Laura Cortese is an American fiddler, singer, and songwriter based in Boston. In addition to releasing her own folk and singer/songwriter-oriented music as a solo artist and with her band Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards, she's backed artists including Pete Seeger, Band of Horses, and Uncle Earl. Originally from San Francisco, Cortese moved to Boston to attend the Berklee College of Music and stayed in the area, working as a sidewoman in the local roots scene. Her debut album, Hush, showcased her fiddling on a set of Celtic folk. It was released by Jar Productions in 2004. She returned with a more streamlined set of contemporary folk-pop on the self-released Even the Lost Creek in 2006. The live album Blow the Candle Out followed in 2007. Continuing to bridge folk and pop, Acoustic Project arrived in 2010, and her fourth studio album, Into the Dark, followed in 2013. She issued All in Always in 2016 before Laura Cortese & the Dance Cards -- Cortese, Jenna Moynihan (fiddle), Valerie Thompson (cello), and Natalie Bohrn (bass) -- made their debut with California Calling on Compass Records in 2017. The album, which offered textured folk-rock with varied keyboards (including synthesizer), was produced and recorded by Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Lake Street Dive). ~ Marcy Donelson