Rain Rain
- Mark LaVigne and Peter Paolucci

Rain rain wont 'cha go away
Come back another day
Me and Jill, we wants to play
But if it rains, we're gonna run away

Storm clouds are looming
Thunder is booming
Seems like the sky is crying
He thinks that our love is dying, why can't we paddle away?

Way up high above the rain
There might be a world without pain
You and me we should stick together
Two in one, no matter what the weather, why don't we paddle away?

These flashes of lightening
That we find so frightening
Will lighten up the darkest night
If ours is a love that feels so right, why should we paddle away?

Guitars  
Taylor 12-fret Mark LaVigne
Larrivée 6-string accoustic Peter Paolucci
Martin D-28 Eric Mattila
Bass Peter Paolucci
Lead Vocals Mark LaVigne, Burke Cullen, Peter Paolucci
Backup Vocals Eric Mattila, Peter Paolucci
Harmonica Mark LaVigne
Percussion (egg shaker) Eric Mattila
Pickup notes at the beginning: Peter on his sweet sounding Beneteau.

Mark demonstrated that he could actually pick his nose while singing acappella.
Eric on the Barron River, Algonquin Park, August 2011

Many years ago, my old buddy and several of our children were on our annual canoe trip in Algonquin Park in a very creative part of that wonderful place, where Tom Thomson used to roam and paint and fish. We were on Tom Thomson Lake actually, when a huge storm was brewing in the distance, thunder and lightning to the north, to where we were paddling in fully laden canoes looking for a vacant campsite. Part of a song, definitely inspired by Neil Young, popped into my head and I began singing it quite loudly in an effort to hold off the storm until we landed and set-up camp. It did work for several hours until one of the worst thunderstorms in my canoe tripping experience hit us. That storm did spawn tornadoes some miles away. So I built a song round the melody, which came first. Then Peter took the initial song and helped immensely with the lyrics and structure. We like to sing it at outdoor gigs to hopefully offset some of the gnarly weather we have experienced.

- Mark LaVigne

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Second Chance
- Mark LaVigne

I deserve a second chance, and maybe a third
I remember your second glance, my heart flit like a bird

And I see,  the sparkle in your eyes
And I know,  you must be right
And it’s free, this parcel of surprise (this passion in disguise)
As it grows, in the night

Everyone deserves a second chance,  and maybe a third
What if I asked you for a dance, would you think it absurd

You deserve a second chance,  and maybe a third
All you wanted was a little romance, but then it surged

As it grows, in the night
As it grows, in the night

Guitars  

Taylor 12-fret

 Mark LaVigne
Larrivée 6-string accoustic Burke Cullen
Bass Peter Paolucci
Lead Vocals Mark LaVigne
Backup Vocals Eric Mattila, Peter Paolucci, Burke Cullen
Banjo Burke Cullen
Percussion (apple shaker) Eric Mattila
Intro riff (repeated throughout) played by Mark LaVigne on guitar and by Burke Cullen on Banjo.
This is another one where the riff and chords came first. It’s about relationships and the theme is perhaps couples, young and old, do not give themselves enough of a chance. Are too rigid. And say goodbye too easily.

- Mark LaVigne

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One Good Guitar
- Peter Paolucci

I was alone, sitting by my window
Watching my fingers, make love to my guitar
I was watching my fingers, tickle her all over,
With a magic touch, so delicate and cool

When I said to myself, this is a really good feeling,
And I like what this guitar
Makes me feel inside my soul


But I'd rather have one good guitar
Than a hundred average women,
And I'd rather have one good wooman like you,
Than a thousand good guitars


But I am not alone, no neither am I lonely
I am not afraid, to tell you how I feel
You are more precious to me
Than this piece of wood I'm holding
Even though it's got a soul, with beauty of its own


But I'd rather have one good guitar...
Guitars  
Larrivée 6-string accoustic Peter Paolucci
Matsuoka classical Peter Paolucci, Braedon Garret
Martin D-28 Eric Mattila
Ibanez semi-hollow electric Braedon Garret
Bass Peter Paolucci
Lead Vocals Peter Paolucci
Backup Vocals Eric Mattila, Mark LaVigne, Burke Cullen
Synthesized Horns Braedon Garret
Percussion Jim Devries
Nylon string guitar outro lead guitar played by Peter.

Little sprinkle of nylon string guitar at the end of the first vocal verse played by Braedon.

Solo after 2nd verse: Braedon plays electric followed by accoustic solo by Eric.

At the end of Eric's accoustic guitar solo, he slides down on the last note. Forgetting that he had just transposed it to a lower register he provided unintentional comic relief to the other observing Coyotes as he ran out of neck and hit the nut with his left hand. (It still sounds clean though...)

There IS a story behind Mark's "Sister Theresa" rambling at the beginning, but it is probably inappropriate to publish it here... HOWEVER, anyone who buys a beer for any Coyote (other than Mark) can get the story in person... ;)
I wrote "One Good Guitar" in 1986, a period of my life when I was "between wives." (This term gives a whole new meaning to the musical period known as "in-between years"). I was sitting at my kitchen table one morning, sipping on a coffee and playing my Larrivee (the same one used on this recording) when I started thinking about how some stories have it that the acoustic guitar is modelled after a woman's body. That's when I realized some guitars are better than others. And some women are better than others. And at least my guitar wouldn't hurt me. And my being alone with this guitar was preferable to being in (yet) another bad relationship. (There were *so* many of those back in those days!) And then I realized there are a very few special women out there who are better than all the guitars in the world and voila ... the lyrical hook came into my head and never left.

I first recorded this song in 1987.

- Peter Paolucci

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On The Terrace
- Mark LaVigne

The sun is warm, on my face, on the terrace
And I smile, near the grapes, by the terrace.
Some people do believe, that the end is near.
I really do believe, it's gonna be a good year

A sip of wine, as we dine, to the music
I love this wine, from these grapes, by the music

A warmth of wine, on my face whilst on the terrace
I love this girl, by these grapes, on the terrace
Some people do believe, that the end is near.
I really do believe, it's gonna be a good year

Guitars  
Taylor 12-fret Mark LaVigne
Martin D-28 Eric Mattila
Lead Vocals Mark LaVigne, Burke Cullen
Backup Vocals Burke Cullen, Eric Mattila, Peter Paolucci
Harmonica Mark LaVigne
Percussion (apple shaker) Eric Mattila
Usually when we have played this live, we have had a lot more instrumentation, but when we were setting up to record, the intimacy at that moment seemed to cry out for a more sparce and solitary rendition, so hear it is: Mark and his guitar with a little bit of percussion and backup vocal support on the chorus.
Another one where the chords gave birth to the melody and the chorus popped up. It was around the time of the latest end-of-the-world predictions. However, when I wrote the chorus to fit the melody, the winery/vineyard theme popped up as well. And I remember fondly sitting on winery terraces from time to time (Niagara area) doing wine tasting under a hot August sun. So it all came together with two levels of meaning, or at least I hope so. This was a song that popped out of a new Taylor 12 fret acoustic that I bought and love!

- Mark LaVigne

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Heart Of The Matter
- Mark LaVigne

I walk along the shoulder, ignoring the prairie-blue sky
Guitar over my shoulder, wishing I was high

Does it really matter, when she turns and you’re gone?
To get to the heart of the matter, all I care about is song

Cars whiz on by me, but I don’t seem to care
I’m movin’ like the prairie wind on a whisper and on a prayer

Does it really matter, when she turns and you’re gone?
To get to the heart of the matter, all I care about is song
When I was 17, I longed for the open road
But I was 17, not guilty for seeds I’d yet to sow

“Anyplace but here,” says the sign sewn on my case
I’m dreaming ‘bout cold beer, as I stagger ‘bout my pace

Does it really matter, when you turn and you’re gone

To get to the heart of the matter, all I care about is song

Guitars  
Taylor 12-fret
 Mark LaVigne
Larrivée 6-string accoustic Burke Cullen, Peter Paolucci
Martin D-28 Eric Mattila
Bass Peter Paolucci
Autoharp Eric Mattila
Accordion Braedon Garret and Eric Mattila
Lead Vocals Mark LaVigne
Backup Vocals Burke Cullen, Eric Mattila, Peter Paolucci
Harmonica Mark LaVigne
Drums Braedon Garret
Wonderful guitar solo by Burke Cullen.

Outro is Mark alone strumming his guitar.

Some very fine "ooooooh" from Eric over the bridge.

The accordian part has special meaning to Eric. Eric's mother, Birgit Mattila, was a wonderful singer, accordion player and piano player and her music and her accordion were a central part of his life growing up. Family parties would revolve around Birgit playing her according and singing old songs in Finnish, Swedish and English while people swirled around the dance floor. Wonderful memories!
When The Coyotes were rehearsing Heart Of The Matter one night, Eric 'heard' an accordion in the mix and we decided that some day we would try it. None of us played the accordion, but Braedon is an excellent keyboard player so... Eric laid down on the couch with his mom's old accordian and squeezed the bellows while Braedon played the keyboard side of the accordian. Yes... it took two of us to play half an accordion! It was the first time this old accordion had entertained anyone since Birgit played it for family and friends almost twenty years ago.
Eric would like to dedicate this song to his mom.

This is a song that came about with chords first. The chords gave birth to a melody. The chorus’ words came first, then I wrote the verses to fit that and a theme.

When I was 17, I hitchhiked a fair amount from Orillia to the camp I worked in the area of what is now the Casino Rama area. One specific hitchhiking trip I took on a rare few days off was to my musician friend’s cottage on Lake Joseph. I brought my beloved first guitar, a Yamaha, that I purchased at a five and dime store in Orillia earlier that summer. I hocked that guitar many years later when I moved from Calgary to Edmonton as a struggling reporter. I regret that.

Anyway, this song is about the freedom of youth. The innocence of that time. Hardly anyone hitchhikes any more, it’s too dangerous and probably was in the 70’s as well. Peter helped with some of the lyrics, adding the prairie aspects to it.

The initial chord and strumming pattern popped up when I was in my favourite guitar store and picked-up a guitar. I believe good luthiers infuse their instruments with music. And the guitar lets it out in the right hands. I bought that guitar, wrote the song, then ran into troubles with it and traded it back in.

- Mark LaVigne

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Moondrops
- Mark LaVigne

Look at the moon in the sky
You know it never lies
They were wrong
All along
There ain’t no diamonds in the sky

But for tonight
Going to be all right
So sit back and sip some more of
your wine

Lady with the moonlight in your hair
You know you’re so very, very rare
Was I wrong
All along
That you’d ever really care

Moonlight cascades through my mind
And its touch is softly kind
Was I wrong
All along
Please tell me that I’m blind

But for tonight
Going to be all right
So sit back and sip some more of
your wine

Guitars  
Taylor 12-fret
 Mark LaVigne
Larrivée 6-string accoustic Burke Cullen
Martin D-28 Eric Mattila
Bass Peter Paolucci
Lead Vocals Mark LaVigne, Burke Cullen
Backup Vocals Eric Mattila, Peter Paolucci
Piano Braedon Garret
Synthesized cello Braedon Garret
Percussion Jim Devries
We needed an instrumental intro for this song so Eric did a first pass on it in Braedon's studio. The atmosphere just wasn't right and he wasn't happy with what he came up with. Braedon gave Eric a copy of the music file so he could listen to it at home and make another attempt at finding the right feel. He first tried playing it on a nylon string "Brazilian folk guitar" which led to him capturing the feel we wanted. Eric was still not totally happy with the recorded sound, so he went back to his trusty old Martin D-28 and recorded it on the fly in his basement. This is the track that ended up in the final mix.

Burke does some lovely mandolin type tremolo picking on his Larrivée over the verses (accompanied by some more fine "oooh" from Eric. :) )

This is a very old song for me. I wrote it in my late teens. It was my break-up song. Usually when some girl was breaking up with me!! A bit of a play on the old myth that there were diamonds on the moon and diamonds being the symbol of matrimony. And that breaking up is not the end of the world - self therapy I guess?

- Mark LaVigne

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Relentless
- Peter Paolucci

I haven't been myself since I can't remember when,
I haven't been the man that I used to be back then,
I haven't been the one to stand up straight and tall,
I haven't been anyone at all.

Relentless. Blue eyes keep haunting me, won't let me...
And it all just seems so senseless, To be defenceless,
unable to break free...

There ain't no point in goin' back to where we used to be,
There ain't no point in wishin' for what I no longer see,
There ain't no point in hopin' for a miracle through prayer,
There ain't no point in anything out there.

It doesn't matter much about the things that might have been,
It doesn't matter much if it's a loss or it's a win,
It doesn't matter much if you were true or insenceer,
It only matters much about where I go from here.

Relentless. Blue eyes keep haunting me, won't let me...
And it all just seems so senseless, To be defenceless,
unable to break free...

Guitars  
Larrivée 6-string accoustic Peter Paolucci
"Old Italian" archtop electric Eric Mattila
Martin D-28 Eric Mattila
Bass Peter Paolucci
Lead Vocals Eric Mattila
Backup Vocals Sari Featherstone, Burke Cullen, Peter Paolucci, Mark LaVigne
Harmonica Mark LaVigne
Percussion & Drums Braedon Garret
This song had always been sung by it's composer, Peter Paolucci. We laid down the instrumental tracks and a vocal track with Peter singing it as usual. Peter and Braedon decided an experiment was in order: "Let's get Eric to try singing it." Since Eric had only sung background vocals and played the high register rythm guitar for this song, Peter marked up the lyrics page to show the phrasing, recorder was started and Eric sang the song for the very first time ever. "That's it!" was the unanimous response from Peter and Braedon and this first and only experimental take became the CD recording.

This recording also highlighted the resurrection of an old archtop electric that Eric's parent's bought him in 1967. The crappy worn out tuning machines had made this guitar unplayeable for decades, but Eric finally got these replaced by one of our finest local luthiers, Eric Pykälä. The intro (through a Dunlop "Cry Baby" wah-wah and mic'd Peavey amp) and the guitar solo in the middle (clean with a bit of reverb) were recorded while Eric was experimenting for the first time with his newly rejunivated childhood guitar in his basement. It was one of those magical moments when the guitar just knew what to do, and fortunately the recorder was running.

By the way, this old guitar says "Made in Italy" on it and has a "JG" logo on the headstock. Nobody seems to know what the brand name actually is for this, so if anyone knows, please share some light on this mystery for us. In the mean time it has been nicknamed the "Old Italian."

Peter's wife, Sari Featherstone contributes some lovely background harmonies in this song and adds a refreshing feminine touch to our usual male-dominated voicings.
The first draft of this song was written in my "in-between years" and resuscitated in 2010 when I stumbled upon the original version scribbled in bad cursive handwriting. We decided to experiment with Relentess because Braedon wanted the lead vocal to be strong and powerful but I didn't feel it that way and was uncomfortable doing it any way other than subdued. Good thing I'm open to experiment (you see the 1960s DID have a payoff!). I love Eric's interpretation of the song.

- Peter Paolucci

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Redemption
- Peter Paolucci

O my God, there’s water all around me,
I am surrounded, by a darkness cold
But I can think of, your sweet love only...
Wishing you were here with me to hold

After years of wanderin, and years of wonderin’
Tears of pleasure and tears of pain
I lost track of … everything that I wanted
I lost track of everything that I gained

After miles of walkin’ and too much talkin’
My words of wisdom, were the lies of a fool
And now I’m speechless, struck by a silence,
Laid down low by the justice of the golden rule

Redemption, redemption, is a light I cannot see
Groping in this darkness for a sign to set me free
Redemption, redemption, an impossibility,
Leaves me here in deep regret of the man I used to be

After all my lovers, under all those covers
After promises broke before they’re made
I am crippled, disgraced before my brothers
Purged by fire but destined for an early grave

O my God, there’s water all around me,
I am surrounded, by a darkness cold
But I can think of, your sweet love only...
Wishing you were here with me to hold

Guitars  
Larrivée 6-string accoustic Peter Paolucci
Fender Stratacaster Eric Mattila
Mystery electric Braedon Garret
Bass Peter Paolucci
Lead Vocals Peter Paolucci
Backup Vocals Burke Cullen, Mark LaVigne, Peter Paolucci
Percussion Braedon Garret
This song opens with Peter playing the main riff on his accoustic, followed by a screaming guitar intro done by Braedon, followed by the rest of the Coyotes. Eric repeats this riff throughout each chorus.

The lead guitar that plays off of Peter's lead vocals throughout the song, as well as the guitar solo in the middle, are played by Eric on his Strat.
This came to me in a few minutes while driving up Hwy 400 in rush hour traffic. I had to sing it over and over nonstop to get (and keep) the melody in my head. Then when I got off the 400 I pulled over, called my office and waited for the answering machine and sang it into that so I'd have some kind of recording of it. Only later did I realize I could have simply recorded it on my cell phone! The phrase "darkness cold" was intended as a half-witted allusion to Milton's "darkness visible" in Paradise Lost but I fear the reference is too subtle and too ill-conceived. Still, I love this tune most of all!

- Peter Paolucci

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