Laura Cox (singer/guitarist)

Laura Cox is a French guitarist, singer and songwriter. She started out on YouTube and has amassed over 500,000 subscribers and millions of views with her solos, cover songs and originals. She has released 2 albums with her solo band and a third one (Head Above Water) will be out soon. We discuss the new album & single plus her YouTube channel, how to write songs, new bands she digs & more!

00:00 - Intro
00:38 - YouTube Channel
01:57 - Living in France
04:25 - French People
05:22 - Drawing Out Emotion In Music
06:35 - YouTube Channel Comments
10:35 - Musical Influences
12:44 - Playing Guitar to Starting Band
19:14 - Learning to Write Songs
20:27 - Hard Blues Shot
22:15 - Rock Scene in France
25:40 - Sheryl Crow
27:40 - Current Bands Laura Likes
29:50 - New Single "One Big Mess"
31:10 - Recording at the ICP Studios & Royal Blood
34:13 - Mastering By Ted Jensen
35:02 - Favorite Gear
37:31 - Original vs. Covers
39:36 - U.N. Women
40:30 - Outro

Laura Cox website:
https://www.lauracoxmusic.com/

UN Women website:
https://www.unwomen.org/en

Chuck Shute website:
http://chuckshute.com/

Transcript

Chuck Shute: 0:00

All right, stick around because the on the show today is Laura Cox, a guitar virtuoso, and YouTube sensation. She's got a half a million followers on YouTube. And she's also started her own band. And they have two albums out now with the third one on the way. The latest single is called one big mess. It's out now and she's going to tell me all about recording the new album, her start with music and YouTube playing live doing covers, songwriting, and much, much more stay right there. Yeah, so welcome to the show. Laura Cox is exciting. I just found out about you from the press release. And I went check out the YouTube channel. I was like, I gotta get this girl on. She's amazing. So

Laura Cox: 0:48

thanks a lot. Thank you for having me.

Chuck Shute: 0:49

So 500,000 subscribers, that's how long did it take you to get there? I'm at like, 1500. So I got a ways to go.

Laura Cox: 0:58

I don't I didn't really keep track of this. Because I started years ago, maybe around 2000. And I'm not sure 2000 2008 Yeah, that's what I read online. I didn't keep track about this. But yeah, it's a it's always a surprise, you know, when I'm checking the numbers and and yeah, I think it's not I'm really proud about this. But for me playing guitar on stage in our life project and releasing album is is more important than just the numbers of followers on YouTube. You know, but I'm sure this

Chuck Shute: 1:36

that helped you get there though, right? Yeah,

Laura Cox: 1:39

I think so. I think having a big YouTube channel and starting early on YouTuber helped me achieve what I have now with the labels and the albums and the touring and so I'm really grateful for this.

Chuck Shute: 1:53

That's awesome. So now you you are you're born in France. Do you live in France? Are you raised in France? Or where did you grow up?

Laura Cox: 2:00

Yeah, I was born so my dad is English. My mom is French. But I've always lived in French friends. I was born in France. So um,

Chuck Shute: 2:08

yeah, cuz I've never been there. But I really want to go I want to see the catacombs. Like what else should I do if I visit there like besides obviously the Eiffel Tower, all the predictable stuff? What other things should I see if I go to France?

Laura Cox: 2:21

It depends if you're if you're going to Paris or not, because Paris is not my favorite city. For me. I am not a big fan of, of big cities, because it's so crowded, so stressful.

Chuck Shute: 2:32

Oh my god, either.

Laura Cox: 2:33

It's beautiful. It's don't get me wrong. It's beautiful. But I prefer the countryside. So for me the most beautiful part of France. It's like the southwest, the best, you know, best country where you have the the west coast with the surf. And a bit above Bordeaux, when if you like wine, you know, you can visit the vineyards and it's really really nice. For me, the west part of France is really, like more wild and but Paris is really nice, you know, the architecture and churches and yeah, if you feel like all the buildings, Paris is a is a really nice town. Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 3:08

I love the history. I think that's so cool. But you're I'm like you I don't like big cities. So that's kind of is there. There's probably history in the small towns too, though, right?

Laura Cox: 3:16

Yeah, I'm sure I'm not really really a pro in the history of France. But But yeah, I think if you'd like good food, and good wine, France is a is perfect to visit and to go to a you know, tastings and it's really cool.

Chuck Shute: 3:35

Yes, so as all the food goods are like a place that you'd recommend, like something like I need to eat, or a restaurant I need to go to.

Laura Cox: 3:43

It's hard to know, because I'm vegetarian. And in France, they eat a lot of meat. So I thought they had a

Chuck Shute: 3:50

lot of like bakeries and stuff and croissants.

Laura Cox: 3:53

Yeah, for sure. This is a nice Banaji you know, you have nicer boo laundry everywhere the bakeries. And this is but this is not something extraordinary for us. But I think for people who are coming from outside of France this is something special that we have this every morning. And yeah, that's a like the French or you know bread like the bucket. Yeah, with a bit of butter in the morning. And so it's all so good. So that sounds easily everywhere in Paris.

Chuck Shute: 4:24

I need to make a trip now. So what is the thing with the French people they don't like Americans are like how do we fix it should just work Canadian flag when I go like,

Laura Cox: 4:33

no, no, at least I don't have anything against American people. But no, no, I think that the French people are just seen as a grumpy no like complaining about a lot of things really. And yes. I think it's one of the Yeah, that's how we are seen and I think that's a bit there's a bit of truth in this like, French people always complaining always but also in a nice way, you know, always fighting for, like going in history to, to, you know, go go on strike and, and yeah yelling about things. I think this

Chuck Shute: 5:12

okay because you don't seem that way at all and that's what

Laura Cox: 5:16

like this. Yeah, the tail side.

Chuck Shute: 5:20

But that's just so interesting like what strikes me about your music is when I listen because I listen to a lot of music. But when I hear your music I hear like the emotion from the music in your voice and the guitar playing it's not mechanical not not to say that you're not technically sound I'm sure you are. But how do you get the emotion out from your soul into the music? Because that's got to be the heart one of the hardest things to be a good musician.

Laura Cox: 5:41

Yeah, I think it's coming more and more with time. Because for the, for example, during the recording of my first album in 20, we recorded this in 2016. For me, it wasn't natural at all, I was kind of more introverted, and playing what I had in mind, but not really putting my emotions in my soul in my music, maybe because I wasn't ready, maybe because I was scared of the comments of a lot of things. But I think letting go is a part of the process along the way you become you become more yourself, and it feels easier to play, which you have in mind. And at the moment, I feel very, very free with this. I'm really liberated and it feels really great. So I think it's when you feel good with yourself, it's easy to put yourself in your emotions in your music.

Chuck Shute: 6:31

Hmm. So it just took time because yeah, I was gonna ask you about that. Because when you started when you made the decision to post on YouTube, and this was in, like we said, 2008. So this is before every kid had a tick tock and like not a lot of people were posting. Was that a? How did you come to that decision? Were you worried all because so many teenagers at that age are so self conscious? I mean, you must have eventually, you got used to it. But at the beginning, it must have been scary to get some negative comments, and they heard you handle them.

Laura Cox: 7:00

I don't think so. Because at the time, like you said, there weren't a lot of platforms to advertise your music and post videos, YouTube was kind of the only one. And it was also kind of starting, I think it may be it was created two years before this, it was still new. So for me, I don't know, it was the beginning of all of this. And there weren't a lot of people posting a guitar covers on YouTube. So I wasn't expecting anything. I think I was just so used to spend spending a lot of time watching other youtubers covering classic rock solos. And I thought I really want to play like him and, and that this is going to be a challenge mostly for myself. And I felt really comfortable at home, you know, staying at home. No stress, just recording my my covers. And when I was ready, just uploading them. And I was really curious and excited about the comments. And yeah, so I had no plan in mind. Nothing was really planned. I wasn't expecting anything. And I think I was a Yeah, lucky with the timing. I worked hard to and, yeah, it was a combination of things that made this work. And I'm really, really happy about this now.

Chuck Shute: 8:17

Right. So eventually, I mean, are probably at the beginning. I mean, there's probably a there was comments. All right, well, I'm assuming most of them are positive, but there was some negative ones that you just brush those off. Because I think for me, like age 18 If someone's making like a comment like that, I mean, it could be kind of devastating at such a young age,

Laura Cox: 8:35

because it was the internet and I thought, Okay, people are just hiding behind names on the internet, they can comment wherever they want because this is kind of yeah, they're not showing their faces and it's easy to to insert or, but like you said, most of the comments were really positive. So I was focusing on this. And every time there was a like a negative comment, either it was very constructive and it will okay or not, and then I just erased this out of my mind. You know, it was we're just moving on and it's okay so because I think when you when you're uploading your videos on the internet, you have to detach yourself a bit and not take everything seriously otherwise you're you're becoming crazy.

Chuck Shute: 9:18

Yeah, so was like was it a slow process then with growing it or was it one of the first videos did it blow up?

Laura Cox: 9:26

Um, I think that it wasn't neither of them I think I none of them. I think it was a like a quick process. I would say not a slow process, not a big blow up but like it went kind of fast. But over maybe the first years and I was just going like this and for years and I didn't really keep track of this but yeah, after a few a few videos I already had a several media views so I was Yeah. But I never really realized this. It's hard to. I don't know, for me, it's just the internet and numbers on the internet. So it's not really the real life. But of course, it's motivating. When you get a lot of views and an a, like, positive answers in the comments. It motivates you to continue and, and, and yeah, I challenge you to keep on posting and do better and better. So,

Chuck Shute: 10:28

yeah, millions and millions. Yeah, millions of views. I was gonna ask you to, because when you started playing guitar at 14, it was your dad that kind of info he was playing like a lot of classic rock and country like on the stereo or whatever. And you're like, I want to play that riff. But how did he get into that kind of music? Because he was he was listening to like, a lot of it seems like American like Southern rock, and he's English. So how did he just randomly like that music? Or did he have some sort of tie to that? Or?

Laura Cox: 10:55

I have no idea. I think in the in England, maybe they're more anchored to the rock and the country culture. So that's why in France? I don't think I would have, I'm not sure I would have listened to this exact type of music. Because in France, you have rock. But the country is not really popular. It's like a bit. Not really well seen. It's uh, but yeah, if I, if I had been raised by two French parents, I think I would have my maybe my musical tastes would have been different. But yeah, I think I had the chance to have this wider musical education. And this helped me start. Start.

Chuck Shute: 11:41

Yeah. So how was that? So that then you must have been kind of an outcast in a way in high school. Listen to this music. Did you have any friends that shared similar music tastes like did you wear the band shirts to school and people didn't know what that was? And things are?

Laura Cox: 11:54

Oh, no, because I think I really became interested in playing rock music when I was around 14. And I, I made some friends that were who were into rock music as well. But more you know, the punk rock or teenage Rock, rock bands like Fallout boy, Nickelback the offspring Green Day, I think when I was around 14, that that's what I was listening with my friends, because at least we could talk about the new guitar, maybe not country music, but at this time, yes, I discovered new bands with my friends at the Guns and Roses. And I think I got really interested in knowing more about classic rock. So yeah, we created a cool circle of friends. And, and yeah, I started playing guitar around this age around 14. I think.

Chuck Shute: 12:43

So was it all only mostly by yourself in the YouTube videos? Or did you have like little side projects like actual bands where you played with a drummer and a bass player in high school?

Laura Cox: 12:52

No, no, no, I saw I started playing guitar. Around 14, I took lessons with a with a teacher. And it took me a while before wanting to create a project. I think it's a really long time. But I started playing guitar. And then for the first eight years of playing guitars, I was playing guitar, I was just covering solos, learning solos, and just covering on YouTube. And for me, that was enough that that's what I wanted, maybe because I was a bit introverted. And I just felt comfortable. Yeah, recording solos and covering solos in my bedroom and posting on YouTube. And it was after eight years of practice that I finally decided to share this with real people, you know, so and I don't know, maybe I was lacking this. I think it's important when you start playing guitar, to share this with people and play with with your friends and be get on stage as soon as possible. Because after eight years of playing guitar, my first stage was a bit scary because I already had several million views on YouTube. And I never tried at a stage experience before so my my first stage live experience was with my my current project. Yeah, after gathering millions of views on YouTube, so I had a bit of pressure on me. So how

Chuck Shute: 14:25

did you get to that point? So you know, you're on YouTube, the millions of views and then you get to be on stage did you form the band by yourself or did a record company come in to help help you get the musicians?

Laura Cox: 14:38

No, so we found them the record company later but yeah, around maybe I was around 2020 22 When you three so yeah, I just met friends I met the right people. I started the band with my my friend met you and then we we started looking for other band made, but at the time, we didn't have any contact. So we just posted ads on the internet, you know, searching for a job or searching for a bass player. And then it took time, but we, we gather a good team. And, and yeah, and I've been I've been playing in this band. We've been touring a lot since the release of my first album in 2017. And yeah, so this is a really different world from the YouTube YouTube World. It's really It's so so different. But this is nice, too. So this is the

Chuck Shute: 15:31

same all the same band members of anyone, as anyone changed.

Laura Cox: 15:36

Yeah, along the way changed. We started as a band. Now it's more solo project, I decided that, yeah, now I'm kind of turning a page going in another direction. Recently, we decided we decided to hire a keyboard player for the band, because I thought this would have this could add a new texture and new new tones to our rock music. We started doing doing this including a keyboard player during the last recording session for the new album that's going to be released in two months. So yeah, we're taking a new turn. And I'm I don't know I want to try new things. So yeah, the the project evolved a bit with along the years. And yeah, well, I don't know. I feel like now I'm ready to take a new turn. Try new things be the only guitarist in the project. I think it's a real challenge for me, because right now it's the first time it's, it happened to me, I was always used to playing with another guitarist, and now I'm the only one only guitarist on stage. So I don't know it's it feels really, really different. I have I cannot hide behind anyone else. If I'm screwing up. I'm screwing up if you hear a wrong note on the guitar, it's gonna be me. I cannot save someone else. So yeah, in the end, I think it's a it's going to make me stronger. I hope so.

Chuck Shute: 17:01

Yeah. Well, that sounds I think it will so with the keyboard player, did you How does that work for live shows? I was wonder that like with Guns and Roses, because they added the keyboard player after appetite. And then they had Dizzy read for, you know, use your illusions, which, okay, he plays on a lot of those songs. But then what does he do during the appetite songs? Like, I always sometimes try to watch him I'm like, is he just like banging a tambourine? Like, what do you do with the keyboard player, if there was no keyboards on the song

Laura Cox: 17:26

in the Guns and Roses, I never really paid attention. But for us, we just, we just told him, Okay, so we're removing rhythm guitar, I need you to, to play like, as if you were a guitar player, you know, just, if I'm going on a solo, I want you to play the chords to have big fat chords to try to fill the space in your own way. It's gonna sound different, of course, but we kind of rearranged all the songs. So it doesn't sound so much different. Because in a lot on a lot of songs, we were playing the same parts, you know, the two guitars were playing the same rhythm parts, it was often like this. So now there's only one guitar playing one part and the keyboard sometimes either is compensating for the lack of rhythm guitar, or is just adding new new parts and huge rearranging with a new new licks, you know, and it also, it feels refreshing, because we've been playing these songs for a while now. And for us, it feels like I'm a bit rediscovering my own songs. And it feels good. So I hope it's going to be the same for the people that are who are coming to see us on stage, you know?

Chuck Shute: 18:40

Yeah, I wonder like, could they could the keyboard player like put a guitar sound on his keyboard and then play the chords on the piano? And it would he could almost do a rhythm guitar on his keyboard right for some of the songs.

Laura Cox: 18:51

Yeah, because he could he can make his tone a bit dirty. You know, like almost as if he was we were playing he was playing with a an overdrive pedal, so you can have a really dirty rhythm bass. And yeah, this. This is cool. This sounds different, like a bit of a deeper boho kind of vibe. But it's uh, it's interesting. And I like I like what we're doing at the moment.

Chuck Shute: 19:13

That's cool. So you talked about how you started out just doing the solos in the covers. So eventually you start writing songs How did you learn to write songs? Was it just trial and error? Did you like try to YouTube how to write a song or do you get less?

Laura Cox: 19:27

Yeah, no, I, I kind of went with what felt natural, you know, started always starting with a riff or guitar riff. Because for me, that's the easy part. And the singing was always singing was always coming in the end. We just for me, the fun part was really the guitar part. So always starting with the guitar parts. And and then yeah, it felt natural. Of course, at the beginning for the first album, I wasn't Are you sure about the style the direction I wanted to go to? So the first album was kind of a mix of everything I loved. Like you have one song that sounds a bit like Linux. Kinnaird one is a bit more ZZ Top one is a bit more ACDC. So the first album, we were trying trying a lot of different things. And I think I'm finally starting to find my way so funny. third album.

Chuck Shute: 20:23

Yeah. Well, that's great. Yeah. Well, so with the music they have out now, the hard blue shot. I think that's your most popular song on Spotify. It's over a million views. Yeah, obviously great guitar work. What do you think it's about that song that resonates so well with people?

Laura Cox: 20:39

I think it's just raw energy, you know, just a pure rock and roll plug and play. It's easy to sing too. And I think that's the people because I'm playing rock and roll for people who wants to I just want people to have fun, you know, to when they are coming to one of our shows when they're listening to our songs. And I think with these songs you can really feel the yeah the raw rock'n'roll energy. And you know, it can talk to a lot of people you I didn't want to talk about like a serious topics or politics or anything, because I know that there are a lot of bands that are doing this really well. And this is not my this is not what I want to do with my music. But, but I think this song is a good mix of guitar riffs. Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 21:31

well, yeah. So what does that lyric mean? Then it's like, radio is dead TV shit. Come on, just give it away. What is that, like you're saying? Give away

Laura Cox: 21:40

rebel thinking about for example, the music we have in France. Rock is almost non existent. You know, on TV, on the radio, when they're saying it's rock. It's never really rock it's rock mix with the pop mix with electro with mixed with something. So I think that's why I felt the need to sing this because mostly in France. The rock scene is Yeah, almost non existent. It's a bit set. So we wanted to talk about this in this song. Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 22:14

I was. I was trying to Google though like French other French because it said, I think in your bio, like one of the biggest French rock artists and I was like, Oh, yeah. What are the other ones? And I think the one I found was telephone. Is that a band? France? Is that better? Yeah.

Laura Cox: 22:27

Not sure they still exist. They were big. years ago. They were one of the biggest rock bands in France, France. But I don't think they still exist. Yeah, we had some great bands. But yeah, like I said, no rock is not so popular at the moment. Maybe it's going to come back. But I think rock was never a French thing. So.

Chuck Shute: 22:49

So how did you cut your teeth? You said you talked about your first time on stage. Did you do a tour somewhere else then? Or did you just do shows? You have to you just do shows in France anyways?

Laura Cox: 23:00

Yeah, so we started building a fan base in France because I live here. So so that was the most Yeah, the the easiest way to practice and rehearse. And so we found a booker and who managed to worry to make us play gigs. Almost every weekend since 2017. We've been on the road. almost nonstop. We weren't really going on tours, you know, like two or three months straight in a row. It was more okay. Every weekend. We're taking the taking the van and going on to play some shows. everywhere in Europe, I would say now we were playing were mostly playing in Europe. But yeah, we so we started we started the band. The first shows happened around 2014. I think we didn't have any albums at the time. And I'm happy we evolved because these were really the beginning of the band. And when I'm looking that back I'm not sure about the quality of the shows we were giving

Chuck Shute: 24:09

was our covers in or were you not?

Laura Cox: 24:11

It wasn't mix. We were playing shorter setlist with a mix of songs to be recorded and, and in progress.

Chuck Shute: 24:22

Okay, so now you throw it out. Like you said, you're finding your way. Did you you said you played hell fest. That was it? Was that one of the biggest shows you've done?

Laura Cox: 24:30

Yeah, for sure. This was one of my dreams. And it finally happened last June. Initially. I've been told I was going to play how fast it was in 2019. But then the 2020 edition was cancelled. Then no 2021 And then finally 2022. So yeah, this was this felt surreal. It's when I'm thinking about this. It's like I was like in an out of body experience. It's not like I was watching somebody else do this in my place, but yeah, it was a an incredible experience because I've been going to this festival as a music lover since 22,010. Every almost every year. So being on the other side this year it felt, I don't know, like, crazy, but like, really crazy experience, but also feel. I also felt like I was home it was a Yeah, hard to describe.

Chuck Shute: 25:33

Wow, that's cool. That's like I love hearing stories like that of people achieving their dreams. I think another dream you have is that you? You want to play with Sheryl Crow. And you've covered some of her songs. Right. So talk talk about her. What is it about her that you love so much? I love

Laura Cox: 25:47

that. Yeah, that's the thing, because when I'm talking about my two dreams, they have nothing to do together, you know, playing her first language chakra. It's not compatible, I think. Yeah. It's hard to explain why but I've always loved her voice, the tone of her voice, the her style, I mean, the kind of country but sometimes a bit pop, sometimes a bit more fog. Sometimes I love her musicians on stage. She's surrounded by incredible musicians. And I'm just sad that she she's never playing in France. If I if I want to see her live, I have to go to the UK or to to the UK. Not last time I saw her. But yeah, she she's a legend for me. It's hard to explain why. I'm just really touched by your music. And I'm really admiring. I think it was a woman in the music industry. I think she was one of the women really, I don't know, had a huge success in the US and we went big. And I am sure she it wasn't easy for her. She had to fight but she she managed and she's a real role model. I think for a lot of women out there.

Chuck Shute: 27:03

Absolutely. No, I think she started out as a backup singer for Michael Jackson, if I'm not mistaken, but I don't know. I don't know. Does she write her songs because I feel like that's one of the best parts about her is the songs that she has are such great songs. I mean, obviously the way she sings them too, but the writing is amazing with the songs. But

Laura Cox: 27:23

I think there are some songs that she mostly right. writes everything by herself. I think there are some songs that she's co writing with other people but yeah, for sure she's a writing or own song and I look this up Yeah.

Chuck Shute: 27:38

Who else are you listening to? Now? I think I heard you say Blackstone cherry, Blackberry smoke, hailstorm, Tyler Bryant, who we had on the show anybody else that you want to?

Laura Cox: 27:47

Yeah, exactly. I think I'm really happy that rock and roll is not dead. We have a lot of great new or more modern than rock bands that are still alive and young. Like Like you said Tyler Bryant and Blackstone cheering for me. When I started playing guitar. I was really interested in Guitar heroes and the classic rock bands in big bands like AC DC, the Guns and Roses. But now I have to say more inspired by like Jared James nickels and rival sons and this is more my type of music now I think that I'm paying less attention to the to the Guitar Hero vibe and more. I'm paying more attention to the songwriting for example.

Chuck Shute: 28:36

Are you a muse fan? Do you like that's a little bit different? But I really liked that band. So they're from I think they're from the UK.

Laura Cox: 28:43

I've I don't know why I don't like this band so much. That's okay. No, yeah, I'm not listening to music, but I know they're there on their radio everywhere. And that that's great for them. And that's great for rock because at least we have some there on the radio in France. So at least if we really bit of rock Yeah, it's already a big step for us. But I'm not not a big fan.

Chuck Shute: 29:09

Yeah, no, I like rival sons too. And then you know Greta Van fleets kind of in that. Yeah. What do you like the struts? I think they're from the UK as well.

Laura Cox: 29:18

Yeah. Yeah. Like a bit like the stones vibe. And yeah. I yeah, I saw them once or twice the Download Festival in, in Paris. And yeah, as a like a kind of a modern or recent young band. They, they they're great. They're motivating, motivating I think young musicians to get up and they have such a good life energy. I'm really admiring this side.

Chuck Shute: 29:48

Yeah, okay. Well, let's talk about so you're you have a new single out now. It's called a one big mess. It sounds like a song about my life. But no, I can. What is the song about?

Laura Cox: 29:59

Oh, So it's kind of a song that I wrote during the lockdown. So it's a bit about everything like talking about someone who's getting up every morning, every morning, he or she is realizing that her life is the same. You don't really know what you're living for, you know that the the world is going completely crazy. And yeah, it's kind of someone waking up and realizing all the problems in the world and just wants to sing about this, you know, so yeah, I'm kind of doing this in a fun way because I wanted a really rock song and energetic and like your pure rockin classic broker energy. So, yes,

Chuck Shute: 30:41

no, I love it. That's great. That's such an easy I that's what I feel like, I feel like comedians must have a really easy right now looking at all the craziness and just getting so much material. But I didn't pick it out to like musicians, you guys can look at the craziness, and be inspired by that as well to write great music. So

Laura Cox: 30:57

yeah, yeah, it's I think, what's happening is a big source of inspiration for everybody, every year, all the kinds of artists, you know, writers and actors and

Chuck Shute: 31:07

yeah, absolutely. Well, so and then the rest of this album, the third out of the studio that you recorded in the ICP studios in Brussels, you posted a video on your YouTube, which people should check out. I mean, wow, the studio looks so cool. Like how did you even get any work done? Because there's like pinball machines and pool tables and a bar and you're eating you get breakfast and

Laura Cox: 31:28

yeah, but the label want us they said, Okay, you're gonna see this is a, you're gonna find a lot of vintage gear, but don't get lost because we only have two weeks. So you have to be working and not you cannot lose a day trying vintage gear, you know. So I knew where we were going. We couldn't really we of course, we had fun but we still had to be focused on on the work we had to do. And we already recorded the the second album in the studio. And so it felt natural for me to go back there. Because it felt like home and comfortable. So for me it was a bit reassuring to know where I was going with who I was going to work. The know how everything was going to go. For me it was a good a good point. I'm not saying I'm going to record all my next albums in this tutorial because at some point I would like to change to change the tones and add new colors to the sound. But But yeah, this experience in the ICP studio was a was great and went even better than the previous ones. What

Chuck Shute: 32:39

is the history there? What because I saw you walking by and there's all these golden platinum records on the walls, which bands have recorded there.

Laura Cox: 32:46

It's a lot of French and Belgian bands because they're so the studio is in Belgium in Brussels. So yeah, a lot a lot of Maybe for you it's not going to ring any bell because the Do you know that the band? I think they're from the UK royal royal blood. Oh my god, I love they recorded one of their albums there. But other than this, I think it's pretty much French and Belgian people

Chuck Shute: 33:13

so yeah, I love row but yeah, I saw them. They opened for Guns and Roses. And then I was in North Carolina. And randomly I saw that they were playing and I went and saw them and they're amazing live. It's just two guys. I don't know how they do it. It's I've ever seen them live.

Laura Cox: 33:27

I had my tickets to see them. I don't know, maybe six months ago in Paris, but they canceled because there was a strike and they're there. Their van got stuck on the highway in France, not so far from Paris, but they couldn't move because the truck drivers was were on strikes, and they were blocking all the highways. So the show was canceled last minute. Oh, was that? Okay, they're going to come back and then I think they reschedule the show. And then it was canceled because of the they had COVID or something so Oh, yes. Canceled twice. I hope I get a chance to see them.

Chuck Shute: 34:06

Maybe Yeah, you'll like it. It's really good. And then so you're out your new album was mastered by this guys Ted Jensen. So here's this guy has worked with the Eagles and Green Day Norah Jones, how did you get him aboard?

Laura Cox: 34:19

So thanks to the label, the label said okay, we we think he would make a great work on your album if you What do you think? And of course I wasn't going to say no, because I saw everything he did. So yeah, we just gave him the mixes and what's not really nice is that yeah, what we received in return with our music so we can recognize our sound but it just sound he made everything come to come to life. It's like us but bigger and more clear more crispy. So yeah, like our music but more lively. So yeah, I Do you like his work?

Chuck Shute: 35:01

Okay, and so this is a question that I have to ask but I don't even know what like what I'm talking about but with gear because like making the sound as there's some favorite guitars or pieces of gear that you have, I don't know a lot about gear but I know a lot of people listening probably want to hear that.

Laura Cox: 35:16

So the studio had a nice have a lot of nice vintage gear, but I really wanted to play on my instruments because I feel really comfortable on my guitars. So for me, it was important to use the guitars that I'm using on stage in the studio. So I mostly used two or three different guitars for this album, and mostly my Gibson Les Paul. So I have a Les Paul classic. One of my main guitars that I used the Gibson Les Paul Jr, which which is kind of like a traditional Les Paul but simpler like just one pick up two knobs and Yeah, mostly more like a vintage tone organic tone and like and also less heavy than a traditional Les Paul so I really like this and more kind of Telecaster type Utah then I used a few songs on rhythm parts. So these were the three three guitars are mostly mostly used for the album. And for the amps it was a mix of orange and Marshall I had a my orange or whatever 100 And then a martial combo 50 words and that the job it was mostly plug and play once I found a fat crunch stone I mostly kept this tone for the all the album and and put a few extra overdrive pedals for the for the solos.

Chuck Shute: 36:49

Okay, I think slash has a Gibson Les Paul, right?

Laura Cox: 36:53

Yes, exactly.

Chuck Shute: 36:54

Is he one of your favorite guitar players?

Laura Cox: 36:56

Yeah, when I started, especially when I started the guitar. I was he was my favorite. And I was obsessed with his tone. And when he wanted a Les Paul because of him, so I think my first

Chuck Shute: 37:10

Yeah, because that was one of your first videos right? The Sweet Child of Mine solo.

Laura Cox: 37:13

Yeah, yeah, at the time. I had a small Epiphone Slash Signature that I still have and I still love but now I have the Gibson Gibson version and I love it so yeah, I think slash got mean to the less

Chuck Shute: 37:27

Okay, what do you like doing better playing your original songs or playing covers

Laura Cox: 37:33

original songs I think I started playing covers because I didn't know where else I could start and I when you when you start playing guitar Of course you maybe you're not going to start writing songs within the first month or so. But now that I'm I have the chance to be playing on stage my songs. If people are paying tickets to listen to my songs I would rather play my songs than covers

Chuck Shute: 38:03

you don't throw any covers in for fun though just one or two

Laura Cox: 38:06

times sometimes at the moment when we have we used to play ZZ Top like last we had foxy lady at some point. We had Jumping Jack Flash at the moment I think we removed all the covers but I would I would like to put one or two in the set again I'm not sure which ones but I think about this but yeah it's mostly when you buy a ticket to see us live it's Yeah,

Chuck Shute: 38:34

yeah well you can you make those songs the covers your own I think it's cool when bands to when they find kind of a more obscure cover that's like, like Guns and Roses was the king of this they made in Metallica, those two bands, I feel like they would find the songs that were so obscure and then people know them or from the cover version than the original because the band's a cover like nobody's heard of those bands, but they know Guns and Roses and Metallica.

Laura Cox: 38:58

Yeah, yeah, I agree. That that's for me. That's what what's interesting about playing covers is trying to make the covers your own and trying to give something I don't know a different twist to the cover something new something that that's going to make people remember you're very Yeah, so

Chuck Shute: 39:17

no, you totally did that because I listened your video and it's like, the one for Rocket Man, which is a song. Everybody knows that song has been covered a million times. And you made it your own. And that's when I really like heard the emotion in your voice and that was a great one too. And then you probably gotta get going here. So I always wrap up with the charity. Is there a charity that you want to promote here at the end?

Laura Cox: 39:39

Um, I don't have any particular name in mind but something to fight for gender equality, like UN Women or something because I think it's still really important and there are there's a lot to be done in this in this area. So yeah, okay would be what I what I would do is choosing

Chuck Shute: 39:58

UN Women I will put that link in the website, or the in the show notes along with your website and people can follow me on social media. And of course, subscribe to your YouTube channel for some great content and the new album is called what is the new album called? We have a name for Yeah, head above water, head above water and when does it come out? It's not out yet.

Laura Cox: 40:18

So now it's going to be out in January, January 20.

Chuck Shute: 40:22

Okay, perfect. I look forward to that. Thanks so much. Thanks so much. All right. Bye. Bye. Thank you for having me. Once again, Laura Cox band, check out the music on streaming or click the links in the show notes for her website and get a physical copy of the albums. You can support both of us on social media and YouTube with likes, shares and comments. And of course, subscribe to both our YouTube channels if you haven't already. I appreciate all your support with my show and my guests. Have a great day and shoot for the moon.