Laura Veirs (vocals, guitar) and
Current members: Kate O'brien-Clarke (vocals, violin, shaker), Nelson Kempf (vocals, guitar, balalaika, drums), Keeley Boyle (vocals, balalaika, tambourine) and Eric Anderson (vocals, bass, keyboards)
Sometimes members: Tucker Martine (percussion) Steve Moore (piano, organs), Karl Blau (bass, guitar, vocals), Eyvind Kang (viola) and Alex Guy(viola)
Influences
the sky—stars, meteors, galaxies—and a lot of stuff from the sea: birds floating in the air or on water, eels and sea grass at the bottom of the sea.
Sounds Like
“Veirs' songs qualify as poems: careful, word-conscious, narrative, neither foggy nor overwritten, and tend to give you a take on regular life experience that you don't quite expect.”
—The New York Times
..
Pre-Order July Flamehere. Out Jan 12 in US. Jan 11 in EU.
BIO
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. 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. 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 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' seventh album, July Flame, will be released in January 2010 on her own record label, Raven Marching Band Records (in North America) and on Bella Union (in Europe and the rest of the world).
Veirs tours frequently in Europe, North America and Australia both solo and with a backing band consisting of a rotating cast including Karl Blau, Steve Moore, Tucker Martine, Keeley Boyle, Nelson Kempf, Eric Anderson, Kate O'Brien-Clarke and Alex Guy.
Veirs lives in Portland, Oregon.
NEW VIDEO CONTEST
Our Saltbreakers fan video contest was such a success that we've decided to hold another one, this time for a song called "I Can See Your Tracks" off the upcoming album July Flame. You can download the song here and view the lyrics here. The song features the amazing howling of My Morning Jacket's Jim James.
To see the winning videos of our last contest, click here.
All submissions must be postmarked December 31st, 2009. View contest rules here. Winners will be announced and winning videos posted on January 12, 2010 (the street date of the album).
First, second and third place winners will receive the following in prizes:
• Free promotion of your mad video skills on Laura's myspace and webpages
• Laura's complete signed back catalog (4 vinyl records (including the new album) 8 signed cds, 2 t-shirts and a signed limited edition "July Flame Songbook")
• 4 backstage passes to a show near you
• A hand-sewn thank you note from Laura and band mates
We're looking forward to seeing what you creative people do with this song!
You're music is wonderful Laura! Please come to Virginia sometime. Theres a great venue in Vienna, VA (Northern Virginia) called Jammin Java. I know lots of people around here that would LOVE to see you play :)
Greetings from Texas Miss Laura. Passing through to say welcome to my friend space and thank you very much for the friend add. I really enjoyed your page…Gorgeous photos!!
PLEASE check out the Ladies Anthem "Don't Say Anything" and “Hallway Blues” by Neici The Southern Songbird. The music is deterring Domestic Violence and is building young girls Self-Esteem Worldwide.
IT WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU WOULD PLEASE SHARE THE MUSIC WITH ALL THE LADIES!
Just listening to your new tunes, beautiful and also found out your coming to Scotland! Yeahh, big fan, I'm way up in the cold Highlands but will definetly make it down to see you play. :)
I can't stop listening to your July Flame track- kudos. My life and will is pretty much in your palm now. Good luck on the tour and please, you're welcome to stop by Omaha, NE any time you want.
I love the new songs, especially "I Can See Your Tracks". I hope you come to Portugal soon, if not I'll try to see you somewhere in the UK. Looking forward to listening to the whole album! Warm wishes from Lisbon, Francisca (Minta)
