laura burhenn - vox, wurlitzer, miscellaneous keys. collaborators have included: mark lewis (vintage guitars, white noise), dan perriello (back beat) charlie loudermilk (bass), amy domingues (that gorgeous cello), holmes ives (math, universal order), black moth super rainbow (remixology), ira gonzalez (more bass), jamieson tobey (more back beat), j tom hnatow (pedal steel), dagon james (guitars as symphony orchestras), peter mavro (singing guitars).
Influences
we are all that is around us: strangers on the subway, geese in chevron flight, the northern lights, the physics of you and me, electricity, neologisms, long division, the process of becoming, particles and waves at once, big questions with simple answers, pots of tea in early morning fog, poems that spill from mouths all around unknowing, lacuna, the constellations of freckles on your shoulders, knee scrapes and heartaches, coincidences and mistakes (if you believe in them that is), power and politicking, water in all its forms, string theory, stillness, messness, uneasiness, scribbles on napkins, graffiti on walls, black and white, colour, big canvasses, small films spooling from one reel to the next with a single beam of light passing through it, chinese fortunes, and most of all: you.
Sounds Like
just as my fingers on these keys make music, so the selfsame sounds on my spirit make a music, too. music is feeling, then, not sound; and thus it is that what i feel here in this room, desiring you. [wallace stevens]
musically, laura burhenn is the cure for what ails you. and listening to her sing is much like tilting your head to the sun. lyrically, laura speaks to the loneliest part of you and lifts you up. or she draws you down into the darkest corner and shows you light. "after all," she says, "the light might shine you, but it's the shadow that defines you."
laura came to music early, aiming her mr. microphone into the a.m. radio and turning out songs on her mother's upright piano. and somewhere in the space between her pj harvey, beatles, and nina simone records, laura found her voice. live solo or with her band, laura's voice lilts and soars and commands rooms to silence. layering loops of wurlitzer with waves of lush guitar, laura invites you into her world and lets the songs tumble forth. at the heart of it, though, laura's songs remain simple and strong, her voice, honest and raw.
"laura burhenn is a perfect example of how independent musicians will eventually save the record industry from itself, from the downward spiral of over-marketed throwaway acts and slutty teenagers pandering to lecherous old men. she breaks all the molds of the young, beautiful, aspiring singer, and does so in a way that surpasses many established female songstresses."- the conjecturer
"this is one of my new favorites."- billy zero,
xm radio
Wow...you're like, a big deal and stuff at this point! Does your library smell of fresh mahogany? I hope mine does some day. In the meantime, I'll remember watching you take 45 minutes to eat half a sub sandwich from Crawfords sitting on the curb of the basketball court at Shafer Park because it was bigger than your torso at that point in your life:-) Congrats!
