Lauren Flaherty

Artist Information

Biography

Over 150 gigs played (CBGB's, CMJ, Middle East, Bitter End)
Opened for Jenny Owen Youngs, Rebecca Loebe (The Voice), The Sweet Remains, Paul Dempsey and others
CMJ Artist 2010
BMI Songwriter-In-Residence

Lauren Flaherty began 2011 snowed in with Imogen Heap. Well, not really. It’s more accurate to say she started the year hiding from the back-to-back snowstorms clobbering Boston since Boxing Day. Like any good New Englander, she grabbed some Bailey’s, then curled up to watch a documentary detailing Heap’s latest album. Scenes of Heap recording independently in her remodeled childhood playroom inspired her to attempt her own home recording. If it worked, she would have a new release in her hands made on a shoe-string budget. If it failed, she'd at least stave off Winter Madness for a week or two.

Half a year later, Flaherty brings us the results: a six song EP titled "The Southie Chanteuse", a nickname given to her by Hilary Hughes, Music and Arts Editor of The Weekly Dig. The eclectic half album combines the intimacy of ballads recorded in her own childhood bedroom and the raw aggression of live bass and drums recorded at Cambridge's New Alliance Studios. The EP was mixed by Lainey SchoolTree (Producer and First Engineer of Walter Sickert and the Army of Broken Toys' "Steam Ship Killers"), and features a guest appearance by guitar shredder and friend Greg Massi (Baliset, ex Kayo Dot). A CD Release party will be held as part of Flaherty's performance at Cafe 939 on Wednesday, July 20th, opening for national artists The Chapin Sisters and Rebecca Loebe (recently seen on NBC's hit show The Voice).

Well-known in the Boston music scene, Flaherty has been performing live for over a decade and has previously self-released two full-length albums: 2009's "You Don't Know Me" and 2006's "What Makes An Angel". She grew up in Southie and graduated from Berklee, later founding the Vocal Program at The Club Passim School of Music and becoming a graduate student at The New England Conservatory. Yet Rock and Roll is always where this hometown girl's heart lies. She counts two of her biggest accomplishments as playing an encore at CBGB's before it closed and performing in Boston Band Crush's One Night Band group 10 Hours of Chaos, helping her pull off a "Mid East Hat Trick"- playing all rooms of the popular club... in one year.

Instrumentation

Lauren Flaherty: Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
Jeni Magana: Bass and Background Vocals
Tony Porter: Drums

Discography

2011: Dropping new EP THE SOUTHIE CHANTEUSE on 7/20!

2009: YOU DON'T KNOW ME, available in May
(Also featured as guest vocalist on Baliset's CD "A Time For Rust"- done by Greg Massi of Kayo Dot/Maudlin Of The Well)

2006: Lauren's Debut Album WHAT MAKES AN ANGEL is released (now available at
www.cdbaby.com/LaurenFlaherty)

2005: Empowerment Records releases a compilation CD featuring premier Boston area artists. Lauren's song "Across The Sea" is featured.

Lauren's songs have received airplay in LONDON and SCOTLAND, and have been requested as far away as SERBIA.

Cuts from "What Makes An Angel" have been added to the playlist of 70 college radio stations in the Northeast, including Connecticut's: WSIN, WQAQ, WCNT, WWUH, Delaware's: WDTS, Rhode Island's: WXIN, WBSR, Maryland's: WFWM, Massachusetts': WKKL, WCCS, SFR, WMLN, WTBU, WSKB, WNEK, WCFM, WMHC, WMWM, WBRS, WBIM, BiRN, Maine's: WERU-2, WMHB, WMPG, WHSN, New Hampshire's: WFPC, WDCR, New Jersey's: WRRC, WPSC, New York's: WAIH, WMVL, WCVM, WSBU, WSVA, WCVF, WSJU, WSPN, WRUC, WPUB, WDWN, WEOS, WFNP, WONY, WSIA, 106 VIC, WKWZ, WSLU/NCPR, WDTU, WRUB, WXBC, WARY, WALF, Pennsylvania's: WEXP, WSAJ, WXVU, WNTE, WCUR, WMUH, WRKC, WXAC, WUPJ, WVMW, WSRN, WSFX, WRSK, WRFT, WPTC, WYBF, WTXO, and Virginia's: WXJM and WXRU.

Both albums have received special airplay (such as local features) on an additional 22 stations.

AWARDS AND HONORS:
Featured as "Homegrown Artist" on WXRV: The River
"Top Finalist" in the Great American Song Contest
Several "Honorable Mention" Awards from Billboard World Songwriting Contest
Selected as BMI Songwriter-In-Residence
Performed in The New York Songwriter's Circle

PAST PERFORMANCE VENUES:
New England: Virgin Megastore, The Hard Rock Cafe, The Middle East, CC Television, Harper's Ferry, Club Passim, Church, T.T. The Bear's, Patriot Place, Berklee Performance Center, The Special Olympics, FELT, Cambridge Center Plaza, Canal Park at the Cambridge Side Galleria, Clarendon Street Open Market, Amnesty International Events, Kennedy's Midtown, Bullfinch Yatch Club, Solstice Cafe, New Song Arts Center, the historic 1794 Meeting House, New Song Cafe, The Kirkland Cafe, The Western Front, An Tua Nua, Stuart's, The Rack, Regent Theater, Sean O'Tooles, The Sky Bar, The Burren, You-Turn @ The Tremont Tea Room, All Asia, Bull Fenney's, Brooklyn Tea House (Rhode Island).

New York: CBGBs, The Bitter End, Rockwood Music Hall, Central Park P.I.C.E. Festival, Soho 323, Paddy Reilly's, Soul Cafe

Please see calendar section for upcoming performances.

Links

• Last.fm
• Twitter
• MySpace

Audio

• Battle Scarred
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• Abandoned
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• Can't Stop
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• Heartsick
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• Shoes
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• Just Rain
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• Someone Else
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• What Makes An Angel ("Top Finalist" in Great American Songwriting Contest)
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• Across The Sea f/ Bio (cut on Project Think Different's compilation)
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• It's For Life ("Honorable Mention", Billboard World Songwriting Contest)
  Listen   Download

Lyrics

• Shoes
• Someone Else
• Closer Than Close
• Just Rain
• Baby, You Don't Know Me
• What Makes An Angel
• Across The Sea
• It's For Life

Video

Cafe 939 Shoes

Cafe 99 Just Rain

Photo Gallery

Press

• Performer Magazine Studio Diary [+ Show ]
  

  I began 2011 snowed in with Imogen Heap. Well, not really. It’s more accurate to say I started the...I began 2011 snowed in with Imogen Heap. Well, not really. It’s more accurate to say I started the year hiding from the back-to-back snowstorms clobbering Boston since Boxing Day. Like any good New Englander, I grabbed some Bailey’s, then curled up to watch “Everything In-Between: The Story of Ellipse” a documentary detailing Heap’s latest album. Scenes of Heap recording independently in her remodelled childhood playroom inspired me to attempt my own home recording. If it worked, I would have a new EP in my hands made on a shoe-string budget. If it failed, I’d at least stave off Winter Madness for a week or two.
  
  I hadn’t meant to record most of the album on my own. I’d actually led a successful day of recording basics (drums and bass played by Fabio Pirozzolo and Jason Prokorym) at New Alliance in November. While I loved the live drum sound we achieved, I was restricted by my tight budget (and desire to stay indoors). I was also concerned about playing the bulk of the guitar parts on my own for the first time. I wanted to be patient with them, not worrying about the clock or feeling self-conscious about anyone hearing a bad take.
  
  Since I wasn’t sure how things would work out, I kept my investment in gear to a minimum: I purchased a M-Audio Fast-Track and used it to record my Fender Strat through my Pod. It felt pretty strange to spend my nights watching adolescents give YouTube tutorials about Garageband, but fortunately the FBI did not seem concerned.
  
  After about 40 hours of tracking over a few weeks, I began experimenting with vocals by recording on the same mic I use for live shows, a Sure Beta 58. Despite not being an engineer or having an expensive microphone, I was surprised to discover the vocals came out well. Not having to travel and being able to chose what days to sing or not sing based on how my voice felt (a major perk during cold and flu season) made a huge difference. It was also liberating to do my own edits since I know my vocal abilities and limitations better than anyone.
  
  The extra time I spent began to pay off as the vocals grew to have an electronic flavor, spicing up the energetic rock basics. I found myself taking new risks, letting things marinate and not being afraid to go back to the drawing board. As the weeks went on, recording at home became not only productive, but an exciting way to spend winter weekends.
  
  I continued to embrace new technologies and telecommuted what I couldn’t do on my own. I downloaded Greg Massi’s guitar solo through Sendspace. I asked Facebook friends to suggest songs for inspiration when I was stumped. I tweeted about misadventures in my home studio and received encouragement. I even made mixing decisions over email.
  
  My new EP, tentatively scheduled for a summer release, is entering the mixing phase. I am excited about the increased post-production budget I can now afford. I can’t wait to share the results online and at shows. I know the challenges of stepping up as a guitarist, engineer and producer have been worth it because of two things: I don’t feel burned out and the early mixes RAWK.

• Top 5 CDs of the Month [+ Show ]
  

  "... Singer-songwriter Lauren Flaherty wails supreme on her new CD, You Don't Know Me. She's a beau..."... Singer-songwriter Lauren Flaherty wails supreme on her new CD, You Don't Know Me. She's a beautiful looking gal with a powerful rock & roll voice who displays a penchant for turning her day-to-day observations and life experiences into memorable songs. Filled with catchy hooks and mesmerizing riffs, Flaherty is equally at home singing a power ballad as she is tearing it up on a full-throttle rocker. Her lush, muti-layered vocal arrangements give the songs muscle and mass, making for a huge, arena-rock style delivery. Give Lauren's songs, "Shoes", "Ghost Town" (inspired by Beantown's famed Kenmore Square) and "Someone Else" a healthy spin and see if you don't agree that Flaherty is a feminine tour de force to be reckoned with. Good stuff!"

• "There aren't many voices out there with the power of Lauren Flaherty" [+ Show ]
  

  "Think of her as an updated Pat Benatar, a voice of incredible range that likely could have done ope..."Think of her as an updated Pat Benatar, a voice of incredible range that likely could have done opera. Instead, Flaherty turns her attention to rock, adding a much-missed level of sophistication above the ever-rocking backbeat."

• "Flaherty’s Vocals Are As Cool As Ever" [+ Show ]
  

  "I’ve reviewed a previous record by Lauren Flaherty, since then she seems to have toughened up and i..."I’ve reviewed a previous record by Lauren Flaherty, since then she seems to have toughened up and it suits her. Opener Closer Than Close roars with rock’n’roll energy and the vocal soars like a banshee wailing... Flaherty’s vocals are as cool as ever. Just Rain is softer, Flaherty proving as good at a ballad as she is at rockin’ out. Her silky voice caresses the sad words with real feeling. It could be a radio hit with the right support. The album holds together well and Flaherty seems to have a bright future ahead."

• "Local Singer-Songwriter Gets Boston Rocking" [+ Show ]
  

  On May 7th, there was a release party for her latest CD, You Don't Know Me, at Felt Boston. Flaherty...On May 7th, there was a release party for her latest CD, You Don't Know Me, at Felt Boston. Flaherty's appeal was on full display. Throughout the set, her enthusiasm was infectious. But, what was particularly remarkable was her desire to engage the audience and invite the members to share her passion.
  
  As her profile continues to rise in the music industry, this talented local intends to keep a level head. ... Building a career upon such a solid foundation, Lauren Flaherty will undoubtedly keep Boston rocking for some time to come.

• Scottish Podcast!
  

  "Lovely, powerful female vocals"

• 4 Star Review in England! [+ Show ]
  

  "Boston's Lauren Flaherty veers more toward rock music on her powerful debut WHAT MAKES AN ANGEL (4 ..."Boston's Lauren Flaherty veers more toward rock music on her powerful debut WHAT MAKES AN ANGEL (4 STARS). A florid vocalist she burns rubber on the driving "Show To Me", slows everything down nicely for the gorgeous piano ballad "Slowly", a performance that won critical acclaim from Billboard Magazine, then turns to modern folk with a live acoustic version of the title song. A neat album that's well worth seeking out."

• Angel On High [+ Show ]
  

  "Boston Native Lauren Flaherty is influenced by a range of female musicians, from Rock divas such as..."Boston Native Lauren Flaherty is influenced by a range of female musicians, from Rock divas such as Shirley Manson and Hole's Courtney Love to melodic piano peddlers such as Tori Amos. Flaherty's first album, "What Makes An Angel", shows this range with a mix of guitar-driven songs and slow tracks, including the single "Slowly" and the sultry rock song "Some Man's Girl"... Tonight Flaherty celebrates her CD release with a free performance at the Virgin Megastore"- Boston Globe Sidekick (cover)

• Good Music At A Great Price At Felt [+ Show ]
  

  It's not every night you get to listen to a night of great music for just a $5 cover. But this Thur...It's not every night you get to listen to a night of great music for just a $5 cover. But this Thursday is special.
  
  That's when Felt True Music Thursdays will host an exciting night of female-fronted bands. This one-night-only concert features three eclectic hours of rock, pop and jazz from local bands Fugitive Kind (who will be celebrating the release of their album Give In), the Maria McNeil Group and the Lauren Flaherty Band...

• BMI March Line-up for Songwriters-In-Residence [+ Show ]
  

  "Boston's Lauren Flaherty takes the stage March 20 to show New York audiences just what Beantown's m..."Boston's Lauren Flaherty takes the stage March 20 to show New York audiences just what Beantown's music scene is discovering. This Berklee School of Music grad has an intricate yet involving songwriting style that is winning her fans and followers."

Setlist

Performing original songs from three releases as well as covers by Cyndi Lauper, The Lemonheads, The Cure and others. Happy to tailor set to match headliner's style.

Basic Requirements

Calendar