TRI-CITIES, Wash.-
Singer-songwriter Lauren Wanamaker is adding folk flair to the Tri-Cities live music scene show-by-show.
31-year-old Wanamaker grew up in Richland and attended Hanford High School. She said she has lived in Washington most of her life aside from a short time in Anchorage, AK.
“I would say music is a huge part of who I am,” Wanamaker said. “It’s kind of the one thing that’s been constant throughout my life.”
Wanamaker said her family has always been very involved in music. Her grandmother was a piano teacher, and she started playing piano at a young age. Playing piano is a “rite of passage” in her family. She picked up the guitar around the age of 13 when her uncle, who had played in folk bands, began teaching her chords.
“Around 15 or 16 [years old] was when I really started recording stuff. Probably 16-17 is when I started performing my own music,” Wanamaker said.
Wanamaker loves making music because of how it helps her process her emotions:
“It feels like something’s unlocking. When I do that, it’s like ‘that’s something I didn’t even know was in there,” she said. “You’re pulling things out of yourself that you wouldn’t be able to access in another medium. For other people, that might be another form of art… It’s a grounding thing.”
The singer named a few artists that inspire her work, such as Sufjan Stevens, Adrianne Lenker, and Neko Case.
“I think it’s just people who are being really honest about what life is like, and how bad it can be sometimes,” she said. “I don’t think all my songs are super sad, but I find myself writing about… who am I supposed to be versus who I actually am.”
Wanamaker has performed in festivals– playing at the annual Tumbleweed Music Festival in Tri-Cities and Northwest Folklife in Seattle. She regularly plays shows in Tri-Cities and Spokane but said her favorite experience at a concert was hosted by Sofar Sounds in Boise.
“It was such a unique performance setting. It was in someone’s backyard.” Wanamaker continued, “Beautiful evening, people were totally attentive– very receptive… this is the dream show.”
Wanamaker’s EP ‘Rest & Reprieve’ is on streaming platforms, and she said she has more songs she has been performing. She hopes to record those soon.
The singer/songwriter is set to perform at The Emerald of Siam in Richland on Tuesday, Nov. 14, and Arbor Crest Winery in Spokane on Thursday, Nov. 16.
