Quick-fire Questions: 10 minutes with Laura Veirs
There’s a record getting dusty somewhere in the world of forgotten, obscure albums, titled: The Langley Schools Music Project. But it is a record that must be remembered.
It was recorded in 1976 and features a swathe of local children from the Langley Schools District in British Columbia singing the biggest pop hits of the day. Something about the naive sincerity of it all is heartening beyond belief. On her new live album, Laura Veirs taps into that same sacred spirit.
Veirs has been active now since 1998, and has never been afraid of a fresh ‘project’ beyond her solo folk mainstay. But even with plenty of collaborative experience in mind, there is no doubting the boldness of her latest live LP, Laura Veirs and The Choir Who Couldn’t Say, all the same. It is a bristling beauty that captures the same emblaming charm as the Langley kids from decades before.
Alongside a French school choir composed of 32 students (30 girls and 2 boys, ages 12-18), Veirs weaves through her own back catalogue. Two things become clear along the way: kids always sing from the soul, they know no other way – and much the same can be said for Veirs herself. The result is a humble yet grand sense of expression and joy.
“Hearing their brave and soulful renditions of my songs and performing with them was a career highlight,” recalls Veirs. “I’m so glad we were able to capture the magic of this performance and can share it with the world in the form of this new album.” Magic is, indeed, the operative word. It’s the sound of your kid’s first football goal or the silent tear that trickles down a face at a graduation ceremony.
So, ahead of the release of the new live record via Veirs’ own Raven Marching Band label on October 10th, we caught up with ever-busy star to steal away ten minutes of her time to discuss The Beatles, best live albums, crying at concerts, and more. Here are her quick-fire questions below.
Quick-fire Questions with Laura Veirs:
1. What song would you want played at your funeral?
“Bach’s ‘The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1: Prelude and Fugue in C Major’. I am learning this piece right now. So beautiful and full of suspense and surprises.”
2. What’s the first song you ever played live before a paying audience?
“‘Green Cowgirl’ (off my self-titled debut). It was at a bar called the Brown Lantern in Anacortes, Washington in 1998.”
3. Brilliant title for your new record, but what’s your favourite album title ever?
“Shake Sugaree by Elizabeth Cotten. I got to know her great-granddaughter, Brenda Evans, when I was writing a book about Elizabeth’s life. They wrote the song ‘Shake Sugaree’ together – all the grandkids and Elizabeth at bedtime one night. I love the way the title rolls off the tongue.”
4. What’s the greatest live album of all time?
“Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison. The fact that this document exists and that he performed as brilliantly as he did is amazing. He brought incredible joy to the prison that day.”
5. Have you ever cried at a concert?
“Yes, Juana Molina at Revolution Hall in Portland, OR. I’ve been a fan of hers for a long time. I was going through a divorce then, so even her bouncy songs made me cry.”
6. Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever played?
“At a desert religious cult in Sedona, Arizona. There was psychedelic art and crystals everywhere. The cult members had odd names and an odd look in their eyes. They were really attentive and appreciative, though.”
7. Do you believe in ghosts?
“Yes. I had a haunted rental car which squeaked and rattled utterly randomly throughout my last tour through the UK. It was especially active in the hills near Glasgow.”
8. If you could create the perfect gig, what would it be?
“Me and some friends and family in a pool somewhere warm like Honduras with Jose Gonzales playing poolside at sunset.”
9. If someone hasn’t heard of you, what song should they start with?
“‘July Flame’. This is a good starting point because it’s catchy and upbeat, and fun because it’s rhythmically unpredictable. People often can’t decide where the ‘one’ is on that song. I like that there’s some mystery there.”
10. You can spend an hour with Leonard Cohen, what would you get up to?
“I’d ask him to sing and play for me. I’ve learned some of his songs in detail, like ‘Suzanne’. I saw him play live once in a giant theatre; it would have been amazing to have heard him one-on-one or in a more intimate setting before he was really famous. (My cousin used to meditate with him at a Zen centre near LA. My aunt’s claim to fame is that she shared a taxi with him to the airport).”
11. What’s the best restaurant in Portland, OR?
“My stepson is a chef at Bar Diane. So, Bar Diane! I also really like everything at Farmhouse Thai and the lemongrass tofu at Friendship Kitchen.”
12. Where’s one place you always dream of going / returning to, but never do?
“Iceland. I’ve never been there (outside of the airport) but have always wanted to go. I would love to see the Northern Lights there, to record in a studio there and to meet some Icelandic musicians, to sit in some natural hot springs there, and to enjoy natural wonders that I’ve only seen in photographs.”
13. What’s your favourite literary quote?
“‘The function of freedom is to free someone else’ by Toni Morrison. I felt the truth in this come to life recently when a woman with beautiful silver hair approached me at the merch table in Paris. She told me that my showing my natural silver hair on social media allowed her to be brave enough to let her natural silver colour grow in, too. Ageing isn’t easy for women, so knowing that I helped her feel freer made me really happy!”
14. Do you believe in encores?
“They are silly, superfluous, and fun, so yes.”
15. Are The Beatles overrated?
“No. ‘Julia’ is one of my all-time fave songs. I love the lyrics, the subtle chord voicing changes and the message of love (to John’s mother) behind it. I also love the simple guitar and voice performance. I aspire to write songs that hold up under a microscope like that.”
