Laura Stevenson
Encyclopedia
Laura Stevenson is an American
singer-songwriter
based in Long Island, New York and keyboardist
for musical collective
, Bomb the Music Industry!
.
, where she was introduced to music at an early age. Her grandfather, Harry Simeone
, was a successful pianist
and composer
whose works included "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Do You Hear What I Hear?
". Simeone's wife (and Laura's grandmother), Margaret McCravy was a singer for the jazz
bandleader
Benny Goodman
. Not until leaving her home for college
, did Laura begin both playing guitar
and writing songs.
Growing up in Rockville Centre, Laura befriended members of The Arrogant Sons of Bitches
. After they disbanded in 2005, Laura was appointed as a keyboardist for lead singer Jeff Rosenstock's new project, Bomb The Music Industry!
. At this point, Laura had written a number of her own songs and was performing solo. While recording and touring with Bomb The Music Industry!, Laura began to piece together her own band, which was dubbed Laura Stevenson & the Cans.
Initially, Laura Stevenson & The Cans consisted primarily of members of Bomb The Music Industry!. In the summer of 2007, Laura recruited Michael Campbell
of the Long Island
punk
band Latterman
to play bass for The Cans. Alex Billig was added on trumpet later that fall, and a year later Laura began working on her first studio recording.
Asian Man Records
released "A Record" on April 13, 2010 on LP and CD. The group spent more than half of that year on tour in The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Western Europe in various lineups: sometimes being as small as just Stevenson and Campbell on acoustic guitars, and other times fully electric with a three-piece horn section. The group toured with Bomb The Music Industry!
, Maps & Atlases, Cults, and Cheap Girls.
The band officially signed to New Jersey
-based independent label Don Giovanni Records
in November 2010, and their sophomore LP, Sit Resist, was released on April 26, 2011.
|-
| width=5% | Year
| width=30% | Title
| width=10% | Label
|-
| 2008
| A Record
| Quote Unquote Records
|-
| 2009
| Split 7" with Bomb The Music Industry
| Kiss Of Death Records
|-
| 2009
| Holy Ghost! 7"
| Mandible Records
|-
| 2010
| A Record + 3
| Asian Man Records
|-
| 2011
| Sit Resist
| Don Giovanni
|-}
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
based in Long Island, New York and keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
for musical collective
Musical collective
Musical collective is a phrase used to describe a group of musicians in which membership is flexible and creative control is shared. Such entities have transitioned from the traditional hierarchical configuration that features either a frontman , or a plurality of band members in tension for...
, Bomb the Music Industry!
Bomb The Music Industry!
Bomb the Music Industry! is band from Baldwin, Nassau County, New York. They write, produce, record, and distribute all of their music under the leadership of songwriter and producer Jeff Rosenstock....
.
Biography
Laura Stevenson was raised in Nassau County, New YorkNassau County, New York
Nassau County is a suburban county on Long Island, east of New York City in the U.S. state of New York, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,339,532...
, where she was introduced to music at an early age. Her grandfather, Harry Simeone
Harry Simeone
Harry Moses Simeone was a distinguished music arranger, conductor and composer, best known for arranging the famous Christmas song "The Little Drummer Boy", for which he received co-writing credit.-Early years:Harry grew up listening to stars performing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City,...
, was a successful pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
and composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
whose works included "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Do You Hear What I Hear?
Do You Hear What I Hear?
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" is a Christmas song written in October 1962 with lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne Baker. The pair were married at the time, and wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis...
". Simeone's wife (and Laura's grandmother), Margaret McCravy was a singer for the jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
Benny Goodman
Benny Goodman
Benjamin David “Benny” Goodman was an American jazz and swing musician, clarinetist and bandleader; widely known as the "King of Swing".In the mid-1930s, Benny Goodman led one of the most popular musical groups in America...
. Not until leaving her home for college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
, did Laura begin both playing guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and writing songs.
Growing up in Rockville Centre, Laura befriended members of The Arrogant Sons of Bitches
The Arrogant Sons of Bitches
The Arrogant Sons of Bitches was a 6-piece ska punk band from Long Island and Baldwin, New York. The band was known for its strong DIY punk roots, self-releasing two albums and two EPs...
. After they disbanded in 2005, Laura was appointed as a keyboardist for lead singer Jeff Rosenstock's new project, Bomb The Music Industry!
Bomb The Music Industry!
Bomb the Music Industry! is band from Baldwin, Nassau County, New York. They write, produce, record, and distribute all of their music under the leadership of songwriter and producer Jeff Rosenstock....
. At this point, Laura had written a number of her own songs and was performing solo. While recording and touring with Bomb The Music Industry!, Laura began to piece together her own band, which was dubbed Laura Stevenson & the Cans.
Initially, Laura Stevenson & The Cans consisted primarily of members of Bomb The Music Industry!. In the summer of 2007, Laura recruited Michael Campbell
Michael Campbell (musician)
Michael "Mike" Campbell is an American guitarist and bassist, from Huntington Station, New York, best known for his work with Laura Stevenson and the Cans and Latterman.- Professional background :Latterman...
of the Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
band Latterman
Latterman
Latterman was a four-piece punk rock band from Huntington, New York. They played a style of melodic punk rock with shouted dual-vocals by Phil Douglas and Matt Canino, and their songs often contain political and/or socially conscious lyrics...
to play bass for The Cans. Alex Billig was added on trumpet later that fall, and a year later Laura began working on her first studio recording.
Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records
Asian Man Records is a small, DIY record label run by Mike Park in Monte Sereno, California. Park started a record label and began releasing music in 1989 under the name Dill Records, with the Asian Man label established May 1996.-Artists:...
released "A Record" on April 13, 2010 on LP and CD. The group spent more than half of that year on tour in The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Western Europe in various lineups: sometimes being as small as just Stevenson and Campbell on acoustic guitars, and other times fully electric with a three-piece horn section. The group toured with Bomb The Music Industry!
Bomb The Music Industry!
Bomb the Music Industry! is band from Baldwin, Nassau County, New York. They write, produce, record, and distribute all of their music under the leadership of songwriter and producer Jeff Rosenstock....
, Maps & Atlases, Cults, and Cheap Girls.
The band officially signed to 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...
-based independent label Don Giovanni Records
Don Giovanni Records
Don Giovanni Records is an independent record label specializing in punk rock. Each year the label puts on the Don Giovanni Records Showcase.-History:...
in November 2010, and their sophomore LP, Sit Resist, was released on April 26, 2011.
Members of Laura Stevenson & The Cans
- Laura Stevenson: Lead guitar/vocals
- Mike CampbellMichael Campbell (musician)Michael "Mike" Campbell is an American guitarist and bassist, from Huntington Station, New York, best known for his work with Laura Stevenson and the Cans and Latterman.- Professional background :Latterman...
: Bass guitar - Alex Billig: Accordion/trumpet
- Peter Naddeo: Guitar
- Dave Garwacke: Drums
Discography
{| style="border: 1px solid #a0a0aa; background-color: #f0f0ff; width: 85%; margin-left:8px;"|-
| width=5% | Year
| width=30% | Title
| width=10% | Label
|-
| 2008
| A Record
| Quote Unquote Records
|-
| 2009
| Split 7" with Bomb The Music Industry
| Kiss Of Death Records
|-
| 2009
| Holy Ghost! 7"
| Mandible Records
|-
| 2010
| A Record + 3
| Asian Man Records
|-
| 2011
| Sit Resist
| Don Giovanni
|-}