Laura Veirs
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Indiepop, alt-country, folk
Status:
Most recent release, Saltbreakers (2007)
See also:
Laura Veirs' site
Comparisons:
Hard to say. To give an idea of the range, I've seen comparisons to Liz Phair (vocally) and to the following artists: Nina Nastasia, Kate Earl, Lisa Germano, Cat Power, Jolie Holland, Neko Case. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Covers/own material:
Own, occasional co-written
General comments:
Laura Veirs' albums are so evocative of character and setting that they're like little worlds. And those worlds are lovely places to spend time. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Comments about live performance:
This evening I was privileged to witness a very rare thing: Laura Veirs performing not only solo, but completely unplugged in as close to a house concert setting as you're going to see at this point.
She headlined Night #2 of the "What You Got?" Festival at the Capitol Theatre in Olympia, WA. This festival is all about showcasing kid talent, with a film festival and art show and performances by all sorts of youth bands. The concerts each night are capped off with a few "pros", and tonight Rachael Sage performed right before Laura Veirs (hence my presence :).
Laura was solo, and she had some problems with her guitar pickup so she just ended up sitting on the drum riser and inviting the audience to join her on and in front of the stage while she did her set 100% unplugged. The acoustics in the theater are amazing, so even if you weren't sitting right by her you could hear very well. It was incredible. I couldn't even begin to tell you what she played because my brain was too busy imploding...I remember a few of my favorite songs from Carbon Glacier and a bunch from her latest Saltbreakers, and she closed out with a great version of "Freight Train." (2007, meth@smoe.org)
Recommended first album:
Carbon Glacier or Year of Meteors
Recordings:
- Laura Veirs (1999)
- The Triumphs and Travails of Orphan Mae (2001)
- Troubled by the Fire (2003)
- Carbon Glacier (2004)
- Year of Meteors (2005)
- Saltbreakers (2007)
The Triumphs and Travails of Orphan Mae
Release info:
2001 (reissued in 2005 by Bella Union)
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Laura Veirs—vocals, acoustic, electric, and bass guitars, banjo, Wurlitzer piano, pump organ
Guest artists:
Eyvind Kang—violin
Danny Barnes—guitar, steel guitar, banjo, sound effects
Tucker Martine—bass, drums, cymbals, shaker, loops, sound effects
Jon Hyde—pedal steel guitar
Ben Johnson—drums
Produced by:
Tucker Martine
Comments:
Trials and Travails... is a beautiful album, chronicling the travels of the title character. The music is alt-folk with lots of great banjo, dusky in sound, which is to say kind of melancholy, kind of dark, but somehow lighter than that implies. There are also atmospheric touches reminiscent of her later work. This is an early album, but an accomplished one. Well worth listening to for fans. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Troubled by the Fire
Release info:
2003—Bella Union
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Laura Veirs—vocals, guitar, banjo, bass, mbira
Guest artists:
Bill Frisell—electric guitar, National guitar
Eyvind Kang—viola, fiddle
Danny Barnes—vocals, guitars, banjo
Amy Denio—clarinet, alto saxophone
Tucker Martine—drums, percussion, sound effects
Steve Moore—piano, organ, trombone, celeste
Fred Chalenor—upright bass, electric bass
Produced by:
Tucker Martine
Comments:
Troubled by the Fire is lighter and folkier than Laura Veirs' later albums, but it's very nearly as good. "Cannon Fodder" is more rock and closest in sound to her later work. The other songs have their own folk-country sound and are beautiful in their own right. There are a couple of lovely instrumentals too. Images of and references to nature abound as in later work, but in subtler ways. Overall, the album is as trouble-free as a warm summer's day with a light breeze. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Carbon Glacier
Release info:
2004—Nonesuch Records—79854-2
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Laura Veirs—vox, guitars, banjo-uke, glockenspiel
Guest artists:
Steve Moore (The Tortured Souls)—piano, organs, vibraphonette, trombone
Karl Blau (The Tortured Souls)—bass, vox, guitar, synth, sax
Tucker Martine (The Tortured Souls)—drums, percussion, treatments
Eyvind Kang—viola
Lori Goldston—cello
Keith Lowe—upright bass (1)
Aijana, Ja'kayla, and Jamare Miller and Quiana Walker—vox (9)
Produced by:
Tucker Martine
Comments:
Carbon Glacier is generally considered Laura Veirs' first masterpiece and for good reason. Lyrically, the songs are as smart and literate as ever, full of natural imagery. Musically, the sound follows in the vein of her earlier, folkier work and her later more pop-influenced albums. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Year of Meteors
Release info:
2005—Nonesuch Records—7559-79893-2
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Laura Veirs—vocals, guitar, keyboards
Guest artists:
Keith Lowe—upright bass (1, 6)
Eyvind Kang—viola (1, 5, 10)
Tucker Martine—drums, percussion, percussion programming
Steve Moore—piano, organ, keyboards
Karl Blau—electric guitar, keyboards, electric bass, background vocals
Produced by:
Tucker Martine
Comments:
Definitely a transition album between Carbon Glacier and Saltbreakers. You can hear the more laidback sound of the former and the more rock, more electronic sound of the latter. But absolutely an excellent album in its own right, perhaps her best. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Saltbreakers
Release info:
2007—Nonesuch Records—104316-2
Availability:
Wide
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Laura Veirs—vocals, guitars
Guest artists:
Karl Blau (Saltbreakers)—guitars, bass, vocals, saxophone, keyboards
Tucker Martine (Saltbreakers)—drums, percussion, beats, vocals, white noises
Steve Moore (Saltbreakers)—piano, keyboards, bells, euphonium, vocals
Eyvind Kang—viola (1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 12)
Bill Frisell—electric guitar (8)
Keith Lowe—upright bass (2, 4, 8); electric bass (9)
Cedar Hill Choir (Billy Blackwood, Ericka Chambers, Todd Dixon, Laurie Adams Klein, Sarah Valley, Ashley Mofield, Michael Peasall, Sarah Peasall)—vocals (8)
Produced by:
Tucker Martine
Comments:
Blown away by the new Laura Veirs. Her recordings always shock me with their quality. I feel like she really stands head and shoulders above a lot of similar, guitar-based artists. Her albums are always impeccably crafted, in terms of production and pacing. She works within a style that could be really generic, unmemorable or just plain boring, but she always stands out, while maintaining remarkable grace and subtlety. And she's got a great grit in her voice that keeps her from floating away like some of her peers. This album's got a lot of songs with Northwest coast-influenced ocean imagery, and has a wicked sea monster in its lovely cover art. (timjy@sbcglobal.net)I love this album, though I'm not quite sure how to describe it. It's a little more rock, a little more electric, a little more electronic than past work. She just keeps getting better, and bolder, with every album. (JoAnn Whetsell)
Further info:
A demo of "Secret Someones" appears on the 2005 compilation Songs for Shelter: Seattle Musicians Helping Homeless Families. A live version of "Secret Someones" appears on 2006 compilation In the Cards: Live At The World Café Volume 21. "The Water's Gone (But Life Is Long)" (with Danny Barnes) appears on the 2002 compilation Shipwreck Day.The Young Rapture Choir (a choir of students from Cognac, France) released a self-titled album of nine songs by Laura Veirs.
Thanks to JoAnn Whetsell for work on this entry.
