Lauren Norton

Lauren Norton divides her time between Dublin and Northern California, where she writes and performs with The Souterrain, a trio of multi-instrumentalists. She is a graduate of Trinity College and the UC Davis Master's program in Creative Writing--where she won the Dean's prize for Artwork & Performance. Her poetry is currently published in Poetry Ireland Review. She will return to Ireland in August 2011 to launch her new record with The Souterrain.

“The Souterrain’s organic, no frills all-acoustic style features dexterous standup bass and agile acoustic guitar accompanying singer Lauren Norton, whose rich voice is, by turns, sincere and flirtatious. Toss in some bongo-like percussion and you’ve got something of a modern-day beatnik vibe. The band displays sophisticated key changes in “Cornershop,” while “Jenny’s Song” is an upbeat tune with tasty slide guitar filigree and plenty of soul and touch. The next step for this smart, collegiate trio is to treat their music to the quality production is deserves.”
-- Music Connection

"Poetry, especially poetry like this, belongs in music. This is a creation worthy of Suzanne Vega or Imogen Heap. I feel as if I am witnessing the beginning of something great. This must be recorded and hopefully without studio frippery."
-- Judges' notes for the Dean's Prize for Artwork and Performance, 2011.

"Vocalist and guitarist Lauren Norton performs with a confidence that comes from having tested her mettle in a variety of disciplines. Drawing from experience in choral, jazz, and traditional music she has developed a unique style that shifts seamlessly from playful to mournful to foreboding. But this confidence belies a search for some kind of remedy that often plays itself out in her lyrics. This friction makes for genuinely compelling songwriting – “Sous Sol” is in itself a testament to this. The narrator personas she crafts and assumes in songs like “Tattoo Freak” and “What Ails You” immerse the listener in the esoteric worlds where they search for solace."