Laura Veirs
Encyclopedia
Laura Pauline Veirs is an American singer-songwriter
.
Veirs was raised in Colorado
, studied geology and Mandarin Chinese at Carleton College
, worked as a translator for a geological expedition in China
, and now lives in Portland, Oregon
.
While growing up, she heard folk-country, classical, and pop music at home. However, she didn't "listen seriously," she says, until her 20s. At Carleton, she joined an all-girl punk band called Rair Kx!. After graduation, her taste moved to older country and folk, and during her time in China she began writing lyrics.
In 1999, Veirs released a self-titled album
, which was recorded live and featuring just her and guitar. 2003 saw the release of Troubled by the Fire
, accompanied by veteran musicians such as Bill Frisell
, Amy Denio
and Fred Chalenor. She then signed to Nonesuch
and released Carbon Glacier. Year of Meteors
followed in August 2005.
Year of Meteors was selected by the New York Times as a "critics choice".
Veirs released Saltbreakers
in 2007. July Flame
appeared in January 2010 on her Raven Marching band label. The Washington Post praised it.
Portland-based producer Tucker Martine
has produced her last six albums, and plays many instruments on the records as well. Their son, Tennessee Veirs Martine, was born in April 2010.
In November 2011, Veirs released the album Tumble Bee: Laura Veirs Sings Folk Songs For Children. The album presents mostly traditional songs, and features an array of guest musicians, including Colin Meloy
, Jim James
, and Bela Fleck
.
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...
.
Veirs was raised in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, studied geology and Mandarin Chinese at Carleton College
Carleton College
Carleton College is an independent non-sectarian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Northfield, Minnesota, USA. The college enrolls 1,958 undergraduate students, and employs 198 full-time faculty members. In 2012 U.S...
, worked as a translator for a geological expedition in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and now lives in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
While growing up, she heard folk-country, classical, and pop music at home. However, she didn't "listen seriously," she says, until her 20s. At Carleton, she joined an all-girl punk band called Rair Kx!. After graduation, her taste moved to older country and folk, and during her time in China she began writing lyrics.
In 1999, Veirs released a self-titled album
Laura Veirs (album)
Laura Veirs is the self-titled debut album by Laura Veirs, released in 1999. Unlike her later albums, this features only Veirs and her guitar and is noticeably less produced than her later work, having been recorded live in three hours rather than given an extensive studio process...
, which was recorded live and featuring just her and guitar. 2003 saw the release of Troubled by the Fire
Troubled by the Fire
-Track listing:#"Lost at Seaflower Cove" – 3:39#"Bedroom Eyes" – 4:16#"The Ballad of John Vogelin" – 2:41#"Song My Friends Taught Me" – 4:32#"Cannon Fodder" – 5:51#"Tom Skookum Road" – 2:27#"Tiger Tattoos" – 5:27#"A Shining Lamp" – 1:27#"Ohio Clouds" – 3:58...
, accompanied by veteran musicians such as Bill Frisell
Bill Frisell
William Richard "Bill" Frisell is an American guitarist and composer.One of the leading guitarists in jazz since the late 1980s, Frisell's eclectic music touches on progressive folk, classical music, country music, noise and more...
, Amy Denio
Amy Denio
Amy Denio is a Seattle -based multi-instrumental composer of soundtracks for modern dance, film and theater, as well as a songwriter and music improviser. Often called an unclassifiable avant-garde jazz musician, she is also deeply inspired by world music. She is probably best known as a...
and Fred Chalenor. She then signed to Nonesuch
Nonesuch Records
Nonesuch Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:Nonesuch was founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman to produce "fine records at the same price as a trade paperback", which would be half the price of a normal LP...
and released Carbon Glacier. Year of Meteors
Year of Meteors
Year of Meteors is a 2005 album by Laura Veirs, not to be confused with Walt Whitman poem "Year of Meteors" .-Track listing:#"Fire Snakes" – 4:57#"Galaxies" – 3:35#"Secret Someones" – 5:16#"Magnetized" – 2:37#"Parisian Dream" – 3:05...
followed in August 2005.
Year of Meteors was selected by the New York Times as a "critics choice".
Veirs released Saltbreakers
Saltbreakers
Saltbreakers is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs.The album was released in Europe on March 17, 2007 and in the U.S. on April 10, 2007...
in 2007. July Flame
July Flame
July Flame is American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs' seventh studio album, released on January 12, 2010.The title comes from a type of peach Veirs saw at a farmer's market...
appeared in January 2010 on her Raven Marching band label. The Washington Post praised it.
Portland-based producer Tucker Martine
Tucker Martine
Tucker Martine is an American, Grammy nominated record producer, musician and composer who has worked with artists such as My Morning Jacket, Mudhoney, Bill Frisell, The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, R.E.M., Laura Veirs, Spoon, and Tift Merritt...
has produced her last six albums, and plays many instruments on the records as well. Their son, Tennessee Veirs Martine, was born in April 2010.
In November 2011, Veirs released the album Tumble Bee: Laura Veirs Sings Folk Songs For Children. The album presents mostly traditional songs, and features an array of guest musicians, including Colin Meloy
Colin Meloy
Colin Patrick Henry Meloy is the lead singer and songwriter for the Portland, Oregon, folk-rock band The Decemberists. In addition to vocals, he performs with an acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, harmonica, percussion and interpretive hand gestures.-Early life...
, Jim James
Jim James
James Edward Olliges Jr. , professionally known as Jim James or Yim Yames, is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of Louisville, Kentucky-based rock band My Morning Jacket. James grew up in the Hikes Point neighborhood of Louisville, attended St. Martha grade school and graduated...
, and Bela Fleck
Béla Fleck
Béla Anton Leoš Fleck is an American banjo player. Widely acknowledged as one of the world's most innovative and technically proficient banjo players, he is best known for his work with the bands New Grass Revival and Béla Fleck and the Flecktones.-Early life and career details:Fleck was born in...
.
Studio albums
- Laura VeirsLaura Veirs (album)Laura Veirs is the self-titled debut album by Laura Veirs, released in 1999. Unlike her later albums, this features only Veirs and her guitar and is noticeably less produced than her later work, having been recorded live in three hours rather than given an extensive studio process...
, Raven Marching Band Records, 1999 - The Triumphs and Travails of Orphan MaeThe Triumphs and Travails of Orphan MaeThe Triumphs and Travails of Orphan Mae is the second studio album by Laura Veirs, originally self-released in 2001. It was subsequently re-released under the Bella Union label on February 21, 2005.-Track listing:#"Jailhouse Fire" – 2:32...
, Raven Marching Band Records, 2001, Bella UnionBella UnionBella Union is an independent record label that was started up by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie in 1997.After releasing records with 4AD for a large part of their career, Cocteau Twins decided to take a step towards independence and started up the Bella Union record label, through which they...
, 2005 - Troubled by the FireTroubled by the Fire-Track listing:#"Lost at Seaflower Cove" – 3:39#"Bedroom Eyes" – 4:16#"The Ballad of John Vogelin" – 2:41#"Song My Friends Taught Me" – 4:32#"Cannon Fodder" – 5:51#"Tom Skookum Road" – 2:27#"Tiger Tattoos" – 5:27#"A Shining Lamp" – 1:27#"Ohio Clouds" – 3:58...
, Bella UnionBella UnionBella Union is an independent record label that was started up by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie in 1997.After releasing records with 4AD for a large part of their career, Cocteau Twins decided to take a step towards independence and started up the Bella Union record label, through which they...
, 2003 - Carbon Glacier, Bella UnionBella UnionBella Union is an independent record label that was started up by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie in 1997.After releasing records with 4AD for a large part of their career, Cocteau Twins decided to take a step towards independence and started up the Bella Union record label, through which they...
(UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
), February 2004, Nonesuch RecordsNonesuch RecordsNonesuch Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:Nonesuch was founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman to produce "fine records at the same price as a trade paperback", which would be half the price of a normal LP...
(USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), August 2004 - Year of MeteorsYear of MeteorsYear of Meteors is a 2005 album by Laura Veirs, not to be confused with Walt Whitman poem "Year of Meteors" .-Track listing:#"Fire Snakes" – 4:57#"Galaxies" – 3:35#"Secret Someones" – 5:16#"Magnetized" – 2:37#"Parisian Dream" – 3:05...
, Nonesuch RecordsNonesuch RecordsNonesuch Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:Nonesuch was founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman to produce "fine records at the same price as a trade paperback", which would be half the price of a normal LP...
, August 2005 - SaltbreakersSaltbreakersSaltbreakers is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs.The album was released in Europe on March 17, 2007 and in the U.S. on April 10, 2007...
, Nonesuch RecordsNonesuch RecordsNonesuch Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:Nonesuch was founded in 1964 by Jac Holzman to produce "fine records at the same price as a trade paperback", which would be half the price of a normal LP...
, April 2007 - July FlameJuly FlameJuly Flame is American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs' seventh studio album, released on January 12, 2010.The title comes from a type of peach Veirs saw at a farmer's market...
, Raven Marching Band Records/Bella Union, January 2010 - Tumble Bee: Laura Veirs Sings Folk Songs for Children , 2011
Compilation appearances
- "Black-Eyed Susan (demo)" on Remote Wing, Knw-Yr-OwnKnw-Yr-OwnKnw-Yr-Own Records is a small record label operating out of Anacortes, Washington, home to releases from such notoriously independent Northwest bands as D+, Karl Blau, and Little Wings...
, 2001 - "The Water's Gone (But Life Is Long)" (with Danny BarnesDanny BarnesDanny Barnes is a banjo and guitar player whose music is influenced by country, jazz and punk. Born in Temple, Texas and raised in Belton, Barnes was exposed to music at a young age: he recalls picking up a love of country and bluegrass from his father and grandmother, Delta blues from one brother...
) on Shipwreck Day, Knw-Yr-OwnKnw-Yr-OwnKnw-Yr-Own Records is a small record label operating out of Anacortes, Washington, home to releases from such notoriously independent Northwest bands as D+, Karl Blau, and Little Wings...
, 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 HeardThe Sound the Hare HeardThe Sound the Hare Heard is a 2006 compilation of mostly acoustic arrangements by a number of singer-songwriters, both well-known and relatively obscure...
", Kill Rock StarsKill Rock StarsKill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
, 2006 - An exclusive version of "Nightingale" on "Paste Magazine Sampler 39", 2007
Also featured on
- The Young Rapture Choir, RMB, 2006
- "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)," The DecemberistsThe DecemberistsThe Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...
The Crane WifeThe Crane WifeThe Crane Wife is an album by The Decemberists, released in 2006. It was produced by Tucker Martine and Chris Walla, and is the band's first album on the Capitol Records label. The album was inspired by a Japanese folk tale, and centers on two song cycles, The Crane Wife and The Island, the latter...
, CapitolCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, 2006 - Sailor System CD by Your Heart BreaksYour Heart BreaksYour Heart Breaks is a collaborative music project. It began in Bellingham, Washington in 1999.The project has spread throughout the United States, but resides in Seattle, Washington when not on tour. They now have over 50 members in the lower 48 states and have produced seven albums...
, Don't Stop Believin Records, 2006
- "Dear Avery," The DecemberistsThe DecemberistsThe Decemberists are an indie folk rock band from Portland, Oregon, United States, fronted by singer/songwriter Colin Meloy. The other members of the band are Chris Funk , Jenny Conlee , Nate Query , and John Moen .The band's...
The King Is Dead, CapitolCapitol RecordsCapitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, 2011
External links
- Raven Marching Band Records, "label" for self-releases
- Interview with Laura Veirs