Readying herself for a tour with fellow Portlanders the Decemberists (which has since been cancelled), she sat down for this interview:
Kim Ruehl: Do you consider yourself a folksinger? Do you feel aligned with the influences of roots music and traditional song?
Laura Veirs: Totally, I kind of came from that world… I came from the punk rock world and the folk world, and I was very influenced by the country blues when I was studying, learning to play guitar. A lot of my songwriting early on was very influenced by old country and folk and I love folk music from around the world, actually. I really love Brazilian music… and I love playing acoustic guitar, I love playing on nylon strings. I teach music, too, I teach [people how to play] country and folk music, and all that. I also play banjo … I don’t really think of myself as a folk musician, though. I kind of think of myself as drawing from so many different traditions and influences, including folk.
Your music has grown over the past several years, from folk to something else. Has that been a very conscious evolution, or is it just sort of a product of what happens over time, as you’re influenced by different things?
Yeah, it was pretty organic. I really try to change. The thought of repeating myself [musically] actually kind of makes me sick. [laughs] The thought of rehashing is just not inspired. I try to use what I already know to do something new. I’ve been playing live a lot more. I used to just write songs and work through them and then play them live. But the more I played live, the more I realized how it would be fun to have a group … so touring informed my writing, too. It’s just more fun to play up-tempo music [live]. Now I’ve started writing material for my next record, which I think will be back to simpler [arrangements]. I like to think in terms of, what’s a great song that someone can just sit down and play on the guitar? Because I think a lot of [what’s on Saltbreakers] is … you can’t do that, not without the whole band.
I was thinking about how much goes on sonically in your songs, with the clapping and all the instruments. How does that all come to be? Do you generally have all that in your head and then you present it to the band? What’s their role in the arrangements?
Well, in some cases I’ll have melodic ideas and the entire structure set, and then other times, not. The band are all really gifted musicians and they all have really great ideas and it’s a matter of choosing the best one. We’re all … there are a lot of strong personalities in the band, but it’s not like there’s an ego battle when it comes to [how the songs should sound].
Can you talk a little bit about how you became involved with these different choirs you’ve worked with?
Yeah, well the Young Rapture Choir … I got a tape in the mail from this guy, from France, after Carbon Glacier came out. He was a music teacher in this little town in France, just a really nice guy. So I put this tape on and it was this choir singing my songs. I was very moved by the recording and the way they sang and their little accents and stuff. [laughs] And he was just very nice, we became friends and I went over there for their concert and I sang a few of the songs with them. All their parents and teachers came [to the show] ... and [I was just like], I can’t believe this is happening. I never would’ve expected it.
And then the Cedar Hills Choir ... Tucker, my producer and boyfriend, knew the director [of that choir]. They worked on O Brother, Where Art Thou? And Tucker’s from Nashville. We were looking for a choir to do that, so he called that guy up and he said why don’t we go record this at Johnny and June Cash’s cabin. So there we were recording in Johnny Cash and June Carter’s space … it was a real honor just to be there.
Did you ever just kind of stop for a second and think, holy crap, how has my career gotten to a point where I’m recording at Johnny Cash’s house?
Well, yeah. I think it’s important to step back and notice … you know, six years ago I was playing open mics [in Seattle]. So it’s been a pretty quick … I don’t want to say ascent, because I don’t think this is like a ladder you climb up. But, I have really enjoyed the trajectory that I’ve followed. It’s been good for me.
