I first heard Laura Jorgensen about a year ago, crammed into a little indie record store outside of Seattle, singing her heart out with such an intensity that her lyrics could be heard a block away. Playing the accordion and dulcimer, her soulful and haunting voice has a very signature sound that is all Laura, and has won a very special spot in my playlists and my heart.
Laura’s first full length album Feathered Arms is an ethereal journey of incredibly touching lyrics made infinitely more beautiful by the sultry sound of her voice. These lyrics float above a background of precisely crafted tracks laden with trumpet, accordion, dulcimer, violin, percussion, and bass, all carefully put together with such care that the tracks are obviously very intimate, personal, and above all, a testament to a group of wonderful and talented artists.
An album for everyone, the tracks fall somewhere between Indie Folk and old school blues and is perfect for those long days where you are stuck at work or in your car in traffic. Undeniably one of my favorite albums of 2010, it makes you want to wander around in the rain singing at the top of your lungs, passion spilling forth along with the sound of Laura’s own lungs belting it out. In my opinion, words cannot do this album justice. Go take a listen at one of her sites, and check out the interview below.
Recommended tracks: Pens, The Most Beautiful Fear, Your fingers, Pulling Strings
Feathered Arms Track List:
1. From the creaks of our chairs
2. Pens
3. And the way our heart beats
4. Heart of Clay
5. From our thin walls and doors
6. The most beautiful fear
7. And the noise of our streets
8. Pulling strings
9. From our hollow-throat cries
10. Tenement song
11. and the death of the trees
12. What we stand on
13.how to turn back again?
14. Your fingers
15. how to just up and leave?
16. Forest kind
17. Abandon our cities
18. South
19. Return to the Sea
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Annastasia, Popwreckoning: What are the major influences that impacted your writing?
Laura Jorgensen: Much of my inspiration comes from eclectic women who use their voices and songwriting in unique ways. Harpist/singer Joanna Newsom is who I’m currently drawing the most from because of her very literary lyrics and incredible pioneering with song form. Kate Bush, Mariee Sioux, Anais Mitchell, and Tori Amos are other important artists to me. I’m also influenced by folk music from all over the world, since my school studies revolve around what I call “Global Music Cultures.” Nature, particularly trees, is also a big force in my life and music.
PW: How did you get started writing and what is your background?
LJ: My background is actually mainly classical- growing up I sang in many different choirs and studied opera, musical theater, and some jazz. By the end of high school I was more interested in contemporary music and writing my own songs, which led me to Berklee College of Music in Boston. Being surrounded by so many other young, talented musicians was very motivating, and I started looking for a fun instrument to accompany myself on. Once I started picking up accordion, the songs started to flow very easily.
PW: When was your first open mic gig and how did you feel you did?
LJ: It was at King’s Lounge, a popular open mic for Berklee kids, in April 2009. I had just written my first couple of songs, so after going many times to listen I was excited to finally play something of my own. My friends were very supportive, but I also had strangers coming up to express their appreciation for my music, which was so encouraging. It really motivated me to continue writing.
PW: Coming into the industry at this point, how do you feel about the climate between major labels and “Indie” artists who now have all the tools to make records?
LJ: I have always been firmly opposed to major labels. They are profit-driven corporations, and I think profit motives have no place in music (or anything, for that matter). At the core, music is about community, and I think that’s where the industry is headed. Big labels trying to push the next top 40 single will be replaced by small labels and collectives of artists pooling resources to create and distribute their own work. This will foster supportive local music scenes, wide accessibility to music, and passion for creation over pop idol appeal.
PW: If you could work with anyone you wanted to right now, whom would it be?
LJ: Probably Andrew Bird, who is not only a great singer/songwriter but also a great innovator on the violin. He’s grown so much as a musician and songwriter from his very folky fiddly roots to the extraordinary songs he’s writing now. It would be a lot of fun to play with him and see how he creates. Still, the musicians I’ve been working with for the album are all so talented and I could not possibly have had a more wonderful group.
PW: Tell us about the album and the previous EP and the process behind creating each of them.
LJ: Both projects started because of someone else’s desire to be involved in the music, which is one of the best parts about being constantly surrounded by other young artists. the wings and the waters ep came about because a friend asked to record my first songs, which I had written near the end of my first year at Berklee. He set up his equipment in a practice room and we recorded it all in one afternoon as everyone was moving out of the dorms. The fourth song, Pulling Strings, was added at the last minute since I wrote it in a room across the hall while trumpet parts were being recorded for the first three.
The album, Feathered Arms, consists of new versions of all of those songs plus five more written over last summer and fall. I was playing accordion on a song for my good friend and songwriting influence Emily Peal, and after hearing my music her producer/ percussionist Andrew Nault approached me about working together. I had enough songs for an LP and wanted to put together a band, so I gathered friends (Andrew on drums, Amy Alvey on violin, Orion Boucher on bass, Nolan Eley on trumpet) and we started rehearsals. One thing both Andrew and I were sure about was that we wanted for each musician to create their own parts, which they did beautifully. The collaborative aspect made the process really fun for everyone, and each person’s influences really add depth to the songs. In April, a year after I wrote my first song, we headed to Andrew’s hometown in Southern MA and took over his parents’ rec room for three full days of recording. From the start our goal was to record live instead of tracking instruments individually, to retain the movement of the songs and the fellowship of playing as a group. Getting basic tracks for all 7 full-band songs in 3 days was tiring, but so rewarding. In post-production we added background vocals and some guitar parts (by Kenyon Kowal), and Andrew created sounds and transitions to make the album into more of a journey through the songs.
PW: What do you like most about what you do?
LJ: Though expressing myself and my ideas is integral, the best part is interacting musically with others. Hearing my songs develop with the musical ideas of others is such an incredible experience. I also love performing- especially busking- because of the connection with those listening. What I want most from music is to share with others, so when I’m playing at a festival alongside countless other groups and someone wandering by stops to listen for half an hour or more, watching them respond to the music is the most uplifting thing.
PW: You play some rather unusual instruments (ie accordion and dulcimer). How did you get into playing them?
LJ: I started playing dulcimer my senior year in high school. Joni Mitchell played one, particularly on Blue (my favorite album of hers), and at the time she was one of the women inspiring me to want to write. My musician neighbor found a mountain dulcimer in a pawn shop just in time to tip off my mom before Christmas, which was such a great coincidence, and I started learning a lot of Joni covers and messing around with different tunings. I got my accordion a year later, after being inspired by the sound of artists like Beirut. I wanted a chordal instrument to accompany myself on, and that ended up really being the trick. The accordion pulled the first few songs out of me, and once I’d started writing I went back to the dulcimer and turned some alternate tunings into songs.
PW: Seeing you live the first time, you seemed like you were right at home in the little indie record store. Where do you usually shop for your music and what do your musical tastes run towards?
LJ: I can appreciate basically anything with a creative spark from talented musicians, but lately everything folk-related interests me most. That includes everything from traditional Bulgarian laments, African tribal music, and Indian ragas to the many modern subgenres of folk. Aside from all the artists I’ve mentioned already, I love Akron/Family, Iron & Wine, Fleet Foxes, Caetano Veloso, and Devendra Banhart (except his latest album). As for acquiring music in physical form, I mostly go for vinyl and love searching little record stores for both old and new. If an artist is independent or with a small indie label, I try to get the music directly from them.
PW: What’s in the future for you, both musically and non-musically?
LJ: This summer I’m going to be traveling and attending music festivals throughout the Balkans, and this fall I’ll be studying Greek music in Athens. After that I’ll return to Boston to finish school, and hopefully record another album with the Feathered Arms band. After August 2011, things are pretty up in the air. I hope to move abroad, since my ultimate goal is to live in many different countries and directly experience music and culture all over the world. For awhile I’ll just be skipping around, trying to use my work to help people, until I figure out for sure where I wasnt to live long-term. Promoting collectivism, environmentalism, and a movement away from a monetary-based society to a resource-based one are high on my list of priorities. I’m also very interested in film, so I’m looking into film schools all over Europe and hoping to learn more about cinematography, screenwriting, and directing.
