biographical info
LAURA REPO RELEASES HER THIRD ALBUM
“GET YOURSELF HOME” –November 1 2011
“Repo’s singing and songwriting are right up there with the best in her genre. It’s no stretch to mention her in the same breath as Emmylou Harris, Roseanne Cash and Lucinda Williams.”
-Howard Druckman, Editor of SOCAN’s Words + Music magazine
Get Yourself Home, Laura Repo’s third album, marks a return to her musical roots, the timeless american folk and country music she first heard as a child. Laura credits her father’s songs and singing as probably her most important influence. In fact, “Lullabies of the Land” is a song for Repo's father about all the coal mining songs he sang to her as a child.
Drawing on life experiences, particularly on life with her now eight year-old son, Repo paints pictures, warts and all: “Everything is Everywhere” describes the happiness and frustration of watching a happy child dancing in a room filled with the mess that goes hand in hand and “Sleepy Baby”, the first song she wrote two years after Sami’s birth, is about him being sleepless for three nights in a row. “Montreal” reflects wanting to escape one’s hometown for a nearby getaway. Get Yourself Home is a finely crafted album of songs that explore motherhood, family and the attendant good, bad and all points between.
Another song that draws on her family history is “Annie’s Wedding Dress”, which nicely captures the old time sound that her fathers kin use to play at large family gatherings. It tells the story of a planned marriage that gets derailed and a strong woman who never married because she chose not to – written by Laura’s great aunt, Helen Wilson, one of 11 children born and raised on a farm. The dress is real and has been passed down through generations, though the story is fictional.
Laura Repo continues to hone her craft using every minute allowed a single mother with a day job. The songs on Get Yourself Home paint beautiful pictures and the artwork is a major part of the story – she had been looking for somewhere that spoke to the album’s feel, and a setting that looked like home. During a visit with an elderly woman, Laura realized that the retro look of Evelyn’s living room and its mint green walls, as pristine as the day they were painted in the ‘50s, were perfect. And, continuing with things falling into place – just before the photo shoot Laura happened upon a vintage dress exactly the same shade of mint green as the walls!
This album is the fulfilment of a dream - working with some of this country’s finest musicians, including producer, Andrew Collins’ celebrated band The Foggy Hogtown Boys. Laura and producer Andrew Collins have created an album of beautiful songs using three-part harmonies and mostly traditional instruments (mandolin, banjo and guitar).
Laura Repo has received high praise from respected music journalists, “Repo’s singing and songwriting are right up there with the best in her genre. It’s no stretch to mention her in the same breath asEmmylou Harris, Roseanne Cash and Lucinda Williams.” So says Howard Druckman, Editor of SOCAN’s Words + Music magazine. And Brad Wheeler of the Globe and Mail writes, “Repo writes songs remarkably.”
Repo has opened shows for, amongst others, Beth Orton, Kelly Willis and Oh Susanna and shared the stage with Carolyn Mark. Tours have taken her to Finland (her mother’s homeland) and throughout the province of Ontario. She has played many main stages, including Toronto’s Harbourfront. She has appeared at the prestigious Winnipeg Folk Festival and become a regular guest at Joanne Mackell’s annual Island Jamboree on the Toronto Island. Currently Laura Repo may be seen and heard at the Gladstone Hotel, Melody Bar and Naco Gallery.
Get Yourself Home will be released on November 1, 2011 and celebrated in Toronto with a special performance at the Tranzac Club, Main room, featuring The Country Band - Victor Bateman, Burke Carroll, Kristin Cavoukian, Shelley Coopersmith, Tania Gill, Paul Kolinsky, Nichol Robertson, John Showman and more. 8 PM.
Repo is pronounced “Rep – oh”.