LAURA BIRD BIOGRAPHY
Singer-songwriter Laura Bird writes songs from the heart. Known for her warm, powerful and versatile smoky alto voice, she takes her listeners on journeys through folk-roots, bluegrass to sultry jazz standards. Her strong songwriting, soulful vocals and solid guitar playing create a very charming and intimate stage presence. Vignettes of childhood small town life, stories of struggle, triumph and defeat, dreams and desires and images of the landscapes that continue to inspire her, are all common threads running through Laura's lyrical fabric.
Following the release of 'Dreamwalker', Laura quickly established herself in the burgeoning music scene making appearances at numerous Ontario festivals and small concert venues. In addition to her solo performances, Laura is also a member of 'The Pomelos', a female singer-songwriter quintet including Marianne Girard, Tannis Slimmon, Katherine Wheatley, and Heather Katz, who came together in celebration of International Women's Day.
Laura's tune "Heavy Load" recorded with multi-instrumentalist Emory Lester in 2006 was included on the bluegrass compilation CD 'North To Ontario' which subsequently won Recording Of The Year. Emory, Laura and Level Crossing's Garret Doyle joined together for a few special gigs in the spring of 2007 and talk is - you'll be seeing more of this superb trio in the very near future! In fact Garret and Emory are helping Laura record a brand new project with a planned release this Spring 2008! (Hopefully in time for the Pomelos Songstress Celebration Tour!)
Laura is a founding member of the Headwaters Acoustic Music Society in Orangeville, and in March 2006 became the Artistic Director of HAMS and the Live! at the Opera House concert series. She is co-founder of the Colleen Peterson Songwriting Award and currently sits on the Board of Directors with both ArtsCan Circle and the Ontario Council of Folk Festivals.