Political and environmental issues are not always debated by politicians. Through her music, Laura Love discusses global issues in a serious but entertaining way.
After two years away from Eugene, the Laura Love Band returns Sunday to WOW Hall with special guest Laura Kemp. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and the performance begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.50 in advance and $18 at the door plus applicable fees. Tickets may be purchased at WOW Hall, Fastixx, CD World, House of Records and the UO Ticket Office.
Though the band has been known for its “Afro-Celtic” style, Love said she also incorporates bluegrass and funk into her music.
“I like high, lonesome, mournful sound with a joyous beat,” she said.
Love said she will be promoting her latest CD, “Fourteen Days,” at the performance.
“She connects with the audience in an earthy kind of way,” said concert producer Mike Meyer. “She has so much fun when she’s playing.”
Love said that, through her singing and song writing, she deals with current political issues such as the attack on the World Trade Center and the U.S. economic crisis.
“I feel very frustrated,” Love said. “I’m one of those people who will write to my senator or congressman.”
Love said she enjoys playing in Eugene because she thinks many audience members share her views.
“I like the liberal vibe (of Eugene) — the left-leaning feel,” she said. “It’s crowded with hippies like me.”
Love said she tries to be honest in her music, which she said she is able to do because she doesn’t have to report to a boss. She said many mainstream performers may be well-paid, but they have to sing and write songs that will gain the approval of their employers.
Artists “start making music with an eye toward sales instead of saying what (they) want to say,” Love said.
But she said riches do not bring happiness, and she would avoid situations where other people would control what she sings.
“The whole world right now is really understanding that when we let huge corporations do whatever they want to do, everything is for sale,” she said. “Everything becomes
a commodity.”
For her next project, Love said she is publishing her memoirs in a book entitled, “You Ain’t Got No Easter Clothes.” She said the book, which will be released late this year, will chronicle her experiences growing up in Nebraska.
Love and Kemp “are real creative songwriters,” Meyer said. “Both have very positive, upbeat types of performances.”
Kemp, formerly of the band Babes with Axes, is a local talent, Meyer said, adding that she will be a good opening act for the concert.
He said she has a Shawn Colvin-type of sound that mixes folk and blues. He said she also won the Eugene Weekly poll for Best Musician.
“She has a forceful presence on stage,” he said and she has drawn a loyal following in Eugene.
Kemp said she will play a 30-minute set that will include songs from her CDs “Volcano,” “Corduroy” and “Alone.”
She said the time she spent living in Nashville brought a lot of bluegrass influences into her music.
“I focus a lot on my guitar work,” she said. Kemp said she has been playing acoustic guitar for 27 years.
“I feel my song playing is pretty strong,” she said, as she explained that most of her songs are ballads about love and relationships, and she takes other people’s stories and turns them into songs.