Laura Harley

People often ask me about my songwriting process. Every time I write a song it is a different experience. Sometimes I write the music first, sometimes the lyrics, sometimes I know what I want to write about before I start, sometimes it just comes to me as I write, and sometimes I write something that totally surprises me—I don’t realize how I’m feeling until it comes out in song.

And once in every great while, I dream a song. This happened again for the first time in two years this weekend. When I dream a song, I usually wake up with it still in my head and I rush to my office to record it before I forget it. Sometimes I sing what I hear into the recorder and sometimes I figure it out on the piano or guitar and record it. For those of you who are familiar with my former band, Sliver, the song “Dream” off the first album, “Beneath the Waves” was a product of a dream. In that dream I was on a ship in the middle of a choppy sea. I was standing in the netting suspended between sails, sort of riding the waves, looking out at the water and storm, and I was singing and hearing that song all around me.

In the dream I had this weekend, I was about to go on stage to perform for a big crowd and I felt unprepared. As I was trying to cope with my nerves, some of the people in my life who are my biggest supports came up to me and said they had to leave and couldn’t be with me anymore. I got the sense that I was totally on my own. I knew I had to go onstage and just wing it. I was feeling scared but also felt a certain strength beginning to build. I stepped on stage, all was quiet and all eyes were on me, and I started playing a song.

The music came to me, easily, quickly. I played and sang the song AS I wrote it—–immediate writing and sharing. It was such an exhilarating experience—it combined two of my favorite things—the thrill of being on a roll writing a song and the thrill of being intimately connected with an audience.

When I woke up, I ran to my computer to record what I remembered in GarageBand, but I have a cold and so when I opened my voice to sing, nothing came out! Determined not to forget the song, I wiggled around and used all my throat muscles and was finally able to croak it out into the recorder. Soon I will revisit it and see if I can develop it into a song to be heard in waking life. It sure sounded great in the dream! I guess for now you’ll just have to take my word for it :). I wonder what I’ll dream tonight…

I am SO psyched. I just bought tickets to see Chris Cornell on Monday night!!! Chris Cornell is one of my music heroes and he has been since I was about 15. I love pretty much everything he does. I love his songwriting, his singing, his playing, his stage presence. He doesn’t know it, but he’s actually my vocal coach, too. One of the ways I have expanded my range over the years is by listening to his projects and singing along. When Chris can hit a note that is out of my range, I can’t STAND it until I can sing it, too! Ahh, Chris. You do inspire me.

When I was 15 and SUPER into my grunge phase, I once had a powerful “being connected with Chris” moment. My friends and I were hanging out in Minneapolis for the day (we’d beg one of our parents to drive us downtown and drop us off. Then we’d walk around in our little grunge outfits and combat boots all day drinking coffee and talking about music.) Anyway, one of our pastimes was to go to the store and look at music magazines. On one particular Saturday, I was looking through one of these magazines and came across a photo of Chris Cornell. It was an awesome photo—he was in the midst of singing a note and his whole BEING was into it, you know? I had just started my first band and so I was taking notes, you see. So, I was thinking deeply about how to improve my ability to rock out when I suddenly realized that the jacket Chris was wearing in the photo was the EXACT SAME jacket I MYSELF was wearing at that VERY MOMENT. I could scarcely believe my eyes and my 15-year-old heart went all a flutter—-”See!”, I thought to myself, “I really am connected to Chris Cornell! We both rock and we both have the same taste in fashion!!! Ahhhh!!!” Yes, it was a wonderful moment for me. I’ve kept the jacket all these years, because he is my rock hero, after all. I’m not sure where it is, but I just may dig it out for the concert on Monday. And maybe, just maybe, he will spot me in the audience, pull me onstage, and say, “Laura, we just HAVE to collaborate.” And I’ll smile and say, “Chris, I thought you’d never ask”. Ahhhhh……it’s fun to dream.

Check this OUT! I just came across this page where people are listening to the remix of my song, “To The Sea” and saying some awesome things about it (scroll down to see all the comments). Yay! Thanks to everyone for their kind feedback.

More remixes are on the way and will be made available to you….more info soon. Thanks for your support!

Sometimes when people talk to me about my music they say something like, “wow, it must be so much fun to be a musician!” This always throws me for a loop. On the surface it does look fun and there really are many fun and amazing things about it. In fact, here’s me having fun at some photo shoots (Invariably, I get a bad case of the giggles at every photo shoot at one point or another):

So, back to what I was saying, there are many amazing things about being a musician. I mean, getting to write music is a tremendously fulfilling experience, getting to hear my vision for my songs realized on a recording is blissful, and getting to sing for people, feel connected to them, and hear how my music affects them is beyond parallel. I am truly grateful for and in awe of these moments.

But despite these amazing moments, the truth is that being a music artist is a big, huge challenge. For example, it’s challenging to pour your most personal feelings out there for everyone to hear……and judge. It’s challenging to have to market yourself when self-promotion is unsettling at best for you. And it’s challenging to value your art enough to pour tremendous amounts of time, energy, money, and tears into it in a world that often discounts creative pursuits. It’s challenging to be a part of a business that is changing so completely and doesn’t value what you value. And finally, it’s challenging to be in a business that everyone thinks they know a lot about (since we are all music consumers), but really may not understand, and so they may unintentionally say things that are hurtful or unnerving.

I don’t mean to voice these things as complaints. It’s more a statement of what is. And I am grateful for the challenges because they help me to grow, and in the end, I believe that growing spiritually is what it’s all about. (So, bring it on!) And this blog is an effort to fully show my experiences and so I wanted to share.

So, is it fun? Sometimes it’s the most amazing thing EVER. And sometimes it’s pretty rough. But, I don’t do it for the fun. If I did, I would have quit a LONG time ago. I do it to try and make a difference. I do it because not doing it is unthinkable—it’s my love, my calling, my demonstration of devotion. And I’m grateful for every minute.

So, how was your weekend? Mine had some nice moments. I spent lots of time on music this weekend. Here’s what my computer screen looks like when I’m working on songs:

See all the little virtual dials and tracks? I worked on creating some drum loops for my new live show. And I wrote lyrics and a vocal melody for a new song. When I’m working it’s really helpful to me to take breaks to walk and think, so I took several walks by myself to think through my work and lots of other things that have been on my mind. Walks are good for that. Then it’s back to the music…

On Friday I went to a fundraiser for my friend’s dance company (the event I was set to play at but couldn’t :(. ) It was SO lovely. It was held on the upper floor of a restaurant in Minneapolis in the warehouse district—the space was hardwood floors, exposed brick, huge windows with views of downtown. I liked the way the lighting changed in the space as the sun set—different colors and shadows. There were musical performances and dance performances to preview the show they are performing later this month. I loved watching the dancers express stories and emotions—it gave me some ideas for some songs I’m working on. Lots of people were there and it was a great success, but I think the best moment was seeing my friend up there in front of the crowd talking about her work and then seeing her choreography. SO proud of her!

And on Saturday I got to help out with a children’s virtues class at my friend’s apartment complex. The class is all about teaching children about various virtues like kindness, unity in diversity, honesty, etc. This time we talked about the importance of having a pure and kind heart. We colored, I told a story, and we played some games. The kids were super cute and sweet. They also had a LOT of energy. Afterwards, I was pretty tired! Here is a photo of a drawing one of the kids did. It’s a picture of a man giving his coat to someone in need (an example of kindness).

I was so happy when he gave me this drawing to take home!

Hi guys,
Just wanted to let you all know I had to cancel my set for tonight because my hand still isn’t healed. It’s tough to play a show when you can’t play guitar or piano! But I’ll still be attending the event (for the details check out my events page) and it promises to be a lovely evening, so come on by!

It’s interesting to have this little injury. It’s no big deal or anything, but it really makes me think about how lucky I am to be healthy and have the full use of everything. It’s amazing how quickly things can be lost and affect so many things in your life. I guess it’s really true that we appreciate things most when we lose them. Thankfully, I am healing just fine and now I am more motivated than ever to create my new live show! So, stay tuned for more show dates.

I’m toying with the idea of making some remixes of my songs available for purchase. I’ve gotten lots of great feedback on the remix of my song “To The Sea” (remix by the very talented Dappa Don and Timmy Matrix). You can hear the original song (off my latest CD) and the remix below.

The original “To The Sea”:

The Ocean Breeze Remix:

Isn’t it interesting how you can get such different feeling versions of a song based on different production?

So, what do you think? Do you want to hear more remixes? Would love to hear your thoughts. Now, I know there’s a lot of you out there (I can see it in my stats), so don’t be shy now, let me know what you think ;). I don’t bite. Promise.

Speaking of mixing, lately I’ve been enjoying the best homemade smoothies EVER! I learned this recipe from my lovely friend, Felisha. Here’s what you do: Pour enough apple cider into your blender to cover the blades (that’s apple cider, not apple juice, very important distinction). Then, add a couple of handfuls of frozen blueberries, a few fresh strawberries, and a banana. Blend and enjoy the frosty tastiness! LOVE it. Seriously, you’ve gotta try it.

Thank you so much for your kind wishes and emails about my little finger injury! You guys are so kind. All is well and healing gradually, so no worries :).

I had quite a week last week. I won’t get into details but suffice it to say someone very close to me was sick and in the hospital and it temporarily turned my world upside down. (And everyone is OK and healthy now, so no worries for anyone out there). I mention it because it really made me reflect on a lot of things, and I’m sure those things are making their way into the songs I’m writing. Here are a few things I learned (or re-learned):

My family is awesome. They are so compassionate and always there for each other no matter what. And, we manage to laugh together even in the toughest times.

Family and closest friends are the most precious treasures—the love and caring that came my way during this really moved me and reminded me I’m never alone.

People have amazing strength inside them—sometimes painful and difficult things happen to the sweetest, kindest people and, as they deal with what’s happening, they demonstrate a strength inside them you didn’t even know was there before (even though you always suspected it was there).

Your big sister is always your big sister. My wonderful sis and I drove 3 hours to this hospital and I was feeling upset and stressed and had my little injury on top of it all and she totally kicked into big sister mode. She was so sweet and made me laugh and gave me sympathy when I held up my finger and made a sad face. I love you, Erin! We also listened to a lot of Morrissey and Madonna on the way there and we reminisced about being little girls and all our adventures. What a blessing!

Prayer is the sweetest, most beautiful, comforting, nourishing thing ever. How awesome is it that humans have a way to connect with their Creator just by calling out and having a heart ready to receive?

Here is a prayer that is one of my faves and was very comforting though this whole ordeal (it is by Abdu’l-Baha from the Baha’i Writings):

O God!  Refresh and gladden my spirit.  Purify my heart.  Illumine my powers.  I lay all my affairs in Thy hand.  Thou art my Guide and my Refuge.  I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being.  O God!  I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me.  I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life. 
O God!  Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself.  I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord.

What do you think of that prayer? Isn’t it beautiful?!! Again, all is ok so no one out there should worry. Just wanted to be real and share some things that have been on my mind. Thanks for being here with me.