Laura Orshaw to Dark Shadow Recording

Laura Orshaw with Dark Shadow Recording President Stephen Mougin

Dark Shadow Recording in Nashville has announced the signing of bluegrass fiddler and vocalist Laura Orshaw to the label.

Laura has been highly visible in recent years, first as fiddler its Alan Bibey & Grasstowne, and now in the same position with The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. Her aggressive style makes for a powerful addition to any band or session, and she is equally forceful as a singer. She is the first female winner of the SPBGMA Fiddler of the Year award, and projects on which she is featured have won multiple IBMA honors.

Dark Shadow is an intentionally small, almost boutique label, run by Stephen Mougin, guitarist with the Sam Bush Band. His vision is to offer full label support to a small group of artists, as he does today for Becky Buller, Rick Lang, Rick Faris, and his own solo projects. With their own state of the art studio, they can function as a self-contained operation and by limiting the number of artists they record, can stay on top of publicity and marketing as well.

Mougin says that Orshaw is a great fit for the Dark Shadow family.

“Anyone who has heard Laura Orshaw play and sing knows she’s a powerhouse. In studio sessions, I’ve watched her inspire fellow musicians to ‘up their game’ because of her offerings to a tune, one of the many reasons I asked her to play on my own album. She has toured with a variety of bluegrass bands from modern to traditional, and manages to sound perfectly at-home in every scenario. Beyond being a great human, Laura is a determined, hard-working, talented artist and I’m thrilled that she is joining the Dark Shadow Recording family.”

Here is a video of Laura from 2019 when she was working with Bibey and Grasstowne on a Bill Monroe classic.

Orshaw says that she is delighted to take this step with her music career.

“I’m beyond thrilled to be joining the Dark Shadow Recording family. Although I’ve known Stephen and Jana (DSR Owners) for many years, my first chance to work with Stephen in the studio was in 2017 when my then fiancé, Tony Watt, and I recorded a duet version of Guy Clark and Shawn Camp’s Magnolia Wind. We gave the song out as a wedding favor to our guests, and sang it as part of our wedding vows. That memory is very dear to my heart, and since then I’ve had the chance to work with Dark Shadow Recording on projects with Becky Buller, Rick Faris, and Stephen’s own solo project. Stephen’s skills as a producer and engineer are truly awe-inspiring, but I am most impressed with his work coaching artists and creating an environment where they can do their best work. It’s an honor to join Stephen, Jana, and the rest of the DSR family!”

We are told to expect a Laura Orshaw project from Dark Shadow Recording sometime in 2022.

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About the Author

John Lawless

John had served as primary author and editor for The Bluegrass Blog from its launch in 2006 until being folded into Bluegrass Today in September of 2011. He continues in that capacity here, managing a strong team of columnists and correspondents.