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We showcased a lot of our new material at our support slot gig with Nick Harper the other night and would love to show you all. Particular favourites of mine were 'Her Cowboy', 'Les Alps' (what an original title for a song about skiing in the alps!) and our stompy last number 'Portland Street'. Coming soon so keep an eye out! Thanks Lx

Happy Easter everyone!

I hope you all enjoy a fun filled, fabulous easter holiday with oddles of chocolate. I gave up chocolate for lent this year so I know I will be consuming chocolate in it's plentiful!

If you're looking for an Easter treat, then I will be supporting the a*m*a*z*i*n*g Nick Harper on Thursday 8th April, 8pm at Exeter Phoenix. I'm really looking forward to this gig and also playing with Paper Aeroplanes who are also supporting Nick.

It will also be Jay's Birthday (the lovely blond haired drummer in my band), so celebrations all round!

"J'aime La Vie, J'aime La Vie"...I certainly do!

Visit my online shop to purchase your copy. With five tracks including the title track 'J'aime La Vie' it's a bargin at £4!

Alternatively you can grab your copy at my next gig (Tuesday 16 March, Rusty Bike) and soon it will be a download on iTunes. (I will keep you updated!)

Thanks to my lovely band for their hardwork, patience and general wickedywaaness and Rick Wolker for his recording and production. Mr Fred the Dog (on the front cover) say's 'merci beacoup!' (He's french didn't you know!)

I've been enjoying DJing with DJ Mark Hunter on our Heartworn Highways show. Recent topics have been cringeworthy valentines dates, the lazy girls guide to skiing plus more random nonsense and banter. Tune in next Wednesday 10th March, 4-5pm to hear us play folk/alt folk/lofi/hifi/americana. Phonic fm 106.8fm or listen online at www.phonic.fm.

I've just got back from a lovely day out in Totnes and I felt inspired to write in my blog whilst sipping on my Lady Grey tea. Also, I don't quite fancy watching the football which is currently on in my house! So, today I have been amused by revisiting my past (as I spent my university days in Totnes). Strolling in and out of quirky shops full of wonderful trinkets I don't need and sipping coffees and hot chocolates in funky cafes (sorry, I cringe at using the word 'funky').

On my final day as a student in Totnes, me and my housemate decided to leave a note hidden in our favourite seat in a cafe there. It read somthing like 'Call us if you find this note' with some illustrations of us and our numbers. That was in 2006! To my suprise it is still there. Either no-one fancies calling us or the staff don't clean very hard! Maybe the latter...

I have also filled a void in my life for a 13 note pink melodica which I found hidden in a corner of a shop. For £4.99 it had to be purchased!

It's just a shame I didn't have this for our gig the other night. I could have used it in our new songs....which brings me on to 'what else have I been up to?' Yes, finally I have finished 5 new songs and we showcased them at the Picturehouse the other night. My favourite was 'Les Alps' which (you guessed it), was inspired by my recent skiing trip. Thank you for coming along (mum and dad) and if you missed us then we will be doing a much longer gig and bigger set up, piano and all ( maybe the pink 13 note meoldica if you're lucky) on TUESDAY 16 MARCH as part of the Vibraphonic Festival. (at the Rusty Bike). 

And finally, J'aime La Vie EP has been printed and will be here on Monday! Artwork was designed by duckmarsh designs (http://duckmarshdesigns.blogspot.com) if you fancy a sneak preview. I've also uploaded a few tracks for you to have a listen on my 'listen' page.

Thanks for reading,

Laura

 My wings have been unclipped and I'm flying...tweet tweet here I come!

Join me on twitter

www.twitter.com/LauraDugmore

See you there,

L x

I'd love to be your friend on myspace!

www.myspace.com/laurajaynesongs

I'm off Skiing soon, had my first lesson the other day so I am ready to go. I only fell over twice although I did feel like a plonker! Whilst I'm away I might hunt out an open mic of some sort...anyone been skiing in Serre Chevalier before and knows of any places to strum a guitar and holler a few notes then let me know.

Oh la la I have a lovely gig lined up at the fabulous Exeter Picturehouse. We've played there before and loved the atmosphere, candles, other musical loveliness so please do come along if you are free and experience it for yourself.

I'm not sure of the other musicians confirmed yet, but do come along if you want a cosy night out (in) with us.

Thursday 25th February,  8.30pm, FREE, Exeter Picturehouse

Tuesday 16th March, we will be playing at the Vibraphonic Festival in Exeter...more details TBC. www.2020vibraphonic.co.uk

  Personal experiences set to song
  By Kev Hutchings
  BBC Devon Introducing

 

"I went travelling to Peru and ended up bringing back a nasty parasite.

"It lead to me suffering from chronic fatigue and wrote this song when I was feeling really low, but it's an uplifting song which comes from the heart.

"I like to try and connect with the audience through my songs and I hope they get that when listening to my music or watching me play."

Laura plans on entering the Soundhouse studios at the Exeter Phoenix towards the end of October 2009 and release the EP towards the end of November 2009.

Laura has recorded a special acoustic

performance for the BBC

The E.P is fininshed...well the recording part is anyway...to fund the last song being recorded (Broken Love) I sold my car! I'd like to say this was a sad day, parting with a beloved, loyal friend who has been with me through miles and miles. I'd like to say I was holding back the tears as I waved off my little peugeot 106. I'd like to say that I will miss her (she was a female) but the truth is I can't....the minute I bought her she broke down repeatedly at very inconvenient stages in my life (moving house, going to gigs, attending job interviews, the list goes on). So it was on a joyful, rainy saturday that I waved GOODBYE PEUGEOT, HELLO E.P

I stumbled across the Rusty Bike pub a few weekends ago when on a cold october evening my brother came to visit, so we ventured out looking for a new place to go and enjoy the weekend!  If you live in or near Exeter many of you may know The Fat Pig pub...well they have expanded and The Rusty Bike is a good as (maybe even better-erh mainly because it is nearer for me!!!). RUSTY SUNDAYS is every other 2nd sunday of the month 11am-11pm and includes sunday roasts, papers, board games, live music (from 4pm) and foosball!  

This week I will be playing a short set from 4pm as well as music from Harry Woodrow, RenX and The Sidewalk Anthem. So if you fancy a cosy hideaway from the blustering gales then you know where to come!

Well, we all really enjoyed playing at the Rusty Bike. Stuart was a legend lending me his acoustic guitar half way through the set as mine decided to cut out (dodgy pick up- note to self-get this fixed as duck tape can only solve but a few things!)  Jay trumpeted and drummed wonderfully and we all had a jolly good time! I was feeling rather slugish before hand (bad weather of the weekend=no energy) HOWEVER I decided to make a delicious carrot cake to get some sugary, yummy energy...it went wrong. Very wrong...kersplat.

I am a co-presenter to DJ Mark Hunter with a show called "Heartworn Highways". This all came about after well, a sort of bet really. Mark said to me "Laura stop procrastinating (whilst he was wearing a t-shirt reading 'procrastinators will change the world). So I did! I was a little nervous on the first show but Mark took the lead and it was very enjoyable to be playing some of my favourite artists with tracks that have inspired me.

Tune in to Heartworn Highways to hear alt country, folk, americana, lo-fi and alt folk tunes. Every 2nd Wednesday of the month 4-5pm, Phonic Fm 106.8 www.phonic.fm

It's been a busy month working, recording and working some more so I thought "it's about time for an EP Update".

I went back to record the vocals for 4 of the tracks a few weeks ago. (J'aime la Vie, Gone, Grass is Greener, Mr Please).  Now everything is in place apart from a few string parts I'm working on. The fifth track (Broken Love) is the next track to work on which will be next week! All in all it’s going well and enjoying the process.

Also this month I have found a new wave of inspiration so have started to get the old pen and paper out to write some new material.  

Lastly this month has seen me airing the waves of Phonic Fm…not as an artist but as a DJ. More of this on the next blog "Heartworn Highways".

Yes…I have finally booked to go skiing for the very first time! Last year everyone set off but me (boo) so this year it was a MUST! A few more MUST'S to remember will be;

1. MUST not break my legs
2. MUST not break my arms
3. MUST definately not break my fingers. I like playing the guitar and piano too much!
4. MUST get some passport photos done for ski pass….

Number 4 is a tricky must. Passport photos are so soulless. No smiling, no emotions, no hiding your eyes. I am very bad at keeping a straight emotionless face. A few  years ago when I left university (2006) I needed to update my passport. I also needed to get a job. After searching on websites I stumbled across auditions for being a resident musician at a Ski Resort in Val d'Isère. Brilliant. The job boasted of free accommodation, free ski and lift pass, free ski hire plus a wage! What could be wrong with it? I hastily rang up and sent through my CV and got offered a phone interview. I got offered the job before the phone interview had even really started (odd)! The lady then asked me a serious of questions;

Q. Can you play the piano? - yes

Q. Can you play the guitar? - yes

Q And I see you play the cello and sing? - yes

Q. Now how would you feel about wearing a microphone headset? - erm yeah, I can do that

Q And you’ve also had waitress experience I see? - yes, that’s right

Well what we need you to do is serve our customers whilst wearing a headset singing. Also if you can sing whilst playing the cello that would be ideal!

I'm not sure this is a must.

Recording went really well although had to stop earlier than planned as we were competing with some thrash metal sounds from the rehearsal room! I wonder what my music would sound like with some gun's and roses elements? Got everything laid down but vocals this week!