Laura Orshaw is an exciting voice on today’s acoustic music scene. Fast-becoming one of today’s celebrated emerging artists, she is a multi-instrumentalist and compelling singer.
Laura earns die-hard fans across the country with her energy and her earnest performance, playing and singing with joy and drive.
Songs of Lost Yesterdays is Laura’s brilliant solo project, available now.
The album is a pleasing mix of 11 tracks, both originals and covers, with guest artists including: Matt Witler (mandolin), Catherine “BB” Bowness (banjo), Tony Watt (guitar), Alex Muri (bass), Michael Reese (guitar and vocal harmony), Mark Orshaw (vocal harmony) and John Mailander (fiddle harmony). Laura took great care and consideration in choosing songs, with each one having its own story.
The album includes some traditional folk standards like “Sailor on the Deep Blue Sea,” “Row Number Two, Seat Number Three,” and “Going to the West.”
Laura commented on the finesse and insight that went into creating a “songs of yesterday” list that would fit the album concept.
“My dad and I spent a lot of time driving the highways and back roads of Pennsylvania. Each time we got in the car I knew that Norman Blake would be on the stereo. I knew every obscure old time fiddle tune and English ballad by heart,” Laura exclaims. “Without question, I was going to pay homage to Norman on this album, and being a fiddle player, I couldn’t think of any better song than “Uncle.”
“Getting Over You” has an old country feel, but on this album Laura morphs the song by creating an old swing feel.
“Charlie Moore’s ‘Cotton Farmer’ came into my repertoire through some good musicians and friends,” Laura reminisces. “They’d argue about who learned it first, and then they’d move on to whose dad played it first, whose arrangement was stolen from who, and so on. I found the multi-generational competition over this song pretty comical, but I couldn’t argue that it was a good song!”
“Guitar Man” is one of the originals, written after Laura heard John Prine’s “Unwed Fathers.” Reminded of a friend who had to leave school early due to an unexpected pregnancy, Laura was inspired to write something that would be intimately relatable for women.
Laura’s “New Deal Train” was inspired by stories her grandfather told about growing up during the Great Depression. “It seems like little boys always loved trains, but to a boy growing up during the Depression, a train was especially meaningful. During FDR’s New Deal, trains delivered food and supplies to the poorest towns across America. Families would line up near the tracks and wait for a bag of flour, or a pair of shoes—this was quite an exciting outing for a little boy who didn’t have much.”
Providing sensitive insight into the life and musical history that Laura experienced and learned over the years, Songs of Yesterdays pays tribute to acoustic greats and also offers a pleasant new twist on tradition through the compelling voice and playing of Laura Orshaw.
Songs of Lost Yesterdays is available from iTunes, Amazon and other digital retailers.
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