We recently connected with Laura Reed and have shared our conversation below.

Laura, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Walking the path of an artist, a poet, a storyteller and performer or any dedication outside of societies norm there is risk. I suppose for myself this is part of the attraction. Every time an artist shares their art, they are taking a risk. A risk of ego, a financial risk, a personal risk, a roll of the dice in regards to reception and the impact to our world. I have learned to dance with this risk, I know it will be there at every turn and so I bathe in it like moonlight knowing it is always impacting me. The challenge I believe as an artist is to not let risk equate to fear, as fear is truly a diminishing factor to the light of inspiration and creativity.

What I have highlighted is the overarching risk of artistry, that comes with that inherent vulnerability. However I do want to share a specific story of risk. The story of embracing womanhood/motherhood while also cultivating a career in music and Live touring.

This began when I was in the midst of the most active touring I had even done. I had started a band called Laura Reed and Deep Pocket in Boone, North Carolina where I went to college. We really were just a college band playing bars and restaurants, but crowds and interest began to grow. We had an investor eventually, which afforded us to record our first album, and subsequently tour in our shiny new Sprinter van and trailer across the US. We had an agent, an attorney, a production deal, manager, tour manager, publicist, accountant, sound engineer, merchandise manager, interns- we were essentially a small business. We were building our fan base organically show by show, playing close to 200 shows a year. It was relentless, we put most of what we had in storage and lived in the downstairs of the large home owned by Paul Diaz, owner of Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta. He had seen us perform in Athens, Ga and offered us not only a production deal to record, but also let us live in his home and at the time we were running our tour on bio-diesel so he also let us fuel up at his bio-diesel pump. We were young and sleepless and living for the road.

It was during a tour through Florida in 2008 that my focus found a distraction, a risk. There was a mysterious man that was in the audience at these shows that I met, fell in love with, and subsequently married a few months later. Not soon after we were married, I was pregnant, with about 50 shows booked to perform before my first son’s birth. As you can imagine the rest of the band and business team around me was buzzing with concern. At this point in time in the music and live industry, it was not widely accepted for women to be bandleaders in the first place, not to mention pregnant ones. There was already enough concern that I had taken myself off “the market” and married myself off. Once the band and management team learned of my exciting news there was a major shift within the LRDP world, and it was not one of support.

Looking back now I can see why they were scared of what would happen. We had become a well oiled machine and were essentially completely independent and self sustaining. Making money to have everyone full time employed, while re-investing in our business and music. I’m really quite proud of what we did, because this was before it was really considered the “business model” for indy artists. Many were still reliant on record labels. We were not on any major radar but were “living the dream”. We had worked very hard and earned it and here I was going and getting pregnant, as if it was a health condition based on negligence.

What they didn’t expect however was that none of it had to be vulnerable, or canceled for that matter. I performed every scheduled show, even some out of the country while very pregnant. In fact at 8 months I flew to NYC to record background vocals for a Karl Denson album with the other vocalist in the band Debrissa McKinney. Karl was the sax player for Lenny Kravitz at the time and so naturally we recorded at Lenny’s studio in New York, and naturally we hoped we were going to meet Lenny and I would then in turn leave my husband for him :) Jokes aside, it was an epic session but I was so pregnant I almost couldn’t fly back home. It didn’t matter however, because my commitment to music and the pursuit of it was so strong I put it above my comfort consistently. I did not however put it above my child, or the sacred union of family I was building. There was so much risk around me at that point in my life I barely can recall many moments of not feeling in survival mode. I felt betrayed in many ways by those who I had spent so much time with building something. It was so hard to accept that they couldn’t be there to support me building something of my own as well, a family. So I stepped away from the band. I knew I would always be making music and singing and performing, but that the nature of it would change.

Then in 2009, after many performances, tears, and 28 hours of natural labor my son was born. It was such a remarkable joy and honor, however was a very lonely moment. There I was, becoming a mother but the band, the manager, the attorney, the accountant, the tour manager, the sound engineer, the many payroll pals were no where to be seen. Not even a check in. I was given a very important reality check instead. Looking back I felt as if I was being “punished” for embracing motherhood and not making my career the single focus in my life. I had learned a lot as far as a music career was concerned, and was now embarking on the ego death that is motherhood, and what I would soon discover to be “single’ motherhood, with a divorce that followed a few years after.

It was right after the birth of my son that I received a timely phone call from Yonrico Scott. Yonrico had been the drummer for legends such as Whitney Houston and Chuck Berry, and up till then was the drummer for the slide guitar virtuoso Derek Trucks. He was calling to congratulate me on my son, and also inform me that while Laura Reed and Deep Pocket were disbanding…so was the Derek Trucks Band. Yonrico, Todd Smallie (bass), and Kofi Burbridge (keys and flute) had all been replaced in their own band and were looking for the next project to pour into. Not even 2 months after my son’s birth I was booking shows again, this time with essentially the Derek Trucks Band backing me, with Curtis Mayfield’s music director MDing. I was back to what I knew and loved, this time breast feeding in the green room and towing around a baby carrier or sleeping infant in a car seat to shows. When they say “it takes a village” that is very true because I couldn’t have done it without mine.

This turn of events and new chapter of music and artistry really shaped me and reminded me of risk vs reward. I understand there is always a compromise and often a consequence when we take a risk. However, I see now that when you stay true to yourself and you follow your authentic voice you will always be met with unexpected joy and growth. I am fortunate that after I thought perhaps I had lost my career, I was indeed instead embarking on a new version of it.

After my son was born I became a solo artist. Eventually moving from Atlanta to Nashville in 2011 after a generous invitation by Producer and executive Paul Worley (Dixie Chicks/Lady A/Chris Stapleton). Paul asked me to take a risk and focus on being a songwriter. He even went as far as to allow me and my now toddler son to live with him and his family in their home in Nashville, while I wrote the songs that landed me my first major publishing deal with EMI, and then Sony ATV. This period also inspired me to record my first solo album, “The Awakening”, with Grammy Award winner Shannon Sanders (India.Arie/John Legend/Johnny Lang), that I released independently on my own label, Five Foot giant Records in 2014.

I can tell hundreds of stories of risk if I think on it, and in many ways I see them all as testimonies that one can not attain without a test.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I consider myself a poet and storyteller that uses the medium of music. All that to say officially I am a songwriter, musician, singer, performer and my most difficult job- a mother. I would consider my start in my industry when I had my first poem published at 9 years old. It was one I wrote about a stream I would visit and my teacher decided to submit it to a contest and it was subsequently published. This just inspired me further to write down my thoughts, dreams, poems and eventually songs whenever I could. Often even recording them on my mother’s dictaphone. This has now been replaced by voice memos on my iPhone as my most extensive archive of material.

By the time I was 14 I had notebooks of poems and songs, and tapes of melodies and ideas. I had a boyfriend at the time that played guitar and had left it at my house. the following week at school he broke up with me and started to date my friend. So of course I decided to keep his guitar and teach myself how to play, and him a lesson. I was often grounded to my room at this time because of a pattern of skipping school and getting in general trouble. I had countless hours to my disposal to learn my craft and deep dive into teaching myself guitar. I began by learning by ear, listening along to what I liked and find the sounds while looking up tablature and chords online. Soon enough I was laying my poems over guitar chords and excavating songs out of them.

There was a coffee house that had an open mic not far from where I lived called “The Six String Cafe”. For $5 I could record my 3 song “set” at the open mic that happened every Tuesday and Thursday. I would have my mom or dad drop me off every Tuesday, sign up and wait for my turn, share my songs and get my crude recording. Then on Wednesday I would listen and critique myself, change arrangements and even lyrics so I could return the next day to try again. I did this for probably 2 years, and still have cd booklets full of some of these first recordings. Eventually people started showing up to the open mic to catch my set and started to offer me money for my $5 recordings. I decided to use my mom’s cd burner to make copies of course after this and sell them $5 a piece and decorated each one. These were essentially my first demos that were a gateway for me into being a songwriter and a performer. When I started this process I was nervous and you could hear the shaking in my voice. After some time performing became as natural as having a conversation and inspired me to travel and perform in different cities, either at open mics or often on the street. I did this all over Central and South America, the Caribbean, and of course the US. Two of the cities I performed the most being New Orleans and Asheville.

It was in New Orleans and Asheville that I met many musicians that I would later collaborate with and honed my skills as an improvisational performer. Some of the musicians I met during this time went on to start a recording project with funk legend George Clinton. They Called the project the Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown and it was a combination of Parliament Funkadelic members and New Orleans and Asheville musicians. I received a call one day from George’s now wife and then manager to invite me to his studio in Florida to be a background vocalist on the project and even to potentially write. I had never recorded in a professional studio at that point and had never “co-written” with anyone else before lyrically. I was the front women at this time for the band Laura Reed and Deep Pocket, so I was experienced with collaboration but this was certainly a professional turning point for me.

I ended up joining George and the rest of the legendary assortment of musicians and writers for about a week. Singing not only background but what turned into writing as well with now Grammy Winning songwriter Kendra Foster (co-writer of D’Angelo’s Black Messiah) and singing lead on multiple songs with some of my musical heroes. George nicknamed me “baby groove” in the studio and even invited me to perform alongside at a large festival and a well known venue in Asheville. I was 21 when this all happened and it inspired and boosted my confidence to pursue what I truly felt was a calling at this moment.

From this experience I continued to collaborate on multiple projects as a songwriter, as well as sing with many different acts in the studio and live, and share the stage with many of my favorite artists. I’ve been fortunate to have many of my songs featured in countless tv shows and movies and have no gone on to mentoring many aspiring songwriters and artists on licensing and sustaining oneself as an independent artist. I am also a voting member of the recording academy for the last 12 years and volunteer as a mentor when I can for students going into songwriting and music. I took the early experience I have as a poet, street musician, studio collaborator and performer to carve out a career and life that centers authenticity and humanity. I’ve been fortunate to have many amazing opportunities and travel around the world to perform and songwrite, holding the intention for music to be medicine and also to “reflect the times”.

Can you share your view on NFTs? (Note: this is for education/entertainment purposes only, readers should not construe this as advice)

I am very new in my understanding of NFTs, however I just so happen to be working with a music Licensing company and label out of London (North Note) that is going to be releasing my new music as NFTs. It definitely feels like an unknown territory as far as how it is utilized and connects people with your music. In fact, the funding of the new latest collection of songs (due out this year) was funded through grants from a Cryptocurrency company. It was my first time being paid in crypto, and part of my agreement is that each of the songs will not only be released in the typical digital fashion on streaming platforms, but also as an NFT with accompanying unique artwork from various artists.

I think there is still much debate about how this will “disrupt” the creative industry in a positive way. Especially getting creators paid for their work again, and how this will perhaps give more value to music and art that has in many ways been commodified to such a.degree that many are unable to afford to even create anymore. I learn best through experience so I was open to the opportunity to learn first hand the process of an NFT release and how the royalties from block chain will filter down to the creatives. I should know a lot more by the end of the year :)

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I believe a journey should always be fueled by something meaningful, bigger than ourselves. My creative journey thus far and moving forward has always been about healing, not just myself but those around me, our ancestors, and all those who are listeners and part of the community. This healing expands as a mission to make positive impact in the world through music.

An impact that is either healing through sharing my own vulnerability, hopefully encouraging that of an audience to be vulnerable and to feel for themselves. Not to mention healing on a humanity level by speaking truth to power, speaking up for the oppressed, and amplifying empathy in a world that works against so many movements of collective liberation and justice.

These days I see that work as being woven into the music or utilizing the social platforms that I am afforded. Some of my songs speak directly to this and other’s are poems that leave a trail of breadcrumbs for a listener to follow for their own awakening if they are open to it. I have always felt that artists and poets are the shepards and lead the way in many movements centered on humanity and love. I have also always felt and agreed with one of my heroes, Nina Simone, that “an artist’s duty is to reflect the times”.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.laurareed.com
• Instagram: laurareedmusic
• Facebook: laurareedmusic
• Youtube: laurareedmusic
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4wZTPntdStliTI0AsBQr3x?si=VvYNkpPSSIKcJtssdNqZlg

Image Credits
Sam wiseman, Lindsay Patkos, Brandon Mccarroll, Sebastian Smith, Matt Parker