Laura Veirs

Portland-based singer-songwriter Laura Veirs works mostly in folk and alternative country, a pairing that her records and live performances both bear out. Her catalogue reaches beyond the studio: she has written a children's book, hosts a podcast on parenting and performing, and, as lead songwriter, shaped the case/lang/veirs project with Neko Case and k.d. lang. Her route into music was roundabout, shaped by a geology degree at Carleton College and a stint translating for a geological expedition in China, where she began writing lyrics.

Her debut, a self-titled album from 1999, was recorded live with just her and a guitar. Troubled by the Fire (2003) brought in veteran players such as Bill Frisell, and after signing to Nonesuch she released Carbon Glacier in 2004 and Year of Meteors in 2005, which The New York Times selected as a critic's choice. July Flame (2010) came out on her own Raven Marching Band Records, and the children's album Tumble Bee (2011) won a Parents' Choice Award in 2012. Her tenth studio album, The Lookout, followed in 2018, and in 2024 she was inducted into the Oregon Music Hall of Fame.