Laura Tsaggaris (sah-GAIR-iss) is a singer, guitarist and songwriter.
Laura’s story begins in Pennsylvania where she grew up in the Pittsburgh area. College and a tennis scholarship brought her to Williamsburg, VA. She left that historic city with a love for another: Washington, DC. The nation’s capital laid the groundwork for her to grow into the influential musician she is today. She works to give back to her adopted hometown through the musical talents that have taken her far and wide.
Laura’s 50+ song catalog spans the genres of folk, Americana, alt-country, blues, rock and pop. Her band, The Mood Ring, consists of drums, bass, electric guitar, keyboards, and synths.
“Get In The Mood” - 2021 (LP)
“Lead Me” – 2020 (Single)
”Message In A Bottle” – 2020 (Single)
Live At The Atlas – 2016 (LP)
EVERYMAN – 2013 (LP)
Keep Talking – 2009 (LP)
proof – 2004 (LP)
EP - 2001
“Lead Me” is a career-affirming song.
Laura sometimes says she doesn’t ‘write’ songs. She likes to think they have a way of weaving themselves into her life. “Lead Me” found Laura on a nonstop, overnight drive from DC to Florida at the height of the first wave of COVID-19 and George Floyd protests. With a sleeping family in the car, she recited a poem, sang a melody, and nodded to a beat only she could hear for a full 4 hours. She’d drawn the dreaded midnight to 4am shift. “I was so glad to have a song that I was working on, because the drive was brutal,” Laura recalls. “It's amazing how awake and alive I was at that moment though. This music in my head and the thought that it could connect with people kept me going.” Along with the music came images of two friends who embody steadfast community service. She emailed the poem to both women upon reaching her destination.
At its core, “Lead Me” calls for unity in the face of this country’s continuing civil, racial and environmental unrest. “After the 2016 election, my mental health couldn’t take being tuned in. I told myself that I could do my part to turn things around by focusing on raising kind children," Laura explains. "But things in the news have become impossible to block out. It’s obvious that I need to change my approach.”
While “Lead Me” makes a compassionate plea for its singer to take up the mantle of social responsibility, it makes another message clear. This is a burden that must be shared.
Interwoven with the song’s political commentary is an affirmation of artistic purpose. The early years of motherhood saw Laura’s creative channel closed. True to form, this songwriting desert felt bigger than the last. But with a triumphant return cemented in the shape of “Lead Me,” she feels back on course. “This song felt ‘important’ from the moment I wrote it,” Laura says.
Indeed.
