http://www.lauriegeltman.com has the long, sordid tale. I can't tell you everything now, so I'm going to do it in sections. Hope that's cool.
MY latest project is called LAYNE. The first release is an EP called Up From Down. LAYNE has their own website and myspace and are currently playing out in LA. Go ahead and start the friendship at www.myspace.com/LayneMusicUSA.
PART I, "The Early Years"
At age 7, I started playing guitar and writing songs-I was already obsessed with listening to music before that though; mostly my mother's albums and 8 tracks. My listening time was spent absorbing a mixture of British Blues Rock, singer-songwriters and soul music. A few favorite early records were Sticky Fingers, Sly Stone's Greatest HIts and Abbey Road. And lots of Neil Young. I feel like all the records I listened to sort of raised me up...like a nanny. I had a lot of freedom to create, write, paint, jam when I was a kid, but I remember most of this happening under my own watch. At summer camp, I got turned onto Bonnie Raitt, the Band, The Grateful Dead, assorted jazz, more Neil. This is all before the age of 10 or 11. It was good to finally play with other people. It was just the beginning. But I realize my music hasn't drifted that far off from what I loved the most as a kid. I think it's because I was the most passionate about it when noone was paying attention and I yearn to keep that feeling alive.
Get straight A-s, get an electric. The carrot was waived and I bit. I got my first electric guitar in 7th grade from a guy who played at my Bat Mitzvah! It was a Hohner cherry red SG copy (from the 70's I guess). I wish I still had it, but it never seemed to stay in tune. I played in rock bands and kept writing, but when it was time to go to college decided I was into other things and music would always be there. Studied Film and Art History at Boston U. then went abroad for a semester to American College in Paris where I made money playing in the streets. Applied to Berklee just before leaving for Europe; read my acceptance letter walking to the Metro eating a croissant in the 3rd arrondisement. I knew my life was changed for good.
Got a beauiful Semi-Hollow Ibanez Artist like John Schofield's; my "Berklee Guitar". Goal: to blow the world away with my guitar playing. Reality: holy shit; everybody's good here! Majored in Film Scoring, but started focusing more on songwriting my last year. Paula Cole, Juliana Hatfield, Melissa Ferrick...we were all there the same time..I was just finding my way; hadn't even gigged out in Boston yet.
Worked at Musician Magazine in Gloucester just out of college. Joined a band with the proofreader, joined another band called Vasco Da Gama, started my own band; three bands at once at one point and all of a sudden I was playing all the clubs in Boston like the Rat and the Channel. Started to develop a name and worked very hard for many years. These were the "licking-the-stamps-one-at-a-time days" and I had 2,000 people on my mailing list. There were no email lists or MySpace. Gigs, rehearsals, flyers, postcards...one fan at a time! I enjoyed putting together shows with various artists and promoting them. When the Middle East in Cambridge wanted to expand downstairs they asked if I would take a night in the "Bakery" to get people to go to that side of the club. I took Thursdays and for 3 years had a variety of acts come in to play in between my sets. We needed to keep it acoustic, so this is where my violinist Daniel Kellar and I honed our sound along with our bass player at the time Dave Doms. We did many acoustic/folk venues in New England in addition to keeping the rock band happening. At first it was people I knew from the scene like Patty Griffin, Martin Sexton, Ellis Paul, Robin Lane, Dennis Brennan and then unknown artists new to Boston would send me tapes and many of them ended up doing great too..like Peter Mulvey and Ry Cavanaugh (sp?). It was a great time for me and a great way to work on songs.
I sold about 2,000 copies of my first cassette "Departure" at this time, got my first accolades from regional press, Phoenix Poll and Boston Music Award nominations and began working on No Power Steering as early as 1994. [stay tuned for more LATER]...
Press/Quotes on No Power Steering/LAURIE GELTMAN:
"Startling perception as a songwriter...A stunning debut CD.
-The Union Leader
"Geltman's comfortable playing full-tilt rock as well as introspective acoustic ballads. She's the whole package."
-Billboard
"Unlike many writers who work in a roots/folkish vein, she shows a consistent knack for pop hooks."
-The Boston Phoenix
"Geltman deploys elements of rock, folk, country and punk with panache on No Power Steering, tying them altogether with well-honed hooks and a voice that is tender and corrosive by turns."
-The Boston Herald
"...This disc is testament to the fact that Laurie Geltman is destined for bigger and better things. There's an honesty and maturity to these songs that you don't often encounter in today's music. Laurie is that rare breed who can sing, play and write songs that stick with you and make you think..."
-The Noise
"...A style that mixes equal parts grit and revelation. Listeners will hang on her words, but they'll also move to her music."
-San Antonio Express-News
"...Powerful guitar work...Geltman's impassioned rootsy rock works well with her insightful lyrics, which deftly spin the tales of real-world characters."
-San Jose Metro Newspapers
"No Power Steering is a jewel in what sometimes seems to be a sea of contemporary music banality."
-Northeast Performer
"Top-flight guitarist...probing lyrics...Geltman has a confident, engaging and radio-ready voice...this is a talent to be reckoned with."
-The Boston Tab
"While possessing the strong song writing instincts of a folk artist, Geltman is without a doubt a rock and roller..."
-Blink, Nashville's Music Magazine
"There are some nifty lyrical moments that snag your attention like a shirt on a barbed-wire fence."
-Songwriter's Monthly
"Her songs are all-knowing tales of life's naked underbelly as it's not quite dragging on the ground...not quite scraping bottom, but almost. No Power Steering is so honest, you can take Geltman's word for it."
-North Shore Magazine
No Power Steering is the work of a sophisticated composer. The melodic landscape is panoramic, and Geltman’s timeless music is filled with nuance and texture."
-New England Music Scrapbook
Press/Quotes on Motion Pictures (Live Recording)/LAURIE GELTMAN:
"Laurie Geltman has always been equal parts rocker and urban songwriter. The local club favorite lets her acoustic heart shine on a live CD, 'Motion Pictures' (RBP) that showcases her probing lyrics and clean, bracing melodies. She has a knack for what songwriters call killer lines, the single image or captured moment that tells a life story in a few words. The CD also highlights her charisma; no matter how hard this woman rocks, she never seems to be putting on a act."
-The Boston Globe
"'Motion Pictures' shows a newly sinuous, quietly dramatic side to Geltman."
-The Boston Herald
album
