On her latest album, Saltbreakers, Seattle singer-songwriter Laura Veirs looks to the ocean for inspiration. “The sea is so mysterious and destructive and renewing,” she says. “It’s rich in songwriting material.” Getting back to nature is nothing new for Veirs, who’s already employed the vastness of the Pacific Northwest as a theme — particularly on 2004’s rootsy Carbon Glacier. “Living by the water seems to bring about more writing about it,” she says. “The Northwest has so many lakes and rivers. And it rains so much of the time.”

Veirs claims that “saltbreakers” is an ancient maritime term for ocean waves. But Veirs spins Saltbreakers into a conceptual piece about sweat and other liquids that leave behind traces of salt — like tears. “I went through a breakup of a long relationship,” she says. Still, Veirs’ album isn’t all wet: Dreams, conversations, and newspaper headlines also figure into the songs. “I try to keep myself open to inspiration as much as possible,” she says. “There’s magic in everyday life. That’s what I try to get at in my songs. I don’t want to force them into some unnatural place.”
Thu., July 19, 9 p.m.

This article appears in May 9-15, 2007.