Laura Veirs

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

Laura on the cover of Year of Meteors

Laura Veirs is an American singer-songwriter.

1 Biography
2 Discography
- 2.1 Studio Albums
3 Live albums
- 3.1 Compilation Appearances
4 Also featured on
5 External links

[edit] Biography

She grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she often spent summers camping with her family, which gave her much of her song-writing inspiration. She was the editor-in-chief of her high-school newspaper and the captain of the swimming team. She now lives in Seattle.

Laura says that she didn't seriously listen to music until she was in her 20's; instead, she just heard what was in her environment. Her parents listened to folk and country, which was pervasive on Colorado radio during her youth. She lists Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Gordon Lightfoot and Olivia Newton-John as artists that caught her ear growing up.

Attending Carleton College in rural Minnesota, Laura latched onto feminist punk rock from the Pacific Northwest, eventually starting an all-female punk band during her college years. While in college, Laura studied geology and Mandarin Chinese. After college, she embraced older country music. Her first foray into songwriting started with a geological expedition in China, where she served as translator. She was miserable and immersed herself into writing lyrics as a way of coping.

She put out her own self-titled album, recorded live and featuring just her and guitar, in 1999. She has since made 4 highly acclaimed records with producer Tucker Martine. 2003 saw the release of Troubled by the Fire, a full-band effort that found the artist sharing the studio with such luminaries as Bill Frisell, Amy Denio and Fred Chalenor. She signed to Nonesuch the following year and recorded the atmospheric follow-up Carbon Glacier. Year of Meteors followed in August of 2005. She collaborated with The Decemberists on "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)", from their 2006 album The Crane Wife.

Veirs tours frequently both solo and with her backing band The Tortured Souls, consisting of Karl Blau on bass, guitar, and backing vocals, keyboardist Steve Moore, and Tucker Martine on drums.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Studio Albums

Laura Veirs, self-released, 1999.
The Triumphs and Travails of Orphan Mae, self-released, 2001.
Troubled by the Fire, Bella Union, 2003.
Carbon Glacier, Bella Union (UK), February 2004, Nonesuch Records (US), August 2004.
Year of Meteors, Nonesuch Records, August 2005.

[edit] Live albums

Lore Of Ears, Kelp Monthly, 2004.

[edit] Compilation Appearances

"The Water's Gone (But Life Is Long)" (with Danny Barnes) on Shipwreck Day, Knw-Yr-Own, 2002.
"17" on Flotsam and Jetsam: 2005 What The Heck Fest Sampler, Kelp Monthly, 2005.
"Cast A Hook In Me" on The Sound The Hare Heard, Kill Rock Stars, 2006.