“ I realised that I don’t need to travel all the way to Nashville to write a good song. I can just sit in my house or surround myself with people closer to me and write great music...”

— Laura Evans

Date: 18.05.22

Venue: Oran Mor

Website: https://thelauraevans.com/
Facebook: Laura Evans Facebook
Instagram: Laura Evans Instagram
Spotify: Laura Evans Spotify
YouTube: Laura Evans YouTube

At the time of writing, Laura Evans is currently touring the UK with American Southern Rock band Robert Jon and The Wreck. She is an actress and musician who crosses many genres effortlessly. Her new album “State of Mind” is to be released on July 1st 2022. I caught up with her in the old restored Kelvinside Parish Church in Glasgow, now known as Oran Mor (Gaelic for ‘Great melody of life’)

Interview

Kirk: How is the tour going?

Laura: Amazing! It’s been such a treat to open for these guys. They’re just so good and the crowds have been great. It’s been a dream.

Kirk: Your new album, “State of Mind” and new single, “I’m Alright”…both fantastic. I guess we are still dealing with the effects of lock-down and processing our emotions from that period. It’s important to move on but do either of those titles relate to that time at all? Your sound is a bit heavier and you come across a bit stronger.

Laura: I’ve had a lot of time to think and reflect. I wrote a lot of songs and I also listened to a ton more of music. Because I had more time, I made a definite choice to push the boundaries of my songwriting a bit more. I started self-checking my material and asking myself “Is this good enough?” It changed my outlook, and my sound, so although it was a tough time for us all there were definitely some positives to take from it.

Kirk: Lyrics like “If I dodged a bullet what’s this hole here in my heart” from “Mess of Me” just about sums up every relationship break up I’ve had but after a while I stop thinking about it. How hard is it to keep singing songs about difficult times in your life?

Laura: For me, the most emotional I get is when I am writing the song. It comes in an emotional wave while I’m writing and then it leaves me. It’s weird, it’s almost like…I release it. I kind of miss having the emotion but I can’t get it back when I sing the song every night, but I still love singing them. I cried when I wrote the song “Fool” but I’ve sung the song so may times now I just enjoy it as a song.

Kirk: Are you going to Nashville this year?

Laura: I’m note sure at the moment, I may go over later in the year but one of the things I realised when writing the album “State of Mind” was that I don’t need to travel all the way to Nashville to write a good song. I can just sit in my house or surround myself with people closer to me and write great music. So, as amazing as Nashville is, and I have been there several times, I think I have now found my sound.

Kirk: I actually noticed that the Nashville Meets London Festival this year is at Trinity Buoy Wharf on 24th/25th August. I know you played a livestream for the NML in January this year. Are there any plans at the moment to play the festival?

Laura: They are still working on the final line-up for that and there will be a lot of musicians from Nashville coming over, so …watch this space I guess.

Kirk: Any song-writing collaborations planned in the UK?

Laura: I’ve been working with a lovely couple called Kat Eaton and Nick Atkinson. She is a singer and artist and we wrote “State of Mind” together. They stay in London and we have great sessions. We’ve written loads of songs together. They are lovely to write with. I sit and tell them my stories and they seem to get inside my head (laughs).

Kirk: You seem to be a bit of an “Everywoman” when it comes to music. I have seen you classified as Country, compared to Dolly Parton on the One Show. A Blues artist on the Spotify Editorial Playlists. A rock artist on Planet Rock. I even saw you on the “Rock and Metal Ladies” group on Instagram. People quite like to pigeonhole artists. Why do you think you are able to flow between these genres and keep a following in each one?

Laura: I’m not sure but I really like being in the position to be able to blur the lines between these genres. Some of my material is Rocky and you cannot deny that I have a Country sound and I love the Blues. I love to tell a story but I like Blues riffs and Blues chords. I don’t think about it too much, I just let people decide and am very happy that they like it.

Kirk: You are doing an acoustic set tonight. Who is on stage with you?

Laura: My guitarist tonight it the very talented Joe Coombs. My songs translate really well into an acoustic setting and he’s great to play with. We’re having a blast.

Kirk: How many shows have you got left on this tour. You must have covered a good couple of thousand miles already.

Laura: Sadly, only 3 shows left. It’s been a 12 show run. I’ve seen a lot of motorways (laughs) but, you know, it just proves how small the UK is really. I’ve done 12 shows in 12 cities and I love it. I love seeing a new city every day. It’s nice when you get to do what you love and you get to sing every night. I’m not sure I’d want to keep to this schedule as a holiday (laughs) but it has been lovely. The guys (Robert Jon and The Wreck) are super-nice and I get to watch them play every night, which is great.

Kirk: What are the plans after the tour.

Laura: I’m doing a big album launch show. My album comes out July 1st. I’ve recently moved to Devon and my home town is now Plymouth so I’m doing a big show there on July 1st and then there is talk of a tour in October for my own band so we just need to confirm some dates.

Kirk: Thanks for your time Laura and all the best for the rest of the tour and the album launch.

Laura: Thank you Kirk.

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