Laura Cortese
Laura Cortese's new release "Blow the Candle Out" offers seven live cuts from concerts where she boldly delivers original and traditional songs with the unusual combination of fiddle, drums and voice.
Laura's many loyal fans in the US Northeast traditional music scene have been hearing this sound evolve in her live shows and in her last two studio albums, "Even the Lost Creek" (2006) and "Hush" (2002).
Having made a name for herself as a teenager for her traditional Scottish fiddle chops, Laura has since grown into a thoroughly modern performer and songwriter who isn't afraid to draw on her diverse musical influences ranging from Otis Redding to Neko Case, while being informed by her formal training at Berklee College of Music as well as the traditional Scottish ballads she discovered as a young girl in California. Her recent live shows include a wild cover of Dolly Parton's classic 'Baby I'm Burning', played solo with the unique rhythmic fiddle accompaniment her friends have dubbed, 'drum and chop indie pop'.
Since the release of "Blow the Candle Out", she's written a powerful batch of new songs, some of which can be previewed on her four-song demo. One of these tracks, 'Bad Year', has been released as a single and a music video. "The demo really expresses where I want to be musically and the sort of edgy sound I have been working towards," Laura says.
Laura has been at the heart of a creative renaissance in the Boston and US Northeast acoustic music scene in the past few years. She's a co-founder of the Boston Celtic Music Festival, and has played in the groundbreaking bands Uncle Earl (on double bass!) for most of 2007, The Anarchist Orchestra (with Tao Rodriguez-Seeger of The Mammals) and even The Jolly Bankers, a subversively poppy string-band with a semi-cult following.
"I have been so lucky to get to play with so many artists in the indie and folk scenes all over the world and that has really helped me to find my own sound.", Laura says. She's looking forward to playing all of the new material on tour this spring in the US and on her second tour of the UK and Ireland.
The raw power of Laura's live show makes her truly one of the must-see young acts of 2008. "Blow the Candle Out" just hints at a new recording project that promises to hit international audiences with strong songwriting and irresistible grooves in the near future.
'Cortese's mix of modern and traditional styles creates an explosive sound that favors melody and rhythm over overtly technical performances. The momentum in songs like "Blow the Candle Out" propels the listener to a giddy plane where dancing is mandatory.' (John Wenzel, The Denver Post)
'Ambition often follows talent, and Laura Cortese has an embarrassment of both. Her open-armed approach to her art reveals a determination to spread the word about folk music and dance without watering down their distinctiveness.' (John Wenzel, The Denver Post)
'"Even The Lost Creek", a beautiful, spirited album (Dan Gewertz, Boston Herald)
'"Even the Lost Creek" - her engaging, transfixing pop-folk debut.' (Dave Richards, The Erie Times)
'Sweeping onto the stage - eating up every inch of it with poise and solid talent, her vocals are hauntingly beautiful and mesmerizing. And in this day and age of fiddlers galore, Laura is a standout. A Scottish fiddler, able to set the bow on fire or bring a tear to the eye - she is on her way to the ranks of the leaders.' (Bill Reid, Festival Promoter, East of The Hebrides Entertainment).
'Without surrendering the melodic grace that makes Celtic music so captivating, she coaxed ambient, techno-smart brush strokes from her fiddle.' (Boston Globe February 2004)
'Technically brilliant yet warm-hearted fiddling sprinkled with urbane splashes of cool jazz and hot pop.' (Boston Globe January 2004)
'Laura Cortese is an extremely dynamic and intelligent artist full of fun and joy.' (Alasdair Fraser, fiddler).
'Laura is a natural born head-liner, a crowd-pleaser that helps a club establish a reputation for being THE place to be for an unadulterated good time.' (Bob Stane, The Coffee Gallery Backstage)
For more information visit
Laura Cortese's Website
Laura Cortese's My Space
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