duggup

So it seems I am on a “simple” Americana theme at the moment, I jus seem to have collected a bunch of musicians that intrigue me and today it’s Laura Gibson’s turn.

Laura Gibson writes songs on a nylon-stringed guitar. Thematically the songs relate to the Pacific Northwest of America,which makes sense seeing as how she lives in Portland and grew up in a small isolated logging town in the South coast of Oregon this kind of makes sense. In late 2004 she self-released an EP titled “Amends”, it was produced and engineered by Drew Grow, on a laptop, in a house in Newberg, Oregon. About 2 years later in 2006 Laura released her debut full-length titled “If You Come to Greet Me”.

The songs on “If You Come to Greet Me” vary from pieces composed with bare-bones guitar and voice, to an orchestra of trumpets, piano, vibraphone, saw, violin, cello, banjo and found sounds. Songs have described as, “haunting portraits of nostalgia and intimacy, of loneliness and wide-eyed hope”.

A good place to start your acquaintance is with “Hands In Pockets“, it’s sort of reminiscent of Feist in places ( or my head), the vocals just as engaging, the simplicity is breathtaking. Then try something like “Nightwatch“, here is what Laura Gibson seems to do best. She draws you into an intimate performance of vocie and guitar that is trulycaptivating. You keep listening to find out how it all turns out…

There are some radio “Live To Airs” at opbmusic.org opbmusic.org/performances/39-Laura-Gibson and the ever amazing NPR

Her website can be found at http://www.myspace.com/lauragibson