Adult contemporary acoustic folk rock/power folk backed by drums, fretless bass, violin, cello, and harmonica. Great driving vocals that inject life and hope into every verse.

12 MP3 Songs
FOLK: Modern Folk, FOLK: Power-folk



Details:
With the release of her fifth studio album, May, Laura Kemp has gained a reputation as one of the finest performers and songwriters on the west coast. Over the past decade you may have seen her performing in any number of configurations: captivating Northwest audiences as a solo artist, her unique brand of acoutic poetry earning her comparisons to Bob Dylan and Nancy Griffith; playing to sold out audiences at the W.O.W. Hall as part of Eugene's power girl group, Babes With Axes; as the front person for the Laura Kemp Band, with Brian West and T.R. Kelley on drums and bass; as the host of a writers in the round at Sam Bond's Garage, along with Eugene's folk treasure Peter Wilde; at the historic Inn of the Beginning in Cotati, CA with members of the Bay area's Little Big Band; on the Main Stage of the Oregon Country Fair with Mare Wakefield and T.R. Kelley; or paired down as a duo with Memphis player, Roy Brewer on fiddle and mandolin.
Born in Seattle, Laura has drifted around the country living in Madison, Atlanta, Nashville, the mountains of North Carolina and since 1990, Eugene, OR, the place she currently calls home. She began performing while living in Germany in 1987, playing cover songs in Irish pubs and busking in the streets. A guitarist since the age of 8, her style is not one to be pegged down, though it is largely rooted in folk and influenced by her time spent living in Nashville and listening to bluegrass. She uses multiple capos, open tunings, flat picks, travis picks, and has a right hand technique that drives her songs with a sometimes angst-ridden edge. Her years of vocal lessons and singing in choirs are apparent in the strength and wide range of her powerful voice.
A dynamic performer, her refined confidence and uncompromising frankness on stage have earned her "Favorite Female Performer" honors at the WOW Hall in Eugene, "Best Musician" from the Eugene Weekly, "Best Local Band/Musician" from In Town, and "Queen of Eugene Folk" by the Statesman Journal, Salem. The Willamette Week (Portland), says "the singer and guitarist plays with a breadth rarely found in regional acts, picking the strings of her acoustic guitar with an earnestness befitting her emotional delivery."
When she is not touring, writing, recording, or teaching guitar, Laura keeps her hands dirty in her organic garden or has a backpack on her back, exploring the mountains of the great Northwest.