Laura Cantrell
Encyclopedia
Laura Cantrell is a country
singer-songwriter
and DJ
from Nashville
, Tennessee
. She used to present a weekly country and old-time music
radio show on WFMU
in New Jersey
called The Radio Thrift Shop. Since October 2005 she has only made occasional appearances on the station.
from her native Nashville to study law
and accounting at Columbia University
. She began deejaying on the university's radio station, WKCR
, until joining WFMU
after her graduation in 1993.
Her singing career began when she was at college, performing with various local groups. She later befriended John Flansburgh
of They Might Be Giants
, with whom she sings on the band's Apollo 18
(1992). Flansburgh also released her first solo material: an EP
on his "Hello CD of the Month Club" in June 1996, which was reissued in 2004 as The Hello Recordings.
Cantrell reached wider recognition in 2000 with her debut album, Not the Tremblin' Kind
. The album reached the attention of legendary UK DJ John Peel
, who wrote of it, "[It is] my favourite record of the last ten years and possibly my life". She went on to record five sessions for Peel and dedicated her 2005 album, Humming by the Flowered Vine
, to his memory.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
from Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
. She used to present a weekly country and old-time music
Old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
radio show on WFMU
WFMU
WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, broadcasting at 91.1 MHz FM, presenting a freeform radio format...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
called The Radio Thrift Shop. Since October 2005 she has only made occasional appearances on the station.
Biography
Cantrell moved to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from her native Nashville to study law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
and accounting at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. She began deejaying on the university's radio station, WKCR
WKCR
WKCR-FM is a radio station. Licensed to New York, New York, USA, it serves the New York area. The station is currently owned by Trustees of Columbia University in New York.-History:...
, until joining WFMU
WFMU
WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States, broadcasting at 91.1 MHz FM, presenting a freeform radio format...
after her graduation in 1993.
Her singing career began when she was at college, performing with various local groups. She later befriended John Flansburgh
John Flansburgh
John Conant Flansburgh is an American musician. He is half of the longstanding Brooklyn, New York-based alternative rock duo They Might Be Giants, for which he writes, sings and plays rhythm guitar...
of They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
, with whom she sings on the band's Apollo 18
Apollo 18 (album)
Apollo 18 is They Might Be Giants' fourth studio album. It was released in 1992 and named after the Apollo missions, the last of which was Apollo 17....
(1992). Flansburgh also released her first solo material: an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
on his "Hello CD of the Month Club" in June 1996, which was reissued in 2004 as The Hello Recordings.
Cantrell reached wider recognition in 2000 with her debut album, Not the Tremblin' Kind
Not the Tremblin' Kind
Not the Tremblin' Kind is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Laura Cantrell. It was originally released in 2000 on Diesel Only Records...
. The album reached the attention of legendary UK DJ John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, who wrote of it, "[It is] my favourite record of the last ten years and possibly my life". She went on to record five sessions for Peel and dedicated her 2005 album, Humming by the Flowered Vine
Humming by the Flowered Vine
Humming by the Flowered Vine is the third album by Laura Cantrell, originally released in 2005. This album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005...
, to his memory.
Albums
- Not the Tremblin' KindNot the Tremblin' KindNot the Tremblin' Kind is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Laura Cantrell. It was originally released in 2000 on Diesel Only Records...
(2000) - When the Roses Bloom AgainWhen the Roses Bloom AgainWhen the Roses Bloom Again is the second album by Laura Cantrell, originally released in 2002.-Track listing:#"Too Late for Tonight" – 2:30#"All the Same to You" – 3:06#"Early Years" – 3:38...
(2002) - Humming by the Flowered VineHumming by the Flowered VineHumming by the Flowered Vine is the third album by Laura Cantrell, originally released in 2005. This album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005...
(2005) - Trains and Boats and Planes (2008) (download only)
- Kitty Wells Dresses: Songs of the Queen of Country Music (2011) (UK chart peak: #138)
EPs
- Laura Cantrell (1996) (Hello Records 67)
- All the Same to You (2002)
- The Hello Recordings (2004) - Reissue of 1996 EPHello CD of the Month ClubThe Hello CD of the Month Club was a subscription-only record company that operated from 1993-1996 by John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants and Marjorie Galen...
- Humming Songs: Acoustic Performances from the Flowered Vine (2006) (download only)
Other releases
- This Is Next Year: A Brooklyn-Based CompilationThis Is Next Year: A Brooklyn-Based CompilationThis is Next Year is a compilation album released July 17, 2001 by Arena Rock Recording Co.-Disc 1:#"Radio" – The Walkmen#"I've Got A Fang " – They Might Be Giants#"Wasting In The Sun" – #"Keep Your Feelings To Yourself" – Clem Snide...
(2001) - (Arena Rock Recording Co.Arena Rock Recording Co.The Arena Rock Recording Company is an independent record label based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Albums are distributed by Redeye in the United States and Koch in Canada.-History:...
) - Feather by Feather (2003) (Drag City RecordsDrag City (record label)Drag City is a Chicago-based independent record label. It was established with a Royal Trux release in 1990 in Chicago, Illinois by Dan Koretzky and Dan Osborn.Drag City specializes in experimental indie rock acts...
)