indie pop
Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and s ...
singer-songwriter, best known for incorporating the
kalimba
Mbira ( ; ) are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board (often fitted with a resonator) with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and ...
into her music. In addition to her solo work, Barrett has also performed as a member of
The Hidden Cameras
The Hidden Cameras are a Canadian indie pop band. Fronted by singer-songwriter Joel Gibb, the band consists of a varying roster of musicians who play what Gibb once described as "gay church folk music". Their live performances have been elaborat ...
,
Henri Fabergé and the Adorables
Henri Fabergé and the Adorables are a Canadian indie rock band formed in 2005 from Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
History
Henri Fabergé and the Adorables formed in 2005 and is a musical collective including members of The Bicycles, Born Ruffians, ...
, Woodhands and Sheezer.
Barrett was born in Toronto. She studied
English literature
English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...
and
linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. The areas of linguistic analysis are syntax (rules governing the structure of sentences), semantics (meaning), Morphology (linguistics), morphology (structure of words), phonetics (speech sounds ...
at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
, graduating in 2006. She later returned to school to complete a master of education and works as an occasional teacher within the
Toronto District School Board
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB), formerly known as English-language Public District School Board No. 12 prior to 1999, is the English-language public-secular school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The minority public-secular franco ...
.
A classically trained pianist, Barrett began studying piano at 8 years of age. She took up the kalimba as a hobby after buying one on
eBay
eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...
. Her first public performance as a solo performer was a cover of "
Smells Like Nirvana
"Smells Like Nirvana" is a song parody written and performed by American musician "Weird Al" Yankovic. A parody of Nirvana's song "Smells Like Teen Spirit", it was released as the lead single from Yankovic's '' Off the Deep End'' album in April 1 ...
" at a
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic ( ; born October 23, 1959) is an American comedy musician, writer, and actor. He is best known for writing and performing Comedy music, comedy songs that often Parody music, parody specific songs by contempo ...
tribute concert (She had previously been a part of the band Lake Holiday). She subsequently released two EPs, and was the musical director for a New York City production of
Maggie MacDonald
Maggie MacDonald (born 1978) is a writer, playwright, and musician who lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Early life and education
MacDonald grew up in Cornwall, Ontario, where she became active in the local independent rock music scene. She put on sh ...
's play ''The Rat King''.
Barrett released her first full-length album, ''Victory Garden'', in 2008 on
Paper Bag Records
Paper Bag Records is a Canadian independent record label, artist management company, and music publishing company founded in 2002 and based in Toronto.
History
The label was created to focus on the Toronto-area indie rock music scene. Initial si ...
. Produced by
Paul Aucoin
The Hylozoists are a Canadian instrumental rock supergroup formed in 2001 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The band's name is derived from hylozoism and was started as a side project of record producer and multi-instrumentalist Paul Aucoin.
...
, the album featured
Basia Bulat
Barbara Josephine Bulat, known professionally as Basia Bulat (), is a Canadian Folk music, folk singer-songwriter. She is known for performing with an autoharp.
Early life and education
Bulat grew up in Etobicoke, Ontario where her mother was ...
, Ajay Mehra and Lief Mosbaugh. In December 2008 Laura Barrett was the recipient of a
CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3 is a Canadian digital radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which plays a relatively freeform mix of indie rock, indie pop, alternative hip hop, folk, country and electronic music.
The service, which la ...
Bucky Award for "Sexiest Musician".
Barrett took part in the interactive documentary series
City Sonic
''City Sonic'' is a documentary series about Toronto-based musicians and the places that influenced their music.http://radio3.cbc.ca/blogs/2009/8/Watch-This-City-Sonic-Film-Series The first five ''City Sonic'' films were previewed at Toronto's 2 ...
in 2009. The series, which featured 20 Toronto artists, had her talk about her first concert. The first rock concert she attended was, at the age of 12, at the
Art Gallery of Ontario
The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO; ) is an art museum in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located on Dundas Street, Dundas Street West in the Grange Park (neighbourhood), Grange Park neighbourhood of downtown Toronto, the museum complex takes up of phys ...
for the
Rheostatics
Rheostatics are a Canadian indie rock band. They were formed in 1978, and actively performed from 1980 until disbanding in 2007. After a number of reunion performances at special events, Rheostatics reformed in late 2016, introducing new songs a ...
experimental set ''
Music Inspired by the Group of Seven
''Music Inspired by the Group of Seven'' is a 1995 album by Rheostatics.
The album was commissioned by the National Gallery of Canada to accompany its Group of Seven retrospective show. The album has twelve pieces, most of which are instrumenta ...
''. Between 2010 and 2015 Barrett performed in Sheezer, an all-female
Weezer
Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...
tribute band, along with Robin Hatch, Dana Snell and Alysha Haugen. Started as a joke, the band covered music from the Weezer's first two albums '' The Blue Album'' and '' Pinkerton''.
In 2010, Barrett accompanied
The Magnetic Fields
The Magnetic Fields are an American Band (rock and pop), band founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt is the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocalist, as well as frequent multi-instrumentalist. The band is named after the André B ...
on their 11-date North American "Realism" tour. The following year she participated in the
National Parks Project
The National Parks Project is a Canadian music and film project. Released in 2011 to mark the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Parks of Canada system,Cadence Weapon
Roland "Rollie" Pemberton, better known by his stage name Cadence Weapon, is a Canadian-American rapper based in Toronto, Ontario. Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Pemberton released his first album, '' Breaking Kayfabe'', in 2005 with posit ...
Peter Lynch
Peter Lynch (born January 19, 1944) is an American investor, mutual fund manager, author and philanthropist. As the manager of the Magellan Fund at Fidelity Investments between 1977 and 1990, Lynch averaged a 29.2% annual return, consistently m ...
to produce and score a short film about Alberta's
Waterton Lakes National Park
Waterton Lakes National Park is in the southwest corner of Alberta, Canada. The national park borders Glacier National Park in Montana, United States. Waterton was the fourth Canadian national park, formed in 1895 as Kootenay Lakes Forest Reserve ...
.
''Who Is the Baker?'', Barrett's first album in eleven years, was released in 2019. Recorded by
Don Kerr
Don Kerr is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist and record producer. He is the drummer, lead singer and front man of Toronto band, Communism. He plays in Ron Sexsmith's band,Karen Ng and Dana Snell. During the years prior to the release, Barrett mentioned musicians as part of Girls Rock Camp Toronto and composed scores alongside José Contreras for the films ''Porch Stories'' (2015) and ''Birdland'' (2018).
Discography
* ''Who is the Baker?'' (2019)
* ''Victory Garden'' (2009)
* ''Earth Sciences'' (2008)