The multifaceted mind of Laura Gibson

Laura Gibson is becoming Portland’s favorite songbird.

Her smoky vocals present her audience a glimpse into what high-caliber poetic sirens of yesteryear had to offer. Everyone from Decemberists producer Tucker Martine, to Adam Selzer of Norfolk and Western has lent Gibson their support and guidance.

Gibson, an academic and a poet, toyed with the idea of performing for a long time, torn between the seduction of the music and the challenges of math and science.

Currently working on her sophomore album, Beasts of Season, Gibson caught up with the Vanguard to talk about her hesitancy, passion, hopes and inspirations.

Vanguard: How long have you known you wanted to be a musician?
Laura Gibson: I feel like I’m still talking myself into it! I’m not, in general, someone who likes to be up in front of people, but there’s a special connection you form with people in the audience. I thought it was worth putting a record together. I take everything I do seriously, and I decided this is what I’m going to do for this season of my life.

VG: Did you always know you could sing?
LG: I kind of knew, but I didn’t want to let myself believe it. I remember watching a friend of mine sing, before I really started, and watching her sing and feeling this mix of jealousy. No, more envy. It’s a vulnerable thing to sing. I started writing some songs in college and really tentatively shared them with a friend. He encouraged me to sing.

VG: So what really convinced you to start performing?
LG: I started playing for residents at Our House of Portland, a residential AIDS place on Tuesday nights. My father had cancer when I was younger, so I wanted to play for people who are weakened. I didn’t ever think I would play a show in a club. I just sing quietly and play the guitar.

VG: There are so many genres and subgenres these days, what do you consider yourself?
LG: A woman once called what I do “lullaby core,” like [a play on] hardcore. I liked that. And my want to make songs came from loving singer-songwriters and lyrics and the way people can put words together. I feel connected to the idea of folk music. For hundreds of years there were people sharing music that way. I love the association with folk. I love folk art and old folk music and folk songs that people played a 100 years ago or 50 years ago.

VG: You’ve been dabbling in it for a few years now, has anything particularly surprised you about the music industry?
LG: The things that work out career-wise seem to come out of nowhere, and seem to happen so naturally. Your expectations are never met but at the same time they’re always exceeded. You hope for a lot of things that don’t work out, but then I’m always surprised by the opportunities. You hear a lot of talk about the music industry going down because of free downloads, but there is a lot of goodness in people and there will always be support for musicians.

VG: Anything still make you nervous about the performing or recording?
LG: Singing is such a relaxing thing for me if I’m ever scared or nervous; I think singing is really calming. Even if I feel nervous before a show, once I start I feel able to be present in a different way than every day life.

VG: What’s your main goal with the new album?
LG: I’m going to be touring a lot in the spring. I really [hope for] local support. I hope that I can continue to support myself playing music. I hope more than anything that the people who could potentially connect to my music will. That my music will find it’s way into people’s ears.