Hello friends,
I am writing from the very lovely town of Biarritz, on the Basque Coast in France. Jet lag had me up early enough to watch a group of pink-capped elderly ladies swimming laps in the (still very cold) ocean. My spring solo Europe tour begins tonight!
NEW MUSIC AND PORTLAND RELEASE SHOW
First off, I am thrilled to announce the release of a pair of bonus tracks from the Empire Builder sessions. These two songs; “Animals” and “The Easy Way” didn’t quite fit within the story arc of the record, but still mean a lot to me. You can listen to them on limited-run, sea-foam colored vinyl through my good friends at Jealous Butcher, available April 14th.
*PRE-ORDER* The Easy Way b/w Animals
And you can stream the song “Animals” here:
If you live in Portland, I’ll be playing a special solo show to celebrate the release of the seven-inch, Saturday, April 15th at Mississippi Studios. I’ll be joined by the incredible harmonizing songstresses Lenore (who have a debut record in the works).
I will also have copies with me for upcoming Europe and US shows (all dates listed below).
EVERGLADES RESIDENCY
I had the honor and pleasure of spending February at Everglades National Park, through a fellowship and residency program. I spent the month watching anhinga and alligators and manatees. I learned so much about the ecology and history of the area, wrote a lot, and began demoing new songs (expect a few alligator references on the next record). Here are a few photos from the experience. There are lots more up on my instagram @lauragibsongirl
It’s nearly impossible to hike in Everglades without slogging through water. I went with one of the park rangers into a cypress dome, filled with birds, air plants, orchids (which might be blooming by now), and one lazy gator.
TOUR DATES
EU, US and newly announced Festivals and UK dates!
March 15 – Biarritz – Librairie Le festin Nu
March 17 – Le Poiré-sur-Vie – Acoustic Festival
March 18 Paris – Pop up Du Label
March 19 – Münster – Pension Schmidt
March 20 – Cologne – Die Wohngemeinschaft
March 22 – Zagreb, Croatia – Zagreb Klub
March 23 – Budapest – A38
April 8 – Iowa City, IA – Mission Creek Festival (Opening for Rufus Wainwright)
April 15 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios **RELEASE PARTY** w/ Lenore
April 20 – Dallas, TX – Club Dada*
April 21 – Austin, TX – The Sidewinder*
April 22 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall*
April 25 – Tampa, FL – The Orpheum*
April 26 – Miami, FL – Gramps*
April 27 – Orlando, FL – The Social*
April 28 – Atlanta, GA – Aisle 5*
April 29 – Birmingham, AL – Saturn*
April 30 – Nashville, TN – Exit/In*
May 2 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle*
May 3 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle*
May 4 – Richmond, VA – The Camel*
May 5 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Café*
May 6 – Washington DC – Rock & Roll Hotel*
*with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
May 13 – Seattle, WA – Upstream Festival
July 31 – Lugano, Switzerland – Longlake Festival/TBA
August 16 – London, UK – Oslo (Co-headline with Karl Blau)
August 17 – Bristol, UK – The Lantern (Co-headline with Karl Blau)
August 18 – Brecon Beacons, UK – Greenman Festival
August 23 – Manchester UK – Gulliver’s
August 24 – Cambridge, UK – Portland Arms
I hope this letter finds you well, finds you feeling courageous and discovering new strength within yourself and your community. Chekhov said that the purpose of art is to prepare the soul for tenderness. This rings particularly true these days. Keep fighting for good, friends, and stay tender.
Love, Laura