checkout. Now there’s a new type of code that’s popping up. Digital codes that link the real world with the online world.
But as reporter Alex Schmidt tells us, a lot of consumers still don’t know what they are.
Alex Schmidt: What they are is QR Codes, which stands for Quick Response. They act kind of like barcodes for your smartphone. You scan these little boxes and a website comes up on your phone. From there, you can get things like coupons or digital downloads.
And advertisers love them. QR designer Phil Warbasse explains why.
Phil Warbasse: What it really does is it turns a five-second pitch into potentially a five minute experience. It extends the time that you have to be in front of your audience.
Warbasse has worked with Chipotle restaurant to put QR codes in a menu, which takes users to a video with celebrities talking about healthy eating. And he’s created one for Paula McMath. She’s a singer who plays weekly on Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade. McMath has her QR codes printed on business cards. When you scan them, they take you to a website where you learn more about her music.
But there’s a potential problem — passersby aren’t quite sure what the barcodes are.
Schmidt: Have you ever seen these?
Man 1: Never in my life.
Man 2: I’ve never seen them before.
Man 3: No.
McMath knows she’s using an early stage technology.
Paula McMath: I realize that on some level, I am a little bit of a guinea pig maybe?
But being experimental could also get her noticed. Lucy Hood directs USC’s Institute for Communication Technology Management.
Lucy Hood: Think about it: you’re a consumer, you’re blobbing along. What’s happening? What will make you pay attention? Something new.
Hood thinks QR codes will need a big, sustained media moment in the spotlight to really drive mass adoption. Sort of like text messaging on “American Idol.” Hood convinced “Idol” producers to use that technology when she worked at Fox back in 2002.
Hood: We went from 12,000 text messages sent to 12 million in one season.
Hood’s guess for QR’s big moment of exposure? She thinks it’ll happen with a movie, sometime this year.
I’m Alex Schmidt for Marketplace.