Laura Jane Labine, Singer & Songwriter (1973 - )
Born in chilly Grand Forks, ND on 30 December 1973, Laura LaBine recently debuted her first CD With Words . The daughter of Noel Phillip Labine and Julie Streifel, Laura currently lives with her husband Christopher Ochsner in Los Angeles, CA where she is pursuing her music career. Teaming up with Rocco Presutti in 2001, Laura's career turned dramatically upward as the two began writing a library of songs in a variety of styles. With a common thread of love and joy, With Words mixes flavors of Salsa, Rhythm and Blues, Jazz and Pop to create an incredible album. Recently Laura began work on a second album to debut soon.
With a mother of a Lakota Sioux heritage and hailing from the prairies of the Dakotas, Laura's early musical inspiration came from listening to the wind. As she says “There are stories in every breath of the earth”. In her family, singing was like breathing and stories were often told in melodic form. Pursuing a musical career seemed natural for Laura. At the age of five she began piano lessons. Imagine the difficulty of finding a piano instructor in the Dakota wilds, but her mother was persistent and found the perfect coach. Loving music, Laura practiced incessantly and along the way gained proficiency in several instruments besides piano - including her favorite, the flute.
While in high school, at age 15, Laura studied under a professional flutist who recommended that she move to Minneapolis, MN to pursue her career. She enrolled in an arts high school in Minneapolis and never looked back - mastering the flute and performing around the world. After graduating, Laura settled in Los Angeles and joined a rock band “The Spoons” - adding her animated flute antics to the band's live show. Soon she realized that she was composing new songs in her head and wanted to get them out so she quit “The Spoons”. Rocco Presutti learned of her decision to leave “The Spoons” and asked her to audition for a song he had written and needed a vocalist to perform. She auditioned and a new career and team were born.
Today Laura and Rocco co-write songs in a variety of diverse styles with Laura and her band “The Bella Boys” bringing musical life to the written words.
If you'd like to enjoy Laura LaBine's music, why not visit her website and listen to a song or two. If interested, you can purchase her CD there.
Laura is the daughter of Noel Philip Labine and the niece of Mark Labine, author of La Verdure de Merligueche - The Story of the Guidry dit Labine Family in North America and an attorney in Arden Hills, MN.