Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards

I've always known Laura Cortese as a fiddler first and foremost, and though of course she's a wonderful singer and also a powerful and insightful songwriter, it took until her new solo album, Into the Dark, for me to realize that her music had moved far beyond her roots in New England's vibrant fiddle scene. On Into the Dark, which -full disclosure- we promoted to roots radio, Cortese's songs touch on much more serious topics than the usual roots music album. And the fiddle's there, though refracted through a new lens. Using pizzicato, innovative string arrangements based on the rural rhythms of American fiddling, and some of the best guest artists possible in New England and beyond (Hanneke Cassel, Mariel Vandersteel, Natalie Haas, Valerie Thompson, Brittany Haas, Dirk Powell, Kris Drever, Dietrich Strause, and more). But those songs. I kept coming back to those songs. There's so much depth in this songwriting, and the songs fall into my most favorite category of songwriting: using traditional forms to subvert the tradition. I had to know more about the songs, so I've been chatting with Laura for a little while now and figured she'd be perfect for our next "Inside the Songs." NOTE: Though Inside the Songs are usually about songs the artist has written, I had to ask Laura here about her cover of the traditional song "Train on the Island." She totally re-envisions what many see as a "throwaway" song in old-time music, drawing so many new meanings out of the old, and strange lyrics.



Inside the Songs with Laura Cortese




For Catherine:


" "For Catherine" was actually the hardest song on the album to finish. I started working on it after my mom told me about a gang rape that happened in Richmond, CA. I lived there from age 3 till 10. The incident took place at a school homecoming dance, over 20 people watched and didn't intervene or even call the police for two hours. I started to do some research and learned about "Bystander Effect", which basically means that when large groups of people are present individuals are less likely to get involved and stop something. I kept reading and found out about Kitty Genovese's rape and murder case which prompted the first investigation into the bystander effect. I started to read a lot about rape victims, their personal accounts, just trying to understand a small part of what they must have to process. As I worked to retell the story eventually I came to the idea of prayer, one victim praying to Catherine, recounting the story but also trying to heal."

Train on the Island (traditional):


I first heard this tune from the playing of Bruce Molsky. I remember hearing it, loving bruces voice, his chord choices, the melody and vaguely following the story until he got to the lyric "me and my love we fell out, might be for the best". That perked up my ears...A little heartbreak always does. The song has evolved for me over the years. It has come to mean more to me now than when I first heard it.

"Run and tell my true love he's the one I love the best"...being on the road away from my loved ones far too often, singing this line is really an effort to send my love home. Not really being in the presence of people you love, wanting them to know that they are the ones who are important to you.

"Run and tell my true love he don't know what he's worth"...We all question our purpose at times. Sometimes I've witnessed people whose question of purpose is so apparent in their body language and attitude that it is obvious that they aren't aware of their intrinsic value. I know I am going full bore Californian here...with the rare exception nearly everyone I have met in my life has something beautiful to offer this world. Sometimes it is easier to see the value in others than in yourself. When I see someone who doesn't know their value, I want to tell them all the wonderful ways they touch my life...In the end we each have to find our own relationship to that value.

About two years ago we were asked to perform at the home of a man who was dying of cancer. It was a gift from his fiddle playing friend. He was there with his wife, daughter and another family friend all together to enjoy the music together. We sang a few songs and then came to 'Train on the Island'. To look into the eyes of a man who knows he is dying while you sing the lyrics "run and tell my true love I'm sick and I can't go" is something I will never forget. I rarely sing this song without thinking of him and his family.

When you finally get to "run and tell my true love, I can't hold the wheel" you've been on a journey. The desperation of communicating love, and one saying to the other, I just don't think I can keep this going in the right direction...

I am not sure I have found out ex - No Depression

For all the many singer-songwriters on the contemporary music scene, almost all of them accompany themselves either with a guitar or a piano or other keyboard. There have been a few exceptions we have occasionally featured on this series such as harpist Dee Carstensen, singer-songwriter cellists Ben Sollee and Lindsey Mac and blues singer-composer and trumpet player Al Basile. This week we have a new CD by a singer-songwriter-violinist named Laura Cortese, whose record is called Into the Dark. And unlike other composer-vocalists who mostly integrate their less-conventional instruments into the context of a more traditional band, Laura Cortese creates a distinctive sound with essentially a string ensemble with some percussion.

Laura Cortese is a native of the San Francisco area who came to Boston to study at the Berklee College of music and ended up staying in the city, becoming associated with both the folk scene and with alternative rockers. Her bio lists appearances with the great folksinger Pete Seeger, as well as playing with the rock group Band of Horses. She also formed a group with Aiofe O'Donovan from the eclectic acoustic group Crooked Still, and among others Jefferson Hamer in a group called Pine. After Ms. Cortese released couple of independent EPs, Into the Dark is her first full-length recording. For it, she recruited a number of eclectic string players who blur the distinction between fiddle playing and violin -- sometimes it has a definite classical chamber group sound, while at others, it resembles traditional American folk fiddle playing. Sometimes, both styles of playing can be heard on a single track. The string ensemble also extends to cellos and double basses, which Ms. Cortese sometimes plays herself. The songs are mainly original pieces but there are two traditional songs and a couple of covers which Ms. Cortese reinvents. It's all very nicely done with good quality composition, and the combination of sounds makes for often intriguing listening that nevertheless has a vaguely familiar texture.

Among the string players joining her on the album are Brittany Haas of Crooked Still, plus Hanneke Cassel, Mariel Vandersteel and Natalie Haas on the violins with Jocie Adams on the cello, plus occasional appearances by woodwind and brass players, and bits of guitar, keyboards and even drums, though they are rare on this CD. There are also some singer-songwriters who make guest appearances on backing vocals, including Jennifer Kimball, Jefferson Hamer, whose own CD with Anais Mitchell we featured recently on this series, and Scottish singer-songwriter Kris Drever. Interestingly, in the CD's list of credits, Ms. Cortese essentially reveals the side of playing she comes down on, listing herself as playing "fiddle" rather than violin, as other of the players were. She also plays some viola and acoustic bass as well on the CD.

The opening track provides an introduction to Ms. Cortese's distinctive sound with a string ensemble that includes both folk fiddle and classical violin sounds in the same group. The song called For Catherine is about a young woman from her hometown who was sexually assaulted by a group of high school boys. It's a quite effective musical mixture. <<>>

The title piece Into the Dark is a distinctive love song which epitomizes the imaginative sound of the CD with a sometimes ominous texture that can also reach a kind of rock intensity with the strings. <<>>

Another original song called Brown Wrinkled Dress is lyrically like an old ballad with a love triangle and a death. The string ensemble is able to channel some of the emotions and drama of the lyrics. <<>>

One of the cover tunes, called Life Is Good Blues, by Laura Viers, is another example of the string ensemble on the album conveying a kind of rock energy. <<>>

A rather different mood is expressed in an original Cortese composition called Take Your Time, which is a kind of pastoral love song. <<>>

A track called Train on the Island is listed as a traditional song. It's another nice mixture of folk fiddle sounds with the classical-style ensemble arrangement. <<>>

An interesting departure from the general stylistic direction of the album is a tune called Heel to Toe by one Sean Staples. It's done in a rather different style in which the fiddle is also important, Cajun. <<>>

The CD ends with another traditional song, Lay Me Low which has about as much guitar as you'll hear on this album. It features Ms. Cortese's fiddle in a more traditional folk mode. <<>>

Fiddler and singer-songwiter Laura Cortese's new CD Into the Dark is a distinctive and enjoyable recording that features a string ensemble playing styles from folk to close to rock, in place of the regular guitars of typical folkie albums. It's also a larger group of string players than one usua - George Graham

For all the many singer-songwriters on the contemporary music scene, almost all of them accompany themselves either with a guitar or a piano or other keyboard. There have been a few exceptions we have occasionally featured on this series such as harpist Dee Carstensen, singer-songwriter cellists Ben Sollee and Lindsey Mac and blues singer-composer and trumpet player Al Basile. This week we have a new CD by a singer-songwriter-violinist named Laura Cortese, whose record is called Into the Dark. And unlike other composer-vocalists who mostly integrate their less-conventional instruments into the context of a more traditional band, Laura Cortese creates a distinctive sound with essentially a string ensemble with some percussion.

Laura Cortese is a native of the San Francisco area who came to Boston to study at the Berklee College of music and ended up staying in the city, becoming associated with both the folk scene and with alternative rockers. Her bio lists appearances with the great folksinger Pete Seeger, as well as playing with the rock group Band of Horses. She also formed a group with Aiofe O'Donovan from the eclectic acoustic group Crooked Still, and among others Jefferson Hamer in a group called Pine. After Ms. Cortese released couple of independent EPs, Into the Dark is her first full-length recording. For it, she recruited a number of eclectic string players who blur the distinction between fiddle playing and violin -- sometimes it has a definite classical chamber group sound, while at others, it resembles traditional American folk fiddle playing. Sometimes, both styles of playing can be heard on a single track. The string ensemble also extends to cellos and double basses, which Ms. Cortese sometimes plays herself. The songs are mainly original pieces but there are two traditional songs and a couple of covers which Ms. Cortese reinvents. It's all very nicely done with good quality composition, and the combination of sounds makes for often intriguing listening that nevertheless has a vaguely familiar texture.

Among the string players joining her on the album are Brittany Haas of Crooked Still, plus Hanneke Cassel, Mariel Vandersteel and Natalie Haas on the violins with Jocie Adams on the cello, plus occasional appearances by woodwind and brass players, and bits of guitar, keyboards and even drums, though they are rare on this CD. There are also some singer-songwriters who make guest appearances on backing vocals, including Jennifer Kimball, Jefferson Hamer, whose own CD with Anais Mitchell we featured recently on this series, and Scottish singer-songwriter Kris Drever. Interestingly, in the CD's list of credits, Ms. Cortese essentially reveals the side of playing she comes down on, listing herself as playing "fiddle" rather than violin, as other of the players were. She also plays some viola and acoustic bass as well on the CD.

The opening track provides an introduction to Ms. Cortese's distinctive sound with a string ensemble that includes both folk fiddle and classical violin sounds in the same group. The song called For Catherine is about a young woman from her hometown who was sexually assaulted by a group of high school boys. It's a quite effective musical mixture. <<>>

The title piece Into the Dark is a distinctive love song which epitomizes the imaginative sound of the CD with a sometimes ominous texture that can also reach a kind of rock intensity with the strings. <<>>

Another original song called Brown Wrinkled Dress is lyrically like an old ballad with a love triangle and a death. The string ensemble is able to channel some of the emotions and drama of the lyrics. <<>>

One of the cover tunes, called Life Is Good Blues, by Laura Viers, is another example of the string ensemble on the album conveying a kind of rock energy. <<>>

A rather different mood is expressed in an original Cortese composition called Take Your Time, which is a kind of pastoral love song. <<>>

A track called Train on the Island is listed as a traditional song. It's another nice mixture of folk fiddle sounds with the classical-style ensemble arrangement. <<>>

An interesting departure from the general stylistic direction of the album is a tune called Heel to Toe by one Sean Staples. It's done in a rather different style in which the fiddle is also important, Cajun. <<>>

The CD ends with another traditional song, Lay Me Low which has about as much guitar as you'll hear on this album. It features Ms. Cortese's fiddle in a more traditional folk mode. <<>>

Fiddler and singer-songwiter Laura Cortese's new CD Into the Dark is a distinctive and enjoyable recording that features a string ensemble playing styles from folk to close to rock, in place of the regular guitars of typical folkie albums. It's also a larger group of string players than one usua - George Graham

As a music genre Americana has always to my mind encompassed a wide vista of sounds and influences but the key elements the amalgamation of traditional and contemporary music, Into The Dark lifts colours from a rich musical palette and blends them perceptively to perfectively fit my descriptive, the brush strokes range from the broad and bold to delicate washes and the resulting musical landscape is one to admire from afar and in its minutiae. The album title reflects in a number of the tracks including the opening pair, on Catherine Laura deals with the heavy subject matter of sexual assault – telling the story of an incident in her hometown where a young woman was attacked by a group of high school boys, the title track is about lust, love and the difficulty we have deciding which of these emotions we are experiencing.

Laura Cortese – Into The Dark

Laura Cortese was raised in San Francisco and then moved on to Boston where she studied her chief instrument the violin at Berklee College of Music, she’s being involved the cities music scene ever since, playing and performing with a range of talent including The Low Anthem’s Jocie Adams, Band of Horses at Carnegie Hall, Pete Seeger at Newport Folk Festival and with DBT frontman Patterson Hood and Michael Franti at Seeger’s ninetieth birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden. Having already recorded a duo album with Jefferson Hamer and founded musical collective The Poison Oaks this album is the third solo release and features the talents of Brittany Haas (Crooked Still) on five-string fiddle, Scottish fiddler Hanneke Cassel, Valerie Thompson (Long Time Courting) on cello, Mariel Vandersteel (Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers) on fiddle and Natalie Haas on cello.

The strings are put to work creatively, the traditional, classical and Celtic stylings interwoven with contemporary folk-pop elements to create a wonderful collection, there is a cover version on the album, Life is Good Blues (Laura Veirs) and on the subject of covers Laura has featured on a couple of articles at my favourite cover blog Cover Lay Down who I credit with introducing these fine versions to me. - Beat Surrender

As a music genre Americana has always to my mind encompassed a wide vista of sounds and influences but the key elements the amalgamation of traditional and contemporary music, Into The Dark lifts colours from a rich musical palette and blends them perceptively to perfectively fit my descriptive, the brush strokes range from the broad and bold to delicate washes and the resulting musical landscape is one to admire from afar and in its minutiae. The album title reflects in a number of the tracks including the opening pair, on Catherine Laura deals with the heavy subject matter of sexual assault – telling the story of an incident in her hometown where a young woman was attacked by a group of high school boys, the title track is about lust, love and the difficulty we have deciding which of these emotions we are experiencing.

Laura Cortese – Into The Dark

Laura Cortese was raised in San Francisco and then moved on to Boston where she studied her chief instrument the violin at Berklee College of Music, she’s being involved the cities music scene ever since, playing and performing with a range of talent including The Low Anthem’s Jocie Adams, Band of Horses at Carnegie Hall, Pete Seeger at Newport Folk Festival and with DBT frontman Patterson Hood and Michael Franti at Seeger’s ninetieth birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden. Having already recorded a duo album with Jefferson Hamer and founded musical collective The Poison Oaks this album is the third solo release and features the talents of Brittany Haas (Crooked Still) on five-string fiddle, Scottish fiddler Hanneke Cassel, Valerie Thompson (Long Time Courting) on cello, Mariel Vandersteel (Blue Moose and the Unbuttoned Zippers) on fiddle and Natalie Haas on cello.

The strings are put to work creatively, the traditional, classical and Celtic stylings interwoven with contemporary folk-pop elements to create a wonderful collection, there is a cover version on the album, Life is Good Blues (Laura Veirs) and on the subject of covers Laura has featured on a couple of articles at my favourite cover blog Cover Lay Down who I credit with introducing these fine versions to me. - Beat Surrender

NOVEMBER 1, 2013 BY EDITOR
“Into the Dark?” by Laura Cortese
Laura Cortese?
Into the Dark?
Self-released
?4 stars (out of 5)

By Donald Teplyske

It may have seemed the cello had faded from the newgrass/folkgrass/bluegrass scene as Crooked Still left for hiatus. Outside the occasional appearance within Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings, a Peter Ostroushko album, or a guest appearance from Rushad Eggleston, the cello didn’t solidify itself within acoustiblue music subsequent to the Great Cello Scare of the late ‘aughts.

Still, this writer believes the haunting low sounds of the violoncello are always a pleasant presence when encountered within acoustic roots music. The instrument is heard throughout Laura Cortese’s (cor-TAY-zee) most recent album Into the Dark. Played by Natalie Hass and Valerie Thompson, the cello lends additional emotional depth to terrific songs including “Wrinkled Brown Dress” and “For Catherine.”

The album is more than an experiment layering cello within folk-based music. While a couple numbers flirt with a (very) liberal interpretation of bluegrass—”Heel to Toe” and “Life is Good Blues” come closest—there is no attempt here to market the album as any type of ‘grass, and I mention the genre only because the album should appeal to those of us who sometimes love gentle interpretations of the music, and Into the Dark brings to mind Crooked Still’s music—which is also not bluegrass, but…oh, never mind.

Cortese, who has released a number of low-fi projects that I am curious to experience, hails from San Francisco and moved to Boston to attend Berklee. Outside of writing the majority of the songs and singing, in a manner not unlike one has come to appreciate from the likes of Crooked Still’s Aoife O’Donovan and Rose Cousins (who appears vocally here, returning the favor of Cortese’s appearances on the beautifully executed We Have Made a Spark), Cortese plays fiddle, bass, and viola on this album’s ten tracks.

Familiar artists also appearing are Brittany Haas (5-string fiddle) of Crooked Still, vocalists Kris Drever and Jennifer Kimball, and Dirk Powell (accordion and triangle).

For this writer, “Brown Wrinkled Dress” is most appealing. Over an intense bed of strings, the vocalist slowly reveals an exquisite but sparsely written murder ballad filled with few details—an engraved gold watch and chain sparkling bright on a nightstand, “a woman in my husband’s arms”—but nonetheless revealing of the understandable ache of betrayal.
“Life is Good Blues,” a song from Laura Veirs, has the stringband swinging while things are more moody on “I Am the House” and “Village Green.” Sean Staples’ “Heel and Toe” is delightful and “Lay Me Low” has an aching Diana Jones vibe. “For Catherine” just plain hurts.

Laura Cortese takes a brave route Into the Dark. With her heart within lyric-based Americana and her soul firmly in stringband traditions, she walks a torturous path—one that listeners are well-advised to explore with her. - Lonesome Road Review

NOVEMBER 1, 2013 BY EDITOR
“Into the Dark?” by Laura Cortese
Laura Cortese?
Into the Dark?
Self-released
?4 stars (out of 5)

By Donald Teplyske

It may have seemed the cello had faded from the newgrass/folkgrass/bluegrass scene as Crooked Still left for hiatus. Outside the occasional appearance within Darol Anger’s Republic of Strings, a Peter Ostroushko album, or a guest appearance from Rushad Eggleston, the cello didn’t solidify itself within acoustiblue music subsequent to the Great Cello Scare of the late ‘aughts.

Still, this writer believes the haunting low sounds of the violoncello are always a pleasant presence when encountered within acoustic roots music. The instrument is heard throughout Laura Cortese’s (cor-TAY-zee) most recent album Into the Dark. Played by Natalie Hass and Valerie Thompson, the cello lends additional emotional depth to terrific songs including “Wrinkled Brown Dress” and “For Catherine.”

The album is more than an experiment layering cello within folk-based music. While a couple numbers flirt with a (very) liberal interpretation of bluegrass—”Heel to Toe” and “Life is Good Blues” come closest—there is no attempt here to market the album as any type of ‘grass, and I mention the genre only because the album should appeal to those of us who sometimes love gentle interpretations of the music, and Into the Dark brings to mind Crooked Still’s music—which is also not bluegrass, but…oh, never mind.

Cortese, who has released a number of low-fi projects that I am curious to experience, hails from San Francisco and moved to Boston to attend Berklee. Outside of writing the majority of the songs and singing, in a manner not unlike one has come to appreciate from the likes of Crooked Still’s Aoife O’Donovan and Rose Cousins (who appears vocally here, returning the favor of Cortese’s appearances on the beautifully executed We Have Made a Spark), Cortese plays fiddle, bass, and viola on this album’s ten tracks.

Familiar artists also appearing are Brittany Haas (5-string fiddle) of Crooked Still, vocalists Kris Drever and Jennifer Kimball, and Dirk Powell (accordion and triangle).

For this writer, “Brown Wrinkled Dress” is most appealing. Over an intense bed of strings, the vocalist slowly reveals an exquisite but sparsely written murder ballad filled with few details—an engraved gold watch and chain sparkling bright on a nightstand, “a woman in my husband’s arms”—but nonetheless revealing of the understandable ache of betrayal.
“Life is Good Blues,” a song from Laura Veirs, has the stringband swinging while things are more moody on “I Am the House” and “Village Green.” Sean Staples’ “Heel and Toe” is delightful and “Lay Me Low” has an aching Diana Jones vibe. “For Catherine” just plain hurts.

Laura Cortese takes a brave route Into the Dark. With her heart within lyric-based Americana and her soul firmly in stringband traditions, she walks a torturous path—one that listeners are well-advised to explore with her. - Lonesome Road Review

Reviewed by Art Menius (WMMT-FM, WCOM-FM, WCHL-FM)

Laura Cortese has been making substantial recordings for almost a decade, collaborating with the likes of Jefferson Hamer, Rose Cousins, Aoife O’Donovan, and Brittany & Natalie Haas. Her fifth project, Into the Dark, is where her potential matures into a compelling blend of traditional and pop-folk music. This is potent, rich music that demands repeated listening.

Cortese fuses the new and old, as well as classical, folk, and pop influences, into one unified sound of her own that takes full form on Into the Dark. Using the talents of Hamer, Cousins, the Haases, fiddlers Mariel Vandersteel and Hanneke Cassel, Dirk Powell, and many others, Cortese crafts an acoustic wall of sound that propels her confident vocal delivery.

Cortese’s voice gives us lyrics that blend the old and new just as powerfully as her compelling music. She jumps off from classical folk idioms (“Richmond boys they cheat and steal; Drinking brandy til they get their fill” starts the album on “For Catherine”) into modern issues like violence against women (“Broken bottle there I lay; Brandy mixing with cold clay”). The title track is a tour de force of writing, performance, production, everything – a tune that can be played on commercial, public, and community radio from pop to folk to trad.

Many excellent albums have already appeared in 2013. Laura Cortese’s Into the Dark could be the best so far. - Art Menius

Reviewed by Art Menius (WMMT-FM, WCOM-FM, WCHL-FM)

Laura Cortese has been making substantial recordings for almost a decade, collaborating with the likes of Jefferson Hamer, Rose Cousins, Aoife O’Donovan, and Brittany & Natalie Haas. Her fifth project, Into the Dark, is where her potential matures into a compelling blend of traditional and pop-folk music. This is potent, rich music that demands repeated listening.

Cortese fuses the new and old, as well as classical, folk, and pop influences, into one unified sound of her own that takes full form on Into the Dark. Using the talents of Hamer, Cousins, the Haases, fiddlers Mariel Vandersteel and Hanneke Cassel, Dirk Powell, and many others, Cortese crafts an acoustic wall of sound that propels her confident vocal delivery.

Cortese’s voice gives us lyrics that blend the old and new just as powerfully as her compelling music. She jumps off from classical folk idioms (“Richmond boys they cheat and steal; Drinking brandy til they get their fill” starts the album on “For Catherine”) into modern issues like violence against women (“Broken bottle there I lay; Brandy mixing with cold clay”). The title track is a tour de force of writing, performance, production, everything – a tune that can be played on commercial, public, and community radio from pop to folk to trad.

Many excellent albums have already appeared in 2013. Laura Cortese’s Into the Dark could be the best so far. - Art Menius

We can learn a lot from how Boston fiddler and songwriter Laura Cortese (cor-TAY-zee) approaches her music. On her new album, Into the Dark, she’s turned the humblest sounds and ideas from American roots music into a gloriously ambitious musical project. The album centers on her masterful songwriting, but feels like a huge community affair, bringing in her many friends from the Boston acoustic music scene and abroad. She does everything on a large scale here, flying in friends from afar, arranging wickedly complex, borderline-classical string movements, singing with a power bordering on triumphant, writing compelling original songs, fiddling like a woman possessed, and drawing back into her creative muse to pull forth entrancingly beautiful ballads. Cortese’s not content to rest on her laurels as one of the best young American fiddlers (originally inspired by the Scottish fiddling of Alasdair Fraser), or as a lion of Boston’s creatively-electric roots music scene. She plays every song on this album (and every show) with an enthusiasm as fresh as her inventive fiddle lines and vocal interpretations. Behind the boldness and passion, Into the Dark shows at its root a deep confidence in the power of music played without artifice of any kind.

As one of the most in-demand side players in Boston, Cortese’s far-reaching career has included stints as an instrumentalist with Band of Horses, Pete Seeger, Rose Cousins, Jocie Adams (of the Low Anthem), and Uncle Earl. She recorded a duo album with Jefferson Hamer, founded musical collective The Poison Oaks with roots music icons like Aoife O’Donovan and Sam Amidon, and has released two solo albums under her own name. The past few years have found Cortese in creative overdrive, balancing sideman duties, solo tours, and recording sessions. With Into the Dark, all this energy spirals into one central place, which explains the album’s powerful sense of focus.

Though Into the Dark features carefully curated covers (Laura Veirs’ “Life is Good Blues,” the incredibly catchy “Heel to Toe” from Sean Staples, a beautifully-stripped back version of the stringband classic “Train on the Island”), most of the songs come from Cortese’s pen. There’s a push and pull here between the past and the present: though her songs are foundationally based on American folk music, they also tackle current issues. “Brown Wrinkled Dress” is a vintage Americana story set to song, evoking subtle and beautiful images (a steamed up window, a gold watch and chain) to tell the oldest tale: a man’s betrayal of his wife. But the opening track, “For Catherine,” though it too seems to be based on tradition, speaks to the chilling and brutal rape in 2009 of a young woman in Richmond, California (close to Cortese’s hometown of San Francisco). “Village Green” states the album’s mission and speaks to Cortese’s greater purpose as an artist. “And in the dark I would sing/Sing a song whispered low/Singing for the people in the shadows. I would not wish for petticoats or gloves of crocheted lace/But for a story worth being told…” - Hearth Music

We can learn a lot from how Boston fiddler and songwriter Laura Cortese (cor-TAY-zee) approaches her music. On her new album, Into the Dark, she’s turned the humblest sounds and ideas from American roots music into a gloriously ambitious musical project. The album centers on her masterful songwriting, but feels like a huge community affair, bringing in her many friends from the Boston acoustic music scene and abroad. She does everything on a large scale here, flying in friends from afar, arranging wickedly complex, borderline-classical string movements, singing with a power bordering on triumphant, writing compelling original songs, fiddling like a woman possessed, and drawing back into her creative muse to pull forth entrancingly beautiful ballads. Cortese’s not content to rest on her laurels as one of the best young American fiddlers (originally inspired by the Scottish fiddling of Alasdair Fraser), or as a lion of Boston’s creatively-electric roots music scene. She plays every song on this album (and every show) with an enthusiasm as fresh as her inventive fiddle lines and vocal interpretations. Behind the boldness and passion, Into the Dark shows at its root a deep confidence in the power of music played without artifice of any kind.

As one of the most in-demand side players in Boston, Cortese’s far-reaching career has included stints as an instrumentalist with Band of Horses, Pete Seeger, Rose Cousins, Jocie Adams (of the Low Anthem), and Uncle Earl. She recorded a duo album with Jefferson Hamer, founded musical collective The Poison Oaks with roots music icons like Aoife O’Donovan and Sam Amidon, and has released two solo albums under her own name. The past few years have found Cortese in creative overdrive, balancing sideman duties, solo tours, and recording sessions. With Into the Dark, all this energy spirals into one central place, which explains the album’s powerful sense of focus.

Though Into the Dark features carefully curated covers (Laura Veirs’ “Life is Good Blues,” the incredibly catchy “Heel to Toe” from Sean Staples, a beautifully-stripped back version of the stringband classic “Train on the Island”), most of the songs come from Cortese’s pen. There’s a push and pull here between the past and the present: though her songs are foundationally based on American folk music, they also tackle current issues. “Brown Wrinkled Dress” is a vintage Americana story set to song, evoking subtle and beautiful images (a steamed up window, a gold watch and chain) to tell the oldest tale: a man’s betrayal of his wife. But the opening track, “For Catherine,” though it too seems to be based on tradition, speaks to the chilling and brutal rape in 2009 of a young woman in Richmond, California (close to Cortese’s hometown of San Francisco). “Village Green” states the album’s mission and speaks to Cortese’s greater purpose as an artist. “And in the dark I would sing/Sing a song whispered low/Singing for the people in the shadows. I would not wish for petticoats or gloves of crocheted lace/But for a story worth being told…” - Hearth Music

This EP is sheer class. Laura Cortese has many fans in the UK and I first saw her in concert when she toured with Uncle Earl as a guest member of the band, she sang a couple of tunes during the show and I was instantly hooked. On this seven track CD Laura sings and plays fiddle and is joined by Natalie Haas (cello), Brittany Haas (5-string fiddle) and Hanneke Cassel (fiddle). Her voice is pure and sweet on the tender "Women of The Ages," which has some fine cello from Natalie, she is vocally superb on the delightful "Wade on In," and she shows her amazing talent with the fiddle on the instrumental "5 Tune" and the the pacey bluegrass tune "Greasy Coat." Terrific CD from a major Talent. - Maverick Magazine November 2010

This EP is sheer class. Laura Cortese has many fans in the UK and I first saw her in concert when she toured with Uncle Earl as a guest member of the band, she sang a couple of tunes during the show and I was instantly hooked. On this seven track CD Laura sings and plays fiddle and is joined by Natalie Haas (cello), Brittany Haas (5-string fiddle) and Hanneke Cassel (fiddle). Her voice is pure and sweet on the tender "Women of The Ages," which has some fine cello from Natalie, she is vocally superb on the delightful "Wade on In," and she shows her amazing talent with the fiddle on the instrumental "5 Tune" and the the pacey bluegrass tune "Greasy Coat." Terrific CD from a major Talent. - Maverick Magazine November 2010

This is a ridiculously talented woman, drawing tones so rich from her fiddle you can taste them (and they are delicious…like cake) and singing in Americana folk/country/bluegrass styles with such a perfect voice for those forms that it’s hard to believe one person could yield two instruments so well. I challenge anyone not to be thrilled by the spirited, awesome fiddle-ocity on this record. - Roctober

This is a ridiculously talented woman, drawing tones so rich from her fiddle you can taste them (and they are delicious…like cake) and singing in Americana folk/country/bluegrass styles with such a perfect voice for those forms that it’s hard to believe one person could yield two instruments so well. I challenge anyone not to be thrilled by the spirited, awesome fiddle-ocity on this record. - Roctober

There are beguiling sauciness, whisper-of-truth articulations, and knowing winks in this elegant string quartet effort. Tender, quietly formidable violin reigns from its midst. Laura spins Celtic-air webs that reward as abundantly as they impressively promise.

Herein are lofted too-rare delights: a laughing lilt to this moment, an arch maneuver to the next. Spirited frolic, leaving a glow of good fortune.

Laura is marvelously aided by Hanneke Cassel, and Natalie and Brittany Haas. As one, the four contrive enthralling melodic charms that beckon through both olde manners and effectively of-this-moment assertions.

Amazing, the force alurk in dancing strings, delicate voicings, and hearts quite open.

Recommended "Overcome," "Women of the Ages" - Damnation Dance Party

There are beguiling sauciness, whisper-of-truth articulations, and knowing winks in this elegant string quartet effort. Tender, quietly formidable violin reigns from its midst. Laura spins Celtic-air webs that reward as abundantly as they impressively promise.

Herein are lofted too-rare delights: a laughing lilt to this moment, an arch maneuver to the next. Spirited frolic, leaving a glow of good fortune.

Laura is marvelously aided by Hanneke Cassel, and Natalie and Brittany Haas. As one, the four contrive enthralling melodic charms that beckon through both olde manners and effectively of-this-moment assertions.

Amazing, the force alurk in dancing strings, delicate voicings, and hearts quite open.

Recommended "Overcome," "Women of the Ages" - Damnation Dance Party

Laura Cortese’s latest issue, Acoustic Project, a five-song cycle performed with cello and fiddle by Cortese and a few co-artists, stands alone as a solid introduction to the artist. Cortese gets ample opportunity on the EP to show off her instrumentals, light but sweet as honey voice and earnest well written lyrics.

Yet with two of the five tracks dedicated solely to instrumentals, the album’s weakness is revealed. While always well played and interesting to the ear, too often the compositions are scattered and without melody. They play in a similar vein to Appalachian Journey (Yo Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Mark O’Connor’s epic album) in that both are lively and soaring, but with much less restraint in the instance of Acoustic Project. Here the orchestrations seem to override the vocals and create a discordant sound — detracting from the song as a whole.

The track that suffers most is the promising “Overcome,” in which its fine lyrics and adept vocals fight to rise to the surface of sound. “Wrapped in blankets in the dark/ I wait to hear the traffic start/ Twist my hair between my fingers/ Bite my lip where your kiss lingers … Whispering my indiscretion/ Are you standing on the edge hoping I’ll pull you in/ Sit beside me/ rest your head there/ so we can finally settle in.” The album’s beacon is the subdued and excellent “Women of the Ages,” which finds the perfect balance that eludes the rest of the album.

Despite the album’s imperfections, it’s refreshing to see a dedication and attention to a genre with relatively little exposure in today’s music world. And while this was more of a project to play and pay tribute to co-artists, there’s no denying the talent on board. - Stereo Subversion

Laura Cortese’s latest issue, Acoustic Project, a five-song cycle performed with cello and fiddle by Cortese and a few co-artists, stands alone as a solid introduction to the artist. Cortese gets ample opportunity on the EP to show off her instrumentals, light but sweet as honey voice and earnest well written lyrics.

Yet with two of the five tracks dedicated solely to instrumentals, the album’s weakness is revealed. While always well played and interesting to the ear, too often the compositions are scattered and without melody. They play in a similar vein to Appalachian Journey (Yo Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, and Mark O’Connor’s epic album) in that both are lively and soaring, but with much less restraint in the instance of Acoustic Project. Here the orchestrations seem to override the vocals and create a discordant sound — detracting from the song as a whole.

The track that suffers most is the promising “Overcome,” in which its fine lyrics and adept vocals fight to rise to the surface of sound. “Wrapped in blankets in the dark/ I wait to hear the traffic start/ Twist my hair between my fingers/ Bite my lip where your kiss lingers … Whispering my indiscretion/ Are you standing on the edge hoping I’ll pull you in/ Sit beside me/ rest your head there/ so we can finally settle in.” The album’s beacon is the subdued and excellent “Women of the Ages,” which finds the perfect balance that eludes the rest of the album.

Despite the album’s imperfections, it’s refreshing to see a dedication and attention to a genre with relatively little exposure in today’s music world. And while this was more of a project to play and pay tribute to co-artists, there’s no denying the talent on board. - Stereo Subversion

Laura Cortese is a singer/songwriter who plays a mean fiddle and has put together an all female string quartet to record her Acoustic Project EP. The group of players consists of Natalie Hass on cello, Brittany Haas contributing the 5-string fiddle parts while Hanneke Cassel strums and plucks the 4-string fiddle. The style of tunes presented by the ladies ranges all over the folk world. There are acoustic pop such as “Perfect Tuesdays”, old rural traditional numbers like “Greasy Coat” and a Celtic flair that emerges on “Women Of The Ages”.

The playing is first class with Cortese’s voice suited perfectly for the easy string support; the group meshes effortlessly presenting a unified string summit. The only downsides to the EP lie in the repetitiveness and the ordering of the songs presented. “Overcome” is a dense original that is layered with intertwined lyrics peaks and valleys and overwhelms as the opener and may be better suited later on; perhaps breaking up the two instrumentals in the middle of Acoustic Project. Then again you could just turn shuffle on and enjoy the foursomes fiddling folk finesse. - Glide Magazine Online

Laura Cortese is a singer/songwriter who plays a mean fiddle and has put together an all female string quartet to record her Acoustic Project EP. The group of players consists of Natalie Hass on cello, Brittany Haas contributing the 5-string fiddle parts while Hanneke Cassel strums and plucks the 4-string fiddle. The style of tunes presented by the ladies ranges all over the folk world. There are acoustic pop such as “Perfect Tuesdays”, old rural traditional numbers like “Greasy Coat” and a Celtic flair that emerges on “Women Of The Ages”.

The playing is first class with Cortese’s voice suited perfectly for the easy string support; the group meshes effortlessly presenting a unified string summit. The only downsides to the EP lie in the repetitiveness and the ordering of the songs presented. “Overcome” is a dense original that is layered with intertwined lyrics peaks and valleys and overwhelms as the opener and may be better suited later on; perhaps breaking up the two instrumentals in the middle of Acoustic Project. Then again you could just turn shuffle on and enjoy the foursomes fiddling folk finesse. - Glide Magazine Online

Laura Cortese had developed a well-earned reputation as fiddle master, playing alongside such artists as Michael Franti, Tao Seeger, Uncle Earl and Band Of Horses. With grace, poise and a bit of the fire that's part raw talent, part training and a whole lot of inspiration, Cortese has risen out of the New England folk scene to be considered on a par with nationally known traditional violin players. It would be easy to overlook that she's fine songwriter and vocalist in her own right, but that would be a mistake. Cortese shows why on the seven song EP Acoustic Project.

Cortese opens Acoustic Project with "Overcome", painting emotions and moments in words in a highly inventive arrangement textured with strings and her warm, moving voice. "Perfect Tuesdays" is the lonely single life in a very catchy country tune. Cortese explores chance meetings with conscience clear in a well-written tune that would have significant commercial potential in a more high-gloss musical setting. "5 Tune" is an instrumental jam that soars. Cortese shows off the depth and fire to her fiddle playing in a musical aside that inspire you to get up and dance. "Du Petit Sarney Et Reel A Deux" again finds Cortese displaying her instrumental talents, this time on a slowed down reel. "Women Of The Ages" is a song dedicated to the hardships of women down through the years. It's a touching song that makes the moments that historians often forget yet which feed the fires of history. "Wade On In" is an invitation to love and its pleasures. It's well-written but the energy is a little flat here and might fare better in a more upbeat and vibrant arrangement. Cortese closes with the barn-burning classic "Greasy Coat", playing like she herself is on fire.

Laura Cortese is a talent both with a bow in her hands and behind the microphone. Acoustic Project is a rough musical sketch of her talents, a candid photograph taken under harsh light. Consequently you get to see a few of the fissures that the gloss of high production values wipe away, but in the process Cortese shows listeners what real art sounds like. There's no flash here, just honest-to-goodness, down home talent. - Wildy's World

Laura Cortese had developed a well-earned reputation as fiddle master, playing alongside such artists as Michael Franti, Tao Seeger, Uncle Earl and Band Of Horses. With grace, poise and a bit of the fire that's part raw talent, part training and a whole lot of inspiration, Cortese has risen out of the New England folk scene to be considered on a par with nationally known traditional violin players. It would be easy to overlook that she's fine songwriter and vocalist in her own right, but that would be a mistake. Cortese shows why on the seven song EP Acoustic Project.

Cortese opens Acoustic Project with "Overcome", painting emotions and moments in words in a highly inventive arrangement textured with strings and her warm, moving voice. "Perfect Tuesdays" is the lonely single life in a very catchy country tune. Cortese explores chance meetings with conscience clear in a well-written tune that would have significant commercial potential in a more high-gloss musical setting. "5 Tune" is an instrumental jam that soars. Cortese shows off the depth and fire to her fiddle playing in a musical aside that inspire you to get up and dance. "Du Petit Sarney Et Reel A Deux" again finds Cortese displaying her instrumental talents, this time on a slowed down reel. "Women Of The Ages" is a song dedicated to the hardships of women down through the years. It's a touching song that makes the moments that historians often forget yet which feed the fires of history. "Wade On In" is an invitation to love and its pleasures. It's well-written but the energy is a little flat here and might fare better in a more upbeat and vibrant arrangement. Cortese closes with the barn-burning classic "Greasy Coat", playing like she herself is on fire.

Laura Cortese is a talent both with a bow in her hands and behind the microphone. Acoustic Project is a rough musical sketch of her talents, a candid photograph taken under harsh light. Consequently you get to see a few of the fissures that the gloss of high production values wipe away, but in the process Cortese shows listeners what real art sounds like. There's no flash here, just honest-to-goodness, down home talent. - Wildy's World

By: Sarah Joblin

Rich, percussive string arrangements are the beating heart of Laura Cortese's new album, Acoustic Project; her pure voice and soulful fiddle playing to soar with nary a guitar or piano accompaniment in sight. Instead, Cortese collaborated with notable string talents Natalie Haas, cello; Brittany Hass, five-string fiddle; and Hanneke Cassel, fiddle. While the opening track "Overcome" is a bit slow off the block, from track two onward the album is pure joy. The sassiness of Cortese's original "Perfect Tuesdays" lighthearted talk of a one-night stand juxtaposes nicely against the heartbroken folk ballad quality of "Women Through the Ages," which takes a poem of the same title by John Beaton that Cortese set to music - using pizzicato strings to great effect.
The two tracks that have no vocals at all -"5 Tune," a boisterous string extravaganza with lovely three part fiddle harmony in parts in 5/4, and "Du Petit Sarny Et Reel A Deux," a pair of bouncy solo fiddle tunes - are the most toe-tapping on the album. We get a glimpse of summer romance in the laid back "Wade On In," while the final track, "Greasy Coat," sounds like an old-time mountain song that found its way into the 21st century string world. (Self-released) - Performer Magazine Online

By: Sarah Joblin

Rich, percussive string arrangements are the beating heart of Laura Cortese's new album, Acoustic Project; her pure voice and soulful fiddle playing to soar with nary a guitar or piano accompaniment in sight. Instead, Cortese collaborated with notable string talents Natalie Haas, cello; Brittany Hass, five-string fiddle; and Hanneke Cassel, fiddle. While the opening track "Overcome" is a bit slow off the block, from track two onward the album is pure joy. The sassiness of Cortese's original "Perfect Tuesdays" lighthearted talk of a one-night stand juxtaposes nicely against the heartbroken folk ballad quality of "Women Through the Ages," which takes a poem of the same title by John Beaton that Cortese set to music - using pizzicato strings to great effect.
The two tracks that have no vocals at all -"5 Tune," a boisterous string extravaganza with lovely three part fiddle harmony in parts in 5/4, and "Du Petit Sarny Et Reel A Deux," a pair of bouncy solo fiddle tunes - are the most toe-tapping on the album. We get a glimpse of summer romance in the laid back "Wade On In," while the final track, "Greasy Coat," sounds like an old-time mountain song that found its way into the 21st century string world. (Self-released) - Performer Magazine Online

Acoustic Project is an eclectic seven track EP for a most unconventional string quartet put together by fiddler, vocalist Laura Cortese. The other musicians are Natalie Haas on the cello, Brittany Haas on the five string fiddle, and Hanneke Cassel on the fiddle. Cortese wrote the music for five of the songs, as well as the lyrics for two.
The varied tracks echo with traditional fiddle blue grass and Cajun influences as well as pop and jazz lines. Lyrics cross genres as well, with nods to traditional folk ballads as in "Wade on In" and pop disillusion in "Overcome." Cortese has a voice that can drip with ironic sweetness or soar with driving passion at times complementing the pulsating strings, at times struggling against them. Her EP is a masterful blend of sound and sense (with apologies to Alexander Pope. Acoustic Project is the work of a true artist.
Two of the tracks are instrumentals: "5 Tune" which features Brittany Haas' five string fiddle and "Du Petit Sarny et Reel a Deux" two pieces in the traditional mode by French Canadian fiddler, Eric Favreau. There are also some nice opportunities for solo work in the arrangements of many of the other tracks.
The traditional "Greasy Coat" ends the EP with a kind of homage to the fiddle's Blue Grass roots. "Women of the Ages" contrasts prettily plucked strings with John Beaton's bleak lyric spoken by mothers who have lost sons, widows, and women who have been left pregnant. "We're the women of the ages," wails the chorus, "wooed to walk the aisles of grief; / we're the wear on well worn pages / where posterity retraces deeds of men in bold relief."
Corteses' lyrics can be equally bleak. "Overcome" is the quiet assessment of a relationship when the passionate moment is over. The lover has left the bed and remorse has set in. Ironically the singer listens to the traffic "whispering my indiscretion" as the lover gazes out the window looking for an answer that he can't find. "Wade on In" is a seduction ballad that looks back in its dialogue form to the Middle Ages and the Popular Ballad. "Perfect Tuesdays" is a kind of modern plaint over loneliness and sham relationships:To all you strangers out there listening / In vintage suits, printed tees and straight fit jeans / It's not the same when I know it's just game / You're not the one just the boy of the weeks it seems.
According to her press release, Acoustic Project is the second release in a three part EP series to be followed by a full length album. The first of the series Two Amps, One Microphone came out earlier this year.
Cortese teamed with Jefferson Hamer and recorded a program of "Celtic-influenced American rock songs" after a year of performing together. Hamer's website says that the EP, which contains nine tracks, is only available as yet at live concerts. The play list includes Cortese's "Wade on In" and "Overcome" as well as songs by Hamer and Gram Parsons' "A Song For You." Some of the songs from the album are available free on the "KCBS In-Studio Performances Podcast" from iTunes.
You can check out "Perfect Tuesdays" on Cortese's website as well as one of her duets with Hamer: "Let's Get Rowdy." Check it out. If you like the fiddle, if you like modern folk rock, hell if you like music, you'll like Laura Cortese.
- Blogcitics.org

Acoustic Project is an eclectic seven track EP for a most unconventional string quartet put together by fiddler, vocalist Laura Cortese. The other musicians are Natalie Haas on the cello, Brittany Haas on the five string fiddle, and Hanneke Cassel on the fiddle. Cortese wrote the music for five of the songs, as well as the lyrics for two.
The varied tracks echo with traditional fiddle blue grass and Cajun influences as well as pop and jazz lines. Lyrics cross genres as well, with nods to traditional folk ballads as in "Wade on In" and pop disillusion in "Overcome." Cortese has a voice that can drip with ironic sweetness or soar with driving passion at times complementing the pulsating strings, at times struggling against them. Her EP is a masterful blend of sound and sense (with apologies to Alexander Pope. Acoustic Project is the work of a true artist.
Two of the tracks are instrumentals: "5 Tune" which features Brittany Haas' five string fiddle and "Du Petit Sarny et Reel a Deux" two pieces in the traditional mode by French Canadian fiddler, Eric Favreau. There are also some nice opportunities for solo work in the arrangements of many of the other tracks.
The traditional "Greasy Coat" ends the EP with a kind of homage to the fiddle's Blue Grass roots. "Women of the Ages" contrasts prettily plucked strings with John Beaton's bleak lyric spoken by mothers who have lost sons, widows, and women who have been left pregnant. "We're the women of the ages," wails the chorus, "wooed to walk the aisles of grief; / we're the wear on well worn pages / where posterity retraces deeds of men in bold relief."
Corteses' lyrics can be equally bleak. "Overcome" is the quiet assessment of a relationship when the passionate moment is over. The lover has left the bed and remorse has set in. Ironically the singer listens to the traffic "whispering my indiscretion" as the lover gazes out the window looking for an answer that he can't find. "Wade on In" is a seduction ballad that looks back in its dialogue form to the Middle Ages and the Popular Ballad. "Perfect Tuesdays" is a kind of modern plaint over loneliness and sham relationships:To all you strangers out there listening / In vintage suits, printed tees and straight fit jeans / It's not the same when I know it's just game / You're not the one just the boy of the weeks it seems.
According to her press release, Acoustic Project is the second release in a three part EP series to be followed by a full length album. The first of the series Two Amps, One Microphone came out earlier this year.
Cortese teamed with Jefferson Hamer and recorded a program of "Celtic-influenced American rock songs" after a year of performing together. Hamer's website says that the EP, which contains nine tracks, is only available as yet at live concerts. The play list includes Cortese's "Wade on In" and "Overcome" as well as songs by Hamer and Gram Parsons' "A Song For You." Some of the songs from the album are available free on the "KCBS In-Studio Performances Podcast" from iTunes.
You can check out "Perfect Tuesdays" on Cortese's website as well as one of her duets with Hamer: "Let's Get Rowdy." Check it out. If you like the fiddle, if you like modern folk rock, hell if you like music, you'll like Laura Cortese.
- Blogcitics.org

While recording "Even the Lost Creek"- her engaging, transfixing pop-folk debut-Laura Cortese elected to hole up with her musicians for a solid week in the connecticut countryside.

The band that binds together, shines together, she figured. "I wanted to have everyone in the same place for the entire recording,"Cortese said. "I find you really develop a certain momentum and you gel in adifferent way when you're all living, eating and cooking for each other. "There were certain experiences we had when we were staying at this house. Outside, there was a tomato garden, and you'd run out and pull a warm tomato off the vine and run back in and work together some more." That organic vibe - and a hushed, gentle intimacy - permeates "Even the Lost Creek." It's a remarkably assured debut, though Cortese isn't exactly a music newcomer.

As a child in California, where she grew up a major fan of Otis Redding and U2, she attended the Valley of the Moon Fiddle Camp, founded by Cottish fiddle great Alasdair Fraser.
"It sounds uptight, but it was really a group of musicians and their littel kids running around," Cortese said with a laugh. "You'd have 2-year-olds and then like 80 year-olds and everyone in between. Everyone goes to take fiddle lessons ostensibly, but it's a week-long music party.

"There are nights where people cook up soup, nights where you dress up and have a ball. There were nights you'd stay up all night telling stories, or walk to the creek and sing together. I started going when I was 12."

There she learned to appreciate music as a community, as well as old-time fiddle and traditional songs. Next came the Berklee School of Music in Boston, where Cortese studied the music business and played in Halali, a Celtic-leaning band that issued a CD and toured.
After she graduated, Cortese toured folk clubs, befriending musicians. That's how she met Zack Hickman, a bass player with Josh Ritter. She felt an immediate musical kinship with him and with guitarist Jesse Harper. On the road, they'd hang out after shows and sing together lat into the night.

"It really felt natural to be playing music together," Cortese said. "You didn't feel like you were working at all. It just felt like you were having fun. We were talking and Zack asked when I was going to make a record. I was like, 'I don't know - you want to produce?'" He did. Ritter helped out, too, contributing two unrecorded songs, including the mornful "Bluejays." "It's about a child losing a parent, and my father passed when I was 18," Cortese said. "I'd never been abe to write a song about that before. So it was amazing to hear what I wnet through at that time and what that experience meant to me in Josh's words. It felt like it's what I'd wanted to say. He's such a beautiful writer." The jazz-tinged, gypsy fiddle laced title cut, written by [Kristin Andreassen &] Dan Rose, has a mysterious, late-night Peggy Lee feel. Again, Cortese felt a personal connection. "I used to go camping with my family in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and there's a Lost Creek in there, " she said. "You'd see the sign from the road. When I first heard that song, it instantly reminded me of that place."
She's also fond of "Night Train to Chelsea," the CD's last cut, written by Michael Tarbox of the Tarbox Ramblers. "I can't even describe how cool that song is," she said. "That was the one we recorded on the last night, and we did it in one take, eveyone singing it all night long. We had to add harmony vocals, but it's literally the first take. It had so much energy that night, I woke up with it in my head the next morning."

"Even the Lost Creek" aslo features a couple overtly Celtic tunes, such as "Mulqueen's." But most of it melds Cortese's love of traditional music with contemporary production and her exquisite vocals. The captivating results could easily seduce adult-alternative listners.

Cortese says it sounds like her, which is all she wanted. "This is the most me I've ever felt [from a CD]," she said. "I like to think of it as sounding like a party, with everything from a late-night jam that would have frantic fiddle energy right down to slow quiet really rich harmony singing. It kind of takes you on a journey with peaks and valleys, like you would when you're sitting around jamming with your friends."

Which is pretty much what they did in Connecticut and will also do on tour. Hickman cleared out his schedule to tour with her, as did drummer Eric PLatz. Edward O'Day will stand in for Harper on guitar.
"Josh has a new recording in the spring, so this is the last little window of opportunity for Zack and me to play together," Cortese said, "I'm excited."

- Dave Richards-The Erie Times

While recording "Even the Lost Creek"- her engaging, transfixing pop-folk debut-Laura Cortese elected to hole up with her musicians for a solid week in the connecticut countryside.

The band that binds together, shines together, she figured. "I wanted to have everyone in the same place for the entire recording,"Cortese said. "I find you really develop a certain momentum and you gel in adifferent way when you're all living, eating and cooking for each other. "There were certain experiences we had when we were staying at this house. Outside, there was a tomato garden, and you'd run out and pull a warm tomato off the vine and run back in and work together some more." That organic vibe - and a hushed, gentle intimacy - permeates "Even the Lost Creek." It's a remarkably assured debut, though Cortese isn't exactly a music newcomer.

As a child in California, where she grew up a major fan of Otis Redding and U2, she attended the Valley of the Moon Fiddle Camp, founded by Cottish fiddle great Alasdair Fraser.
"It sounds uptight, but it was really a group of musicians and their littel kids running around," Cortese said with a laugh. "You'd have 2-year-olds and then like 80 year-olds and everyone in between. Everyone goes to take fiddle lessons ostensibly, but it's a week-long music party.

"There are nights where people cook up soup, nights where you dress up and have a ball. There were nights you'd stay up all night telling stories, or walk to the creek and sing together. I started going when I was 12."

There she learned to appreciate music as a community, as well as old-time fiddle and traditional songs. Next came the Berklee School of Music in Boston, where Cortese studied the music business and played in Halali, a Celtic-leaning band that issued a CD and toured.
After she graduated, Cortese toured folk clubs, befriending musicians. That's how she met Zack Hickman, a bass player with Josh Ritter. She felt an immediate musical kinship with him and with guitarist Jesse Harper. On the road, they'd hang out after shows and sing together lat into the night.

"It really felt natural to be playing music together," Cortese said. "You didn't feel like you were working at all. It just felt like you were having fun. We were talking and Zack asked when I was going to make a record. I was like, 'I don't know - you want to produce?'" He did. Ritter helped out, too, contributing two unrecorded songs, including the mornful "Bluejays." "It's about a child losing a parent, and my father passed when I was 18," Cortese said. "I'd never been abe to write a song about that before. So it was amazing to hear what I wnet through at that time and what that experience meant to me in Josh's words. It felt like it's what I'd wanted to say. He's such a beautiful writer." The jazz-tinged, gypsy fiddle laced title cut, written by [Kristin Andreassen &] Dan Rose, has a mysterious, late-night Peggy Lee feel. Again, Cortese felt a personal connection. "I used to go camping with my family in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and there's a Lost Creek in there, " she said. "You'd see the sign from the road. When I first heard that song, it instantly reminded me of that place."
She's also fond of "Night Train to Chelsea," the CD's last cut, written by Michael Tarbox of the Tarbox Ramblers. "I can't even describe how cool that song is," she said. "That was the one we recorded on the last night, and we did it in one take, eveyone singing it all night long. We had to add harmony vocals, but it's literally the first take. It had so much energy that night, I woke up with it in my head the next morning."

"Even the Lost Creek" aslo features a couple overtly Celtic tunes, such as "Mulqueen's." But most of it melds Cortese's love of traditional music with contemporary production and her exquisite vocals. The captivating results could easily seduce adult-alternative listners.

Cortese says it sounds like her, which is all she wanted. "This is the most me I've ever felt [from a CD]," she said. "I like to think of it as sounding like a party, with everything from a late-night jam that would have frantic fiddle energy right down to slow quiet really rich harmony singing. It kind of takes you on a journey with peaks and valleys, like you would when you're sitting around jamming with your friends."

Which is pretty much what they did in Connecticut and will also do on tour. Hickman cleared out his schedule to tour with her, as did drummer Eric PLatz. Edward O'Day will stand in for Harper on guitar.
"Josh has a new recording in the spring, so this is the last little window of opportunity for Zack and me to play together," Cortese said, "I'm excited."

- Dave Richards-The Erie Times

Laura Cortese recorded her 2002 debut, "Hush" in an apartment across the street from Berklee College. But it's only on "Even the Lost Creek," that Cortese's gifts are fully realized, thanks in part to the creative alliance she's formed with guitarist Jesse Harper and producer/musician Zack Hickman, who, together with drummer Eric Platz, provide much of the discs backbone - check out the sneaky, coiling bass line Hickman throws down on the title track. Though Cortese's vocals are rooted in traditional Celtic tones, her unusual Irish-Italian heritage often rings through with welcomed sass, as on the smoky "Morning Comes Around." Cortese plays fiddle on all of the disc's twelve tracks, giving her bow a harder workout during the instrumental tracks, "Mulqueen's," "The Jigs," and "Miss Settles Low," all three of which reveal striking musical dexterity. And her staccato plucking takes The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" into an old world space, putting a spin on the tune that's all her own. Cortese's ability to traverse the lines between jazz, traditional and contemporary folk, blues, and pop places her in a creative territory that's never short on ideas. - In News Weekly

Laura Cortese recorded her 2002 debut, "Hush" in an apartment across the street from Berklee College. But it's only on "Even the Lost Creek," that Cortese's gifts are fully realized, thanks in part to the creative alliance she's formed with guitarist Jesse Harper and producer/musician Zack Hickman, who, together with drummer Eric Platz, provide much of the discs backbone - check out the sneaky, coiling bass line Hickman throws down on the title track. Though Cortese's vocals are rooted in traditional Celtic tones, her unusual Irish-Italian heritage often rings through with welcomed sass, as on the smoky "Morning Comes Around." Cortese plays fiddle on all of the disc's twelve tracks, giving her bow a harder workout during the instrumental tracks, "Mulqueen's," "The Jigs," and "Miss Settles Low," all three of which reveal striking musical dexterity. And her staccato plucking takes The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" into an old world space, putting a spin on the tune that's all her own. Cortese's ability to traverse the lines between jazz, traditional and contemporary folk, blues, and pop places her in a creative territory that's never short on ideas. - In News Weekly

Laura Cortese is more than just a local Celtic fiddle star. In the past few years, both as a solo artist and with the band Halali, Cortese's expressive fiddle has been heard on two continents.

But no matter how central Scottish and Irish fiddling was to Cortese's life, something was missing.

"I grew up playing fiddle, but I also listened to Otis Redding, the Beatles and Pavarotti," said Cortese, 25. "In the last four years, I've begun listening to the alt-rock of my own generation. So I wanted to make an album that was at the intersection of all that I listened to, that was all the parts of me. But I didn't want to just randomly throw them all into a pot: I wanted to figure out where they met and how they jelled," said Cortese, who tomorrow plays an album release show at Club Passim with a full band.

At first, the Berklee College of Music grad had no idea how to be a solo artist. But Cortese discovered that the secret to a graceful transition from Celtic musician to American singer was to be found in her earliest experience as a young fiddler.

"When I was 12, I first went to a Scottish fiddle camp, and I loved the community of a fiddle jam session. I loved collaborating with others. Later on, with Halali, I loved being in a democratic band, where you don't automatically get your own way, where you have to listen to everyone's ideas, and the music comes together as a really strong project because it has a whole discussion behind it," she said.

"So, I didn't want to be a dictator of my own band, and my own album. But what I eventually realized was I can still collaborate as a solo artist, as much as I want to."

Working closely with producer Zack Hickman (who plays bass with Josh Ritter), Cortese created "Even The Lost Creek," a beautiful, spirited album. She wrote only two songs herself, reworked traditional Celtic material and chose modern songwriters who compose in the sturdy, linear style of the ancient traditional story songs she grew up with. There's a song by the Cure. And two songs are previously unrecorded works by Ritter.

"His song `Bluejays' is about the death of a parent, and since my father died when I was 18, it was incredible to discover a lyric about the things I've felt but couldn't put into words. He said everything I wanted to hear." - Boston Herald, The Edge

Ambition often follows talent, and Laura Cortese has an embarrassment of both. Her open-armed approach to her art reveals a determination to spread the word about folk music and dance without watering down their distinctiveness... Cortese's mix of modern and traditional styles creates an explosive sound that favors melody and rhythm over overtly technical performances. The momentum in songs like "Blow the Candle Out" propels the listener to a giddy plane where dancing is mandatory. - The Denver Post~John Wenzel

Laura Cortese is more than just a local Celtic fiddle star. In the past few years, both as a solo artist and with the band Halali, Cortese's expressive fiddle has been heard on two continents.

But no matter how central Scottish and Irish fiddling was to Cortese's life, something was missing.

"I grew up playing fiddle, but I also listened to Otis Redding, the Beatles and Pavarotti," said Cortese, 25. "In the last four years, I've begun listening to the alt-rock of my own generation. So I wanted to make an album that was at the intersection of all that I listened to, that was all the parts of me. But I didn't want to just randomly throw them all into a pot: I wanted to figure out where they met and how they jelled," said Cortese, who tomorrow plays an album release show at Club Passim with a full band.

At first, the Berklee College of Music grad had no idea how to be a solo artist. But Cortese discovered that the secret to a graceful transition from Celtic musician to American singer was to be found in her earliest experience as a young fiddler.

"When I was 12, I first went to a Scottish fiddle camp, and I loved the community of a fiddle jam session. I loved collaborating with others. Later on, with Halali, I loved being in a democratic band, where you don't automatically get your own way, where you have to listen to everyone's ideas, and the music comes together as a really strong project because it has a whole discussion behind it," she said.

"So, I didn't want to be a dictator of my own band, and my own album. But what I eventually realized was I can still collaborate as a solo artist, as much as I want to."

Working closely with producer Zack Hickman (who plays bass with Josh Ritter), Cortese created "Even The Lost Creek," a beautiful, spirited album. She wrote only two songs herself, reworked traditional Celtic material and chose modern songwriters who compose in the sturdy, linear style of the ancient traditional story songs she grew up with. There's a song by the Cure. And two songs are previously unrecorded works by Ritter.

"His song `Bluejays' is about the death of a parent, and since my father died when I was 18, it was incredible to discover a lyric about the things I've felt but couldn't put into words. He said everything I wanted to hear." - Boston Herald, The Edge

"Without surrendurring the melodic grace that makes Celtic music so captivating, she coaxed ambient, techno-smart brush strokes from her fiddle." - Boston Globe

"Without surrendurring the melodic grace that makes Celtic music so captivating, she coaxed ambient, techno-smart brush strokes from her fiddle." - Boston Globe

"a captivating frisky mix of traditional grace and modern sophistication." - Boston Globe

"a captivating frisky mix of traditional grace and modern sophistication." - Boston Globe

"Sweeping onto the stage-eating up every inch of it with poise and solid talent, her vocals are hauntingly beautiful and mesmerizing. And in this day of fiddlers galore, Laura is a stand-out...A Scottish fiddler, able to set the bow on fire or bring a tear to the eye...she is on her way to the ranks of the leaders." - Bill Reid

"Sweeping onto the stage-eating up every inch of it with poise and solid talent, her vocals are hauntingly beautiful and mesmerizing. And in this day of fiddlers galore, Laura is a stand-out...A Scottish fiddler, able to set the bow on fire or bring a tear to the eye...she is on her way to the ranks of the leaders." - Bill Reid

"Technically brilliant yet warm hearted fiddling...sprinkled with urbane splashes of cool jazz and hot pop." - Boston Globe

"Technically brilliant yet warm hearted fiddling...sprinkled with urbane splashes of cool jazz and hot pop." - Boston Globe

"Laura is a natural born headliner, a crowd pleaser that helps a club establish a reputation for being THE place to be for an unadulterated good time." - Bob Stane, The Coffee Gallery Backstage

"Laura is a natural born headliner, a crowd pleaser that helps a club establish a reputation for being THE place to be for an unadulterated good time." - Bob Stane, The Coffee Gallery Backstage

"Laura Cortese is an extremely dynamic and intelligent artist full of fun and joy." - Alasdair Fraser, Fiddler

"Laura Cortese is an extremely dynamic and intelligent artist full of fun and joy." - Alasdair Fraser, Fiddler