Laura Barrett
Encyclopedia
Laura Barrett is a Canadian
indie pop
singer-songwriter
, best known for incorporating the kalimba into her music. In addition to her solo work, Barrett has also performed as a member of The Hidden Cameras
, Henri Fabergé and the Adorables
, Woodhands
and Sheezer.
A classically-trained pianist
, Barrett studied English literature
and linguistics
at the University of Toronto
, and took up the kalimba as a hobby after buying one on eBay
. Her first public performance was a cover of "Smells Like Nirvana
" at a "Weird Al" Yankovic
tribute concert. She subsequently released two EP
s, and was the musical director for a New York City
production of Maggie MacDonald
's play The Rat King.
Barrett released her first full-length album, Victory Garden, in 2008 on Paper Bag Records
. In December 2008 Laura Barrett was the recipient of a CBC Radio 3
Bucky Award for "Sexiest Musician".
In 2009 Laura Barrett took part in an interactive documentary series called City Sonic
. The series, which featured 20 Toronto artists, had her talk about her first concert. The first rock concert she attended was, at the age of 12, at the Art Gallery of Ontario
for the Rheostatics
experimental set Music Inspired by the Group of Seven
.
In 2010, Barrett accompanied The Magnetic Fields
on their 11-date North American "Realism" tour.
In 2011, she participated in the National Parks Project
, collaborating with musicians Cadence Weapon
and Mark Hamilton and filmmaker Peter Lynch
to produce and score a short film about Alberta's Waterton Lakes National Park
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
indie pop
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, best known for incorporating the kalimba into her music. In addition to her solo work, Barrett has also performed as a member of The Hidden Cameras
The Hidden Cameras
The Hidden Cameras are a Canadian indie pop band. Fronted by singer-songwriter Joel Gibb, the band consists of a varying roster of musicians who play what Gibb once described as "gay church folk music"...
, Henri Fabergé and the Adorables
Henri Fabergé and the Adorables
Henri Fabergé and the Adorables are a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2005 from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-History:Henri Fabergé and the Adorables formed in 2005 and is a musical collective including members of The Bicycles, Born Ruffians, Spitfires & Mayflowers, Woodhands, The Rural Alberta...
, Woodhands
Woodhands
Woodhands is a Canadian electro-pop band. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the band currently consists of musicians Dan Werb and Paul Banwatt . They work closely with producer Roger Leavens at Boombox Sound in Toronto...
and Sheezer.
A classically-trained pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
, Barrett studied English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
and linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, and took up the kalimba as a hobby after buying one on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
. Her first public performance was a cover of "Smells Like Nirvana
Smells Like Nirvana
"Smells Like Nirvana" is a parody of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" written and performed by "Weird Al" Yankovic. It helped to reenergize Yankovic's career, and Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain considered the parody a sign that they had "made it" as a band...
" at a "Weird Al" Yankovic
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
tribute concert. She subsequently released two EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s, and was the musical director for a New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
production of Maggie MacDonald
Maggie MacDonald
Maggie MacDonald is a writer, playwright and musician who lives in Toronto, Ontario.-Early life and education:MacDonald grew up in Cornwall, Ontario, where she became active in the local independent rock music scene. She put on shows and creating a fanzine called Saucy, which gained attention...
's play The Rat King.
Barrett released her first full-length album, Victory Garden, in 2008 on Paper Bag Records
Paper Bag Records
Paper Bag Records is a Canadian independent record label and artist-management company, founded in 2002 and based in Toronto, Ontario.-History:...
. In December 2008 Laura Barrett was the recipient of a CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3 is a radio station that consists of two parts devoted to Canadian arts and music: a radio service which is available on Sirius Satellite Radio and streaming audio, and several daily and weekly podcasts from the CBC Radio 3 website...
Bucky Award for "Sexiest Musician".
In 2009 Laura Barrett took part in an interactive documentary series called City Sonic
City Sonic
City Sonic is a documentary series about Toronto-based musicians and the places that influenced their music. The first five City Sonic films were previewed at Toronto's 2009 North by North East Music and Film Festival.-Films:...
. The series, which featured 20 Toronto artists, had her talk about her first concert. The first rock concert she attended was, at the age of 12, at the Art Gallery of Ontario
Art Gallery of Ontario
Under the direction of its CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO embarked on a $254 million redevelopment plan by architect Frank Gehry in 2004, called Transformation AGO. The new addition would require demolition of the 1992 Post-Modernist wing by Barton Myers and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg...
for the Rheostatics
Rheostatics
Rheostatics was a Genie Award-winning Canadian indie rock band, active from 1980 to 2007.Although they had only one Top 40 hit, "Claire" in 1995, they were simultaneously one of Canada's most influential and unconventional rock bands, a band whose eclectic take on pop and rock music has been...
experimental set Music Inspired by the Group of Seven
Music Inspired by the Group of Seven
Music Inspired by the Group of Seven is a 1995 album by Rheostatics.The album was commissioned by the National Gallery of Canada to accompany its Group of Seven retrospective show. The album has twelve pieces, most of which are instrumental music...
.
In 2010, Barrett accompanied The Magnetic Fields
The Magnetic Fields
The Magnetic Fields is the principal creative outlet of singer-songwriter Stephin Merritt...
on their 11-date North American "Realism" tour.
In 2011, she participated in the National Parks Project
National Parks Project
The National Parks Project is a Canadian music and film project. Released in 2011 to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Parks of Canada system, the project sent three Canadian musicians and a filmmaker to each of 13 Canadian national parks, one in each province and...
, collaborating with musicians Cadence Weapon
Cadence Weapon
Cadence Weapon is the stage name of Rollie Pemberton, a Canadian rapper.-Biography:Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, his father was Teddy Pemberton, a pioneering hip hop DJ on CJSR-FM, and his grandfather was Rollie Miles, a football player for the Edmonton Eskimos...
and Mark Hamilton and filmmaker Peter Lynch
Peter Lynch (director)
Peter Lynch is an Canadian filmmaker, the director and writer of Project Grizzly and Cyberman.Lynch won a Genie Award for his short film Arrowhead, starring Don McKellar.He attended York University in Toronto, Canada.-Early life:...
to produce and score a short film about Alberta's Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Lakes National Park is a national park located in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada, and borders Glacier National Park in Montana, USA. Waterton was Canada's fourth national park, formed in 1895 and named after Waterton Lake, in turn after the Victorian naturalist and conservationist...
.