I’ve been revisiting Laura Veirs Tuesday’s Gold approved record Saltbreakers on a regular basis since it was announced she’d be coming to Milwaukee along with Liam Finn. Since then, we’ve given away some tickets to the show and now the day is finally here - catch two wonderful acts tonight at Turner Hall Ballroom (Tickets are $12 and still available!). I caught up with Laura en route to Milwaukee for our continuing 5 Questions with Muzzle of Bees feature.

Could you lend some information on the recording process of Saltbreakers? Where and how was it recorded, and were there any lessons learned that you’ll apply towards future recording sessions?

We recorded it at tucker’s studio in seattle in the fall of 2006, before tucker and i moved to portland together. we recorded about half of the songs live with the full band (karl blau, steve moore, tucker martine and myself) and the rest separately (i would lay down the guitar and voice and then other people would do overdubs.) karl, steve and tucker are all fine musicians; they always add so much flavor and goodness to my records. eyvind kang (a great violist) and bill frisell (a great guitarist) and others made badass contributions as well.

We knew we wanted to have a choir on ‘to the country’ so we went to nashville and recorded a baptist choir at june carter and johnny cash’s cabin in the woods (their son john was the engineer). that was an amazing experience. to be in the space of such legends, to see their pictures on the walls, to feel their energy in the room — it was mystical and meaningful to us.

Lessons learned: every time i make a record i’m reminded that if the songs are there — if they’re solid and strong — the recording is always easier. it’s wonderful not to have to prop up a song with a bunch of sounds and tricks to make it work.

Also: remember to keep everyone well fed!

Is it too early to start asking about a follow up record? Are you able to write while touring, or do you do most of your writing at home?

I can dabble around with writing ideas and bits on tour, but at this point i don’t have the budget to have my own hotel room, so there’s very little time to myself to pause, reflect and write. i have had quite a bit of time off from touring in the past year or so, though, so i do have a number of songs ready to record and will begin the next record in the fall.

Considering you went to college nearby in Minnesota, did you ever spend any time in Wisconsin during your time in the Midwest?

I was a geology major so we went on a few field trips to wisconsin to look at your rocks. but other than that, no. I’ve never been to milwaukee and am excited to play there.

We’re always looking to uncover new favorite artists, are there any band(s)/record(s) that you could recommend to our readers?

mike dumovich (seattle), cataldo (minneapolis), juana molina (argentina), andrew bird (chicago), thao nguyen (dc), laura gibson (portland), bon iver (wisconsin) to name just a few.

The internet has dramatically altered the way artists can reach an audience. With things like blogs/myspace/etc, what are your thoughts on the power of the internet in terms of helping (or hurting) your music?

It’s hard to say. overall in the past few years my record sales have gone down but my live audiences have increased a lot. one could assume that people are getting the music for free but then liking it and coming to the live show. sometimes a fan will say, “hey, i got your music for free but really liked it and now i’m at the show and i’d like to buy the cd from you.” when that happens, it feels like the internet is great for me.

I like keeping a tour blog and keeping in touch with fans that way. i know my family likes to read the blog to be sure i’m surviving out here on the road. sometimes i wonder if keeping a blog takes the mystique out of things. for instance: do they really want to know that i drank cheap beer in the la quinta parking lot and watched ‘planet earth’ on my laptop before going to bed? maybe, maybe not!

Previously: Laura Veirs - Saltbreakers
Myspace: Laura Veirs

Find MP3’s at The Hype Machine or buy stuff from Strictly Discs | eMusic