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Thank you.

Hi, I'm Scott Brocato with KRWG Public Media.

And I'd like to welcome you to this episode of Music Spotlight.

Lisa Pawlak, also known as Lisa P, is a singer songwriter hailing from San Jose, California.

She's been doing her folk rock blues material since the 90s, either as a solo, duo or with a band.

Her vocals have drawn comparisons to artists such as Bonnie Raitt and Melissa Etheridge.

And fun fact she's second cousin to the late Kris Kristofferson.

We are pleased to welcome Lisa Pawlak to KRWGs Music Spotlight.

Well, let's start there.

Second cousin to Kris Kristofferson.

Really?

Yeah.

How?

My dad's cousin.

Your dad's cousin?

Did you ever meet him?

Sure.

And?

Over the years, I've gone to see him, visit him and say, hey, good gigs.

Your dad or Kris Kristofferson?

Kris Kristofferson Okay.

Yeah.

Nice guy?

He told, my dad Dad told me about him.

Oh, yeah.

Great guy.

But when I was ten and I found out he was my cousin, I thought he had an awful voice.

I was like, oh, really?

Oh, there are some people that might agree with you.

Yeah.

You're a great songwriter, so-so singer.

And then I then I appreciate him later.

Did his songwriting influence yours at all?

Could have been.

By proxy?

Could have been.

You can tell us.

We won't.

I'm not sure.

Okay.

You're not sure?

I just think I was obsessed with music.

Well, what artist?

Well, when you were coming of age.

The Beatles.

Yeah.

When I was eight.

You and everyone else.

Met on up.

Like who?

Well, as far as females, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt and Hart and the Pretenders were the only female big leads.

Chrissie Hynde, they kind of led me.

Chrissie Hynde was more my style.

Bonnie Raitt also, I related to her style a lot.

She was very inspiring as a guitarist and writer and singer to me.

When did you start playing?

Was guitar your first instrument?

No, violin was.

Violin?

I was terrible at it.

And then you switch drums.

Then drums.

And drums.

Drums later.

Okay.

And then I figured I can sing and write and play songs by myself with drums.

I switched to guitar.

Have you picked up a violin since?

No.

Those were.

It was awful.

It was.

Okay.

Two years of screechy.

Well, you're.

Yeah, that's a tough.

I used to play trumpet in it.

Did that in the violin or tough instruments to play when you're learning?

Torturous to everyone else is trying to tolerate you.

Well, you grew up in the Bay area.

When did you move to Las Cruces?

April of April 1st, 2023.

So just not very long ago.

And what brought you here?

Well, I wanted a place to retire.

a place it wasn't in, like, the Bay area.

So expensive to live that I couldn't ever see retiring.

And my.

I used to say, well, how do you feel about retiring when you're dead Lisa?

And I did not like that.

So.

Well, I forgot to ask.

I was trying to think of where am I going to move?

Yeah.

And why did you end up choosing Las Cruces?

So then I had two friends born and raised in Santa Cruz, and they moved here.

So when I was on my way to visit someone in North Carolina, I stopped to stay with them.

And I said, oh, I can live here.

It's pretty nice.

Well, going back to your, if we can backtrack a minute to the music, you mentioned that you've opened soon for some familiar acts.

Like who?

Yeah.

When I first started in the 80s I was opening.

I was playing at these clubs in Santa Cruz, and I would get openers through the years.

And like Toto, these will age me.

Taj Mahal, um Jesse Kahn Young, Bob Weir and the Bobby and the Midnight's just a group he was in.

Well, let's let you do your music right now.

Get you set up.

The first song you're going to do is called Accuser.

Right.

Tell us a little bit about that.

Okay, so Accusers is, based on well, I had some teacher friends I used to play songs, to third graders for about three years, and I would teach them songs, and this is one of them that I taught.

And it was I told him it was about bullies, but really, it's it's this age old story out of the Bible that's about let you without sin, cast the first stone.

So a spiritual as that song came out of there.

So I don't know.

Well, let's, let's you get set up to do that in your other songs.

We're talking with Lisa Pawlak, today's guest on KRWG Music Spotlight.

This is called Accuser.

Youuuu huh.

Yoooooooohhhh.

Huuuhmmmm.

I know what mercy looks like.

I know how it feels to be loved.

I want more on the inside.

Youre the one I'm thinking of.

I know what pleasure you give me.

I know what awesome looks like.

You're loves the key to forgiveness.

You are the author of life.

Whoa!

You are the author of life.

Bring in my accuser.

Show me what I've done.

With you on my side.

How can I go wrong?

How can I go wrong?

Who?

Who?

Whooooooo?

Haaaaa, haa, haaaa.

You can go pointing your finger.

Go and do anything you want.

Whatever feels good you answer.

Wonder what comes back to haunt you.

Im often questioned on my life.

I've often wondered myself.

Ask someone else for direction.

And I pray to put my will on a shelf.

Oh, I pray to put my will on the shelf.

Bring in my accuser.

Show me what I've done.

With you on my side.

How can I go wrong?

How can I go wrong?

How can I go wrong?

How can I go wrong?

How can I go wrong?

Its a tune I wrote.

When I moved here.

It's called California.

Which, if you look at California's songs, there's like a ton of them.

It's not those ones.

Left my home in California.

Had to leave, I had to go.

Miss my friends and miss my family.

But I needed to save my soul.

Matter where I seem to go Im never alone.

No matter where I seem to roam.

With you I have a home.

Keep my mind open.

Soften my heart.

Help me to know.

I can make a new start.

It's easier to rest in comfort.

Stay with what I know.

But how do I move on forward?

If I stay stuck in this hole.

Nothing wrong with California.

Pretty this time of year.

But I did listen closely to the voice that said, get out of here.

Keep my mind open.

Soften my heart.

Help me to know I can make a new start.

Keep my mind open.

Soften my heart.

Help me to know I can make a new start.

Help me to know.

I can make a new start.

This is a tune called Southwest Skies, which I wrote after I got here, and it's, I kept hearing.

Oh, the skies are so big or so southwest skies la la la.

And it's really true.

They are big.

And so I tried to fit as many, New Mexico terms in this song.

So you might notice some.

Ocotillo.

la la la.

So it's inspired here.

I was down.

And feeling hazy.

On the corner sketchy and crazy.

Thought I saw an oasis in the street.

But it was just a fantasy.

In the hundred and ten degrees.

Floating down the Rio Grande.

Couldn't help but see your face.

I could really use a hand today for the feelings I'd rather erase.

Pepperoni and cherries were your favorite food.

And octoillos were your favorite blooms.

Oh, how I love those southwest skies.

Especially when I see them through your eyes.

I see them through your eyes.

Yeahhhhh.

Hmmmmm.

Hmmmmm.

Floating down the Rio Grande.

Could not help.

See your face.

I could really use a hand today for the feelings.

Id rather erase.

I was down and feeling hazy.

This is called part of the plan.

You can turn your head.

You can look away.

Problems they, don't fade away.

Theyre in the street, laying at your feet.

You walk away you can stay.

Be a part of the problem or you can stay.

What can I do?

I'm only one.

It overwhelms me, like a mountain.

Falls all around me.

Like a setting sun, what can I do Im only one.

Be a part of the problem.

Part of the plan.

If I do nothing.

I make my stand.

What can I do?

I'm only one.

It overwhelms me, like the mountain.

Falls all around me.

Like the setting sun What can I do?

Im only one.

Be a part of the problem.

Part of the plan.

If I do nothing.

I made my stand.

You can turn your head.

You can look away.

The problems they don't fade away.

All right nice job.

Lisa Pawlak today's guest on KRWG Music Spotlight.

The last song you did was called Part of the plan.

I understand that's a new song.

Yes.

You're getting ready to record it soon?

Yes.

Tell us about that.

Well, since I've been in Las Cruces I've written a lot of songs.

And, you know, you hear the way they come out of me is I'll hear topics.

I'll be talking about stuff, and they're just out of everyday life.

And this song was kind of spurred by homelessness, pet homelessness.

but my working with the cat charity and, it just is it kind of goes with anything that might bother you in society that you see as an issue.

And it talks about, are you going to sit and watch it or are you going to do something?

Well, that's a nice segue, by the way, into the what you call it cat charity, the Cat's Meow.

The Cat's Meow our local animal shelter here in Las Cruces.

When did you become involved with them?

When I got here.

I was staying at the KOA, waiting for a house, and, I found a kitten that was tiny and sick.

And then I found it's brothers.

Without going into the long story.

I found its brothers and ended up finding about a cat's meow.

Because I couldn't go rescuing all the cats and have them in my trailer.

Well, they've been around a long time.

Are you are you particularly drawn to cats?

More of a cat person than a dog person?

It was just kind of, I like all pets.

and we have a lot of rescues here in Las Cruces, and I like this one because of the cats.

And I've always had cats and they, are a no-kill place that adopts out.

And the cats only die if they're sick.

And, I just like that.

Well, talk real quick.

They're trying to buy a building that the cats are trying to buy the building.

They're by the building that there in now, and they have till the end of April, or they're in danger of losing it.

Talking about the Cat's Meow.

tell us briefly about that and how people can help.

Um, well, we have lots of ways that we can raise money, direct donations.

But, I do one thing.

I'm called the can lady, and I collect all the aluminum cans and bring in about 100 bucks a week with that.

But the way they could do it is call Cat's Meow and find out how they could help.

Okay, well, let's talk about, your spouse, Trish.

You've been married since 2013.

Is... How is she inspirational in your life in music?

Particularly the music.

Support?

Yeah.

Support.

Just supportive and encouraging.

Which we all need.

Has she ever been a topic of a song?

Directly or indirectly?

Mostly my songs are God driven, you know, introspection, maybe a couple.

Well, you've talked off-the-air briefly about, you've been, sober now since you were was it 20?

Since I was 20.

And, And tell us about that.

How that's... Since 1978, December.

You just aged yourself.

I know.

Well, I had a drinking problem and so kind of runs in the family, and so I ended up getting sober then, and that's from there is where music started.

Because I didn't really play when I was drinking.

Well, are you working on anything else besides part of the plan now musically?

Lots and lots of songs I've written.

I've been very what do you call it?

Prolific.

Prolific.

That's the word I'm looking for since I moved here and gotten back into music and found out I could play at the pizza parlor and make some money.

Well, that's a I. I didn't run to you at a pizza parlor.

It was, Icebox.

Yeah.

And I'm glad I did.

And I'm glad you agreed to be part of our show.

Yeah.

I thank you for being a part of KRWG Music Spotlight.

Thank you for having me.

And be sure to catch our past performances on YouTube and like us on Facebook to keep up with future episodes for KRWG I'm Scott Brocato, and thank you for joining us for KRWG Music Spotlight.