“Little Battles” mini gig experience

My second She Makes War album “Little Battles” just turned 10, so I celebrated with an online gig on 27th April 2022, welcoming you into the new Launchpad for the first time!

Here are three songs from the show: Magpie Heart,. Shields And Daggers and In This Boat.

NEXT:

+ Get studio quality recordings of the full gig here for a limited time, pay what you want/can

+ I’m releasing “Little Battles” plus my debut album “Disarm” on limited edition vinyl for the first time this year, along with CDs and rarities collections

+ Watch the full livestream here

THANK YOU for visiting my website! I’m Laura Kidd, a music producer, songwriter and podcaster based in Bristol, UK. It’s great to meet you.

+ Get your copy of my new album “Exotic Monsters” right here.

+ Get two free songs immediately when you sign up for thoughtful letters about art and music.

+ Join my Correspondent’s Club for exclusive member perks, and to power the making of new music, videos and podcast episodes.

+ Browse episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” here and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.

+ You can also follow me around the web, on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Have a lovely day xo

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“Black Car” on Welcome To Night Vale!

by Laura Kidd Letterbox Music News

I’m somewhat stunned and very excited to announce my song “Black Car” is The Weather on episode 208 of the Welcome To Night Vale podcast, “Cecil in The Big City”.

Wow. Hugest thanks to the Night Vale team for picking my song. What an honour!

I wrote and recorded “Black Car” alone in my home studio The Launchpad in September 2020. It’s a song about love and death, guilt and gratitude, taking time to figure out what’s most important, feeling desperately sad and isolated and grieving the loss of so many.

I don’t know what other bands “Black Car” sounds like, or have any clever phrases lined up to entreat you to click “play”. This is an honest, melancholy song about a universal experience that will be discussed in the history books of the future, guitars and synths centred around a heady electronic heartbeat, with a reverent Kurt Vonnegut reference (“loving echoes”) in the middle.

Keep your loved ones close x

GET THE SONG // READ MORE

THANK YOU for visiting my website! I’m Laura Kidd, a music producer, songwriter and podcaster based in Bristol, UK. It’s great to meet you.

+ Get your copy of my album “Exotic Monsters” and browse my back catalogue right here.

+ Get two free songs immediately when you sign up for thoughtful letters about art and music.

+ Watch my weekly YouTube videos here and browse episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” here.

+ You can also follow me around the web, on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Have a lovely day xo

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Make that thing! How I write songs and why I stay independent

by Laura Kidd Creativity Letterbox Mindfulness

Answering your questions on how I make things work as an independent musician, music producer and YouTuber in 2022, how I write lyrics, who I’d like to cover my songs and who my dream collab would be (spoiler: Massive Attack / The Prodigy / UNKLE!).

Thanks for such great questions! Head to Barnsdale Wood, Rutland Water to see these gorgeous bluebells for yourself.

PEOPLE AND ARTISTS MENTIONED IN THE VIDEO

Thomas Truax – handmade instruments and great songs
Shaun Hautly – Ace YouTuber

Broken Down Golf Cart – brilliant music and animated videos

My fave new recording artists
– Wet Leg
– Wallice
– Faye Webster

My favourite Bristol artists
– Silver Stairs of Ketchikan
– Thought Forms
– Emily Breeze
– Milkie

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Subscribe to my channel for more videos xo

THANK YOU for visiting my website! I’m Laura Kidd, a music producer, songwriter and podcaster based in Bristol, UK. It’s great to meet you.

+ Browse episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” here and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.

+ You can also follow me around the web, on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Have a lovely day xo

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Solitude isn’t selfish

by Laura Kidd Creativity Letterbox Mindfulness

Solitude is good for you – some would say it’s essential. I’ve been craving time alone lately, but got into the habit of spending all my days in the house over the pandemic. Join me on my first ever solo hike – around beautiful Cheddar Gorge – as I face two fears: filming in public and flying my DJI Mini 2 drone!

NEXT:

Subscribe to my channel for more videos xo

+ Watch my “Black Car” video

📗 Get “The 4 Hour Work Week” by Timothy Ferriss *
📹 Check out the DJI Mini 2 drone as used in this video *

* Affiliate links – I get a small percentage of every sale

THANK YOU for visiting my website! I’m Laura Kidd, a music producer, songwriter and podcaster based in Bristol, UK. It’s great to meet you.

+ Browse episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” here and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.

+ You can also follow me around the web, on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Have a lovely day xo

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Watch my latest livestream whenever you like!

by Laura Kidd Creativity Letterbox Music News News

Last Wednesday I invited friendly music lovers into the new Launchpad to celebrate the 10th birthday of my second album “Little Battles”. Hooray!

Watch whenever you like:

Set list:

Minefields
Exit Strategy
Magpie Heart
Butterflies
Delete
In This Boat
Blue
Never Was
Shields and Daggers
Exotic Monsters
The Only Way Out Is Through

THANK YOU for visiting my website! I’m Laura Kidd, a music producer, songwriter and podcaster based in Bristol, UK. It’s great to meet you.

+ Browse episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” here and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.

+ You can also follow me around the web, on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Have a lovely day xo

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I’m singing on Miles Hunt’s new song “Things Can Change”

by Laura Kidd Creativity Letterbox Music News Process

+ Listen to ”Things Can Change” here on Bandcamp.

+ Watch the “Things Can Change” video here.

In January 2022, one of my musical heroes invited me to contribute vocals to two of his new songs, and this video includes some glamorous behind the scenes shots of self-shooting some footage for his brand new music video.

Here’s to giving ourselves permission to do our own thing!

I was never invited to work in the music industry, so have had to find ways of overcoming my inner critic and giving myself permission to create my music, videos, podcast series and blog posts as an independent producer, songwriter and filmmaker.

“Sometimes people ask me what it’s like to work in the music industry, and, genuinely, that question baffles me. No-one ever asked me to come and work in the music industry, no-one hired me, or promoted my work, or paid me for my time. I don’t have any contact with the people who work there, I don’t know how it operates, really, and I’m pretty sure they’re unaware that I also work there, if indeed I do. It’s kind of like I just showed up at someone’s office, sat down at a desk and started doing stuff. No-one’s kicked me out yet, but I don’t get holiday and the boss always forgets to call me in for my annual review.

The great thing about all this, is that I get to make whatever I want – and so really it’s about giving yourself permission to make music, or paint, or draw, or whatever the thing is that you’re driven to create. I started writing songs seriously in 2005, and my main mission in life since then has been to increase the time per week that I’m able to make things. And for that, I don’t need anybody’s permission but my own. And nor do you.”

NEXT:

Subscribe to my channel for more videos xo

Listen to me and Miles Hunt on my podcast “Attention Engineer”:
Ep18: I interview Miles
Ep40: Miles interviews me

THANK YOU for visiting my website! I’m Laura Kidd, a music producer, songwriter and podcaster based in Bristol, UK. It’s great to meet you.

+ Browse episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” here and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.

+ You can also follow me around the web, on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Have a lovely day xo

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Correspondent’s Club 007 – 25/4/22

by Laura Kidd Letterbox Music News Perks TCC

The seventh edition of The Correspondent’s Club quarterly music and zine bundle was created in March 2022.

The only way to get access to future Correspondent’s Club releases is to become a member – browse member perks here.

Track listing:

1. Penfriend Two Deep Dive (44 minute new album demo talkthrough)

Live from The Launchpad 02/22
2. Shields And Daggers
3. Dear Heart
4. The Best
5. Paper Thin
6. Seashaken
7. Delete
8. Scared To Capsize

Preview track: Penfriend Two Deep Dive (taster)

Ukulele or cavaquinho? Adventures in Portugal

by Laura Kidd Creativity Letterbox Music News Process Productivity

I started playing the ukulele in 2008 after reading about George Harrison’s great love for the instrument, and have written many sad songs on it since. On a recent trip to Portugal I decided to find out about the precursor to the ukulele we know and love – the cavaquinho.

Come with me on an adventure to find a cavaquinho in Lisbon, and see what happens next!

NEXT:

+ Get my song “Seashaken” here
+ Get my album “Exotic Monsters” here

Huge thanks coolukulele.com for informing me about the ukulele’s history – read more here

And visit Cantinho da Regina if you’re ever in Sesimbra – she’s the best!

Subscribe to my channel for more videos xo

THANK YOU for visiting my website! I’m Laura Kidd, a music producer, songwriter and podcaster based in Bristol, UK. It’s great to meet you.

+ Browse episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” here and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.

+ You can also follow me around the web, on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Have a lovely day xo

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“Little Battles” – (2012)

by Laura Kidd Letterbox Music News

From 2009-2019 I made music under the name She Makes War, releasing 4 and a bit solo albums and playing nearly 600 shows.

“Little Battles” is available on vinyl for the first time ever right now, remastered for vinyl by Katie Tavini with new “cover version” artwork by Ben The Illustrator.

Recorded in East London in summer 2011 and released on my own label My Big Sister Recordings the following year, this album was generously funded by music fans via my first Pledge Music campaign. I was able to spend 33 days in the studio (double what I could afford for my debut “Disarm”) and realise my dreams of creating a deeper, more layered album.

Recorded just around the corner from the Hackney riots, London’s crackling tension is echoed within the 15 songs, but if love is a battlefield this album is a peaceful protest: honest and vulnerable, yet steely and sure of itself, all melancholy romance and wide-eyed hope for the future. It’s about collisions – analogue with digital, war with peace and technology with nature.

Stream the album in full below and subscribe to my channel for more videos xo

THANK YOU for visiting my website! I’m Laura Kidd, a music producer, songwriter and podcaster based in Bristol, UK. It’s great to meet you.

+ Browse episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” here and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.

+ You can also follow me around the web, on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Have a lovely day xo

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“Paper Thin” – live one take performance

by Laura Kidd Creativity Letterbox Music News Process Productivity

On 23rd February 2022 I played an atmospheric acoustic online gig on my Luna Dolphin ukulele and Boss RC30 loop pedal.

This song was released on my third album under the name She Makes War, and was a duet with the wonderful Tanya Donelly (Belly / Throwing Muses / Breeders).

+ Watch the music video featuring Tanya here.
+ Watch the three-song highlights from this livestream here.

Subscribe to my channel for more videos xo

THANK YOU for visiting my website! I’m Laura Kidd, a music producer, songwriter and podcaster based in Bristol, UK. It’s great to meet you.

+ Browse episodes of my music podcast “Attention Engineer” here and subscribe via your favourite podcast platform.

+ You can also follow me around the web, on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Have a lovely day xo

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