By Megan Richardson
Arts Editor

New England native and singer/songwriter Laurel Brauns visited Bates of February 12, to perform as part of the Student Activities Office-sponsored Village Club series. Brauns, whose newest album Periphery was released last September, is currently doing a college tour, which has included stops at College of the Atlantic and St. Lawrence. Brauns says she loves performing at colleges – she loves the “passionate receptions” that she finds at schools. She likes performing at clubs, too, because she is able to reach a large variety of age groups. But she really loves the way college students are very open to new kinds of music.

Brauns got started with the music business while going to college in Oregon at Lewis and Clark. She took a semester off from school to make a CD with fourteen other students, and liked the experience so much that after college she decided to move back to New England to pursue singing and music-making as a business.

Brauns says she was definitely inspired by the indie-rock West Coast scene. She says has been lyrically influenced by Modest Mouse and Elliot Smith, and other underground musicians. The combination of her West Coast style and East Coast location makes her a unique musical presence.

Periphery, Brauns’ second album, features a soothing blend of strings, piano, drums and bass. This contrasts with her first album, which she describes as an unprofessional, do-it-yourself project, mostly due to the fact that Periphery features her new band Queen Anne’s Lace, which she formed for the album. The album features her political song “Backroads,” which was inspired by 9/11 and the War on Terrorism.

The music on the album is not in-your-face, nor is it particularly memorable when one first listens to it. Upon closer examination, though, Brauns’ talent becomes apparent. But she is more than simply a talented musician. She’s also an entrepreneur.

Brauns recently started a public access television show, featuring local artists and performances in her small New Hampshire town. She is in the process of getting it syndicated throughout the state, and is meeting lots of interesting people in the process. Her schedule will remain busy this spring and summer, as she will be touring the west coast in May, and then working on a documentary in the summer about a Canadian farmer who was falsely accused of stealing genetically modified seeds.

Brauns has a lot on her plate, and she is loving it. On top of all of her ambitious projects, right now she is content to be concentrating on touring, and on working on a new album.




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