Laura Veirs
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| Laura Veirs | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 1973, Colorado Springs, Colorado |
| Origin | Portland, Oregon |
| Genre(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Laura Veirs (born 1973) is an American singer-songwriter.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Laura Veirs grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she often spent summers camping with her family, which gave her much of her songwriting inspiration. She now lives in Portland, Oregon.
Veirs has said that she didn't seriously listen to music until she was in her 20s; instead, she just heard what was in her environment.[citation needed] She listened to folk, country, classical and pop music around the house and on the radio during her youth.
Attending Carleton College in rural Minnesota, Veirs latched onto feminist punk rock from the Pacific Northwest, eventually starting an all-female punk band called "Rair Kx!". Laura studied geology and Mandarin Chinese. After college, she embraced older country and folk 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 Laura Veirs, recorded live and featuring just her and guitar, in 1999. She has since made five 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 and violist Eyvind Kang. She signed to Nonesuch Records the following year with 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. Her sixth record, Saltbreakers, was released worldwide on Nonesuch Records in April 2007.
Veirs tours frequently in Europe, the US and Australia both solo and with her backing band Saltbreakers, 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, Raven Marching Band Records, 1999
- The Triumphs and Travails of Orphan Mae, Raven Marching Band Records, 2001, Bella Union, 2005
- 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
- Saltbreakers, Nonesuch Records, April 2007
[edit] E.P.s
- Two Beers Veirs, Raven Marching Band Records, 2008
[edit] Live albums
- Lore of Ears, Kelp Monthly, 2004
[edit] Compilation appearances
- "Black-Eyed Susan (demo)" on Remote Wing, Knw-Yr-Own, 2001
- "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
- An exclusive version of "Nightingale" on "Paste Magazine Sampler 39", 2007
[edit] Also featured on
- The Young Rapture Choir, RMB, 2006
- "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)," The Crane Wife, Capitol, 2006
- Sailor System CD by Your Heart Breaks, Don't Stop Believin Records, 2006
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Unofficial website
- Laura Veirs at Allmusic
- Raven Marching Band Records, "label" for self-releases
- Mount Analog, producer, musician Tucker Martine
- Interview with Laura Veirs
