Paula Cole Unearths Two-Volume Collection Of Archived Material, Demos and Memories –‘Sonic Memoir: Demos 1989-1998’ Out September 10th | Shore Fire Media

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12 June, 2026Print

Paula Cole Unearths Two-Volume Collection Of Archived Material, Demos and Memories –‘Sonic Memoir: Demos 1989-1998’ Out September 10th

Physical Boxset Preorder HERE (Digital Presaves: VOL. 1, VOL. 2)

“Mississippi (DEMO)” Out Now, Listen HERE

 

 

Today, Paula Cole announces the two-volume boxset ‘Sonic Memoir: Demos 1989-1998’ that will drop September 10th. Pulled from Paula’s personal archives of cassettes, DATs, ADATS and analog tapes, ‘Sonic Memoir: Demos 1989-1998’ is a deeply intimate, vulnerable, and inspired 63-track collection that provides a peek into the life and mind of the GRAMMY-winning songwriter, producer and performer.

To tease the collection, today Paula releases the unbridled emotional demo of “Mississippi”, a cut off her GRAMMY-nominated album ‘This Fire’, showcasing the raw power to be unleashed when the collection drops. 

‘Sonic Memoir: Demos 1989-1998’ will release just ahead of the 30th anniversary of Paula’s ‘This Fire’ on October 15th, a landmark album that shook the music industry and earned her the Best New Artist award at the GRAMMYs as well as a plethora of other nominations including Album of the Year and Producer of the Year (Non-Classical), making her the first woman nominated in this category entirely on her own.

Many cuts from ‘This Fire’ find a home on ‘Sonic Memoir’ including demo versions of her ubiquitous, timeless hits “I Don’t Want To Wait” and “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?".

Alongside the collection is a beautiful booklet of photography & stories cataloging the timeline of Paula’s career and unfurling the musical tracks alongside anecdotes about the locations, collaborators and creative eras in which they were conceived. 

The death of Paula’s longtime friend and collaborator Mark Hutchins spurred her to dig through boxes of old recorded material the two had worked on over the years. Alongside digitizing some of that work for Hutchins' family, Paula dove headfirst into excavating her own history, listening to hundreds of recordings, live performances, bedroom demos, and rehearsals, facing her younger self with gratitude, amusement and love as she edited the collection down to the 63 tracks included. This boxset is a once-in-a-lifetime collection and a love letter to her beloved fans.

“These are my masters. These recordings are my intellectual property, and they represent my collaboration with key musical life-partners and the psychological sandbox in which I learned to adult and imagine. And incredibly, these early incarnations of my songs, shitty digital piano and all, still exist - even after my nomadic life and cross-continental moves,” said Paula. “Recording demos was a skilled and costly endeavor in the 80’s and 90’s – you had to scavenge tape or studio time at cost or essentially, learn to self-produce. And so, I did. I scrimped and saved my dollars and bought second-hand gear. I honed my process as a nascent producer, thanks in great part to the talented and giving individuals who walked the path with me, taught me, supported me.”

Additionally, in honor of the 30th anniversary of ‘This Fire’, Paula Cole will embark on the This Fire: 30 nationwide tour, performing the groundbreaking album in full with stops in New York, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Houston, Austin, DC and more. Full dates below.

 

This Fire: 30 Tour Dates

Sep. 17, 2026 - New York, NY - Webster Hall

Sep. 18, 2026 - Boston, MA - The Wilbur

Sep. 19, 2026 - Fairfield, CT - The Warehouse at FTC

Sep. 20, 2026 - Woodstock, NY - Bearsville Theater

Sep. 23, 2026 - Kent, OH - The Kent Stage

Sep. 24, 2026 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark

Sep. 25, 2026 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall

Sep. 29, 2026 - Denver, CO - Holiday Theatre

Sep. 30, 2026 - Salt Lake City, UT - The State Room

Oct. 2, 2026 - Scottsdale, AZ - Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts

Oct. 3, 2026 - Los Angeles, CA - The Bellwether

Oct. 4, 2026 - Palm Springs, CA - Palm Springs Cultural Center

Oct. 6, 2026 - Grass Valley, CA - The Center For the Arts

Oct. 8, 2026 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater

Oct. 9, 2026 - Vashon, WA - Vashon Center for the Arts

Oct. 11, 2026 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory - Spokane

Nov. 5, 2026 - Houston, TX - The Heights Theater

Nov. 6, 2026 - Dallas, TX - The Kessler Theater

Nov. 7, 2026 - Austin, TX - 04 Center

Nov. 9, 2026 - Baton Rouge, LA - Chelsea’s Live

Nov. 11, 2026 - Clearwater, FL - Bilheimer Capitol Theatre

Nov. 12, 2026 - Ponte Vedra Beach, FL - Ponte Vedra Concert Hall

Nov. 13, 2026 - Charleston, SC - Charleston Music Hall

Nov. 14, 2026 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse

Nov. 15, 2026 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre

Nov. 17, 2026 - Charlottesville, VA - Jefferson Theater

Nov. 19, 2026 - Washington, DC - The Miracle Theatre

Nov. 20, 2026 - Ardmore, PA - Ardmore Music Hall

 

 ‘Sonic Memoir: Demos 1989-1998’ Vol. 1

  1. Watch The Woman's Hands
  2. Alone
  3. Last November
  4. All On My Shoulders
  5. To Sell?
  6. Bethlehem
  7. Unbroken
  8. Chiaroscuro
  9. Black Boots/The Book of Dorothy
  10. Slow Dancing with Apathy
  11. yes..
  12. Hitler's Brothers
  13. Suwannee Jo
  14. hush, hush, hush
  15. Me
  16. To Be Jane
  17. Rock of Gibraltar
  18. Sunflower
  19. Saint Quentin
  20. Revolution (Is A State of Mind)
  21. Song for an Oysterman
  22. Girl
  23. The Millionaire, The Devil, The Voodoo Doll
  24. Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?
  25. Tiger
  26. Road To Dead
  27. America Is A Hooker
  28. Dirty Words/Running
  29. Harbinger
  30. Postcards From East Oceanside
  31. Virgin Snow
  32. Laugh Away The Pain
  33. I Don't Want To Wait
  34. Nietzsche's Eyes
  35. Mississippi

 

 ‘Sonic Memoir: Demos 1989-1998’ Vol. 2

  1. Island
  2. My Goat
  3. White Lily
  4. Secret
  5. Garden of Eden
  6. Rain In My Egypt
  7. Dear Gertrude 
  8. Saturn Girl 
  9. Distant Corners of the Earth
  10. Happy Home
  11. Oh John
  12. The Ladder
  13. She Can't Feel Anything Anymore
  14. Where Have All The Cowboys Gone? (rumba)
  15. I Am So Ordinary
  16. Johnny London
  17. Gold
  18. Deep South
  19. Jolene
  20. Blood Orange
  21. God's Play
  22. Throwing Stones
  23. Carmen (Take #1)
  24. LaTonya
  25. Here I Am
  26. Night
  27. Feelin' Love
  28. Ring Finger

For more information, contact Shore Fire Media:

Matt Hanks | mhanks@shorefire.com

Josh Page | jpage@shorefire.com

Annie Mickum | amickum@shorefire.com