Tell me a little about your music-making history.
I had been secretly writing songs for a while with no desire to ever share them with anyone--my motivation wasn't to perform them or anything like that, it was just that I had these things that I so needed to say and sort of purge from my insides. I couldn't find a way to speak the words, writing them in a journal wasn't quite enough, and so I found that singing them was most effective. One night about 5 years ago, some friends threw me a birthday party....after a few glasses of wine (a very effective confidence booster), I got brave and called my two best friends into the other room and played a couple songs for them. One of these two friends is dan schneider, who performs as the singleman affair. Dan's been playing music for years and enthusiastically encouraged me to start playing shows outside of my living room for other folks besides my plants and my cat.
What is your process for writing lyrics?
I had been secretly writing songs for a while with no desire to ever share them with anyone--my motivation wasn't to perform them or anything like that, it was just that I had these things that I so needed to say and sort of purge from my insides. I couldn't find a way to speak the words, writing them in a journal wasn't quite enough, and so I found that singing them was most effective. One night about 5 years ago, some friends threw me a birthday party....after a few glasses of wine (a very effective confidence booster), I got brave and called my two best friends into the other room and played a couple songs for them. One of these two friends is dan schneider, who performs as the singleman affair. Dan's been playing music for years and enthusiastically encouraged me to start playing shows outside of my living room for other folks besides my plants and my cat.
What is your process for writing lyrics?
It all happens in fits and starts. I'm not a prolific songwriter. Only once or twice have I ever written a melody first and then come up with words to move into the space after the fact. Primarily, lyrics are born from some sort of intense emotional reaction to someone/something/an experience. Writing songs is truly a form of communication for me. if I weren't writing songs, there'd be a lot of shit that I'd keep bottled up for, like, ever. So, the process usually starts with one little seed of a line of lyric. Once I get a few lines written, then I'll grab my uke or my guitar and try to give those few lines a melody to swim in. Then the rest of the lyrics/melody just kind of all pour out of me from that point on. I write very few songs, but when I do write a song, it's a very fast, very cathartic process.
Shit. You only asked me about writing lyrics. Sorry about all that melody-uke-guitar yammering.
What is your prized musical possession? Is there anything you're dreaming of acquiring?
I love and prize both my lanikai concert uke and my telecaster equally!
Dream acquisitions: a baby blue 1966 fender mustang without the wammy bar, a waterphone, and a steel drum.
What's the weirdest place/context/time of day you have ever performed music for an audience?
What's the weirdest place/context/time of day you have ever performed music for an audience?
My place of employment....for my good ol' day job i work in a bank, and for the holidays my department threw a big potluck luncheon. One of my coworkers coerced me into performing a short set for everyone (bosses included), and since she's one of the nicest people on the planet I just couldn't tell her no! It was, without a doubt, the most awkward performance I've given to date.
What are your thoughts on Spotify or other streaming services? (asked by Brian of Panda Riot)
What are your thoughts on Spotify or other streaming services? (asked by Brian of Panda Riot)
I actually had to ask my roommate what spotify was when I first read this question. Now that I know what it is, I can shove this long-winded, rambling response down your throat!
I don't really have a problem with music streaming or file-sharing sites at all. As long as people use the sites and treat the artists with respect, I'm fine with it. if someone were streaming my music on spotify or last.fm, I'd be so fucking jazzed about it. I personally like last.fm the best (it has a great amount of ambient/experimental music). I'd be equally as jazzed if someone were "stealing" my music from a file-sharing site--it means someone's listening to it! Generally, if I find a band/musician that I really enjoy via a streaming site, I will then make the extra effort to go to a record store and buy a physical copy of the album.
My biggest beef isn't necessarily with streaming sites, but rather with the concept of buying/acquiring songs a la carte online in general. When you buy music online, you have the ability to pick and choose only the song(s) that you like. That's all fine, well, and good, unless the artist truly meant for the album to be heard in its entirety and the listener/purchaser isn't respectful of that fact. Another issue I have with online music is that you don't get the cd booklet or record sleeve. Someone out there worked very hard to create artwork for the cover to accompany the music itself, and that person deserves to be honored in the same way that the musician is honored when we listen to the music. Plus all the people who work so hard to help the album get made in the first place, whose names are printed in the liner notes....they deserve to be honored as well. When you don't have the cover art because you've just downloaded the 3 fun party tracks from itunes or whatever, then all those people and their work aren't recognized.
My biggest beef isn't necessarily with streaming sites, but rather with the concept of buying/acquiring songs a la carte online in general. When you buy music online, you have the ability to pick and choose only the song(s) that you like. That's all fine, well, and good, unless the artist truly meant for the album to be heard in its entirety and the listener/purchaser isn't respectful of that fact. Another issue I have with online music is that you don't get the cd booklet or record sleeve. Someone out there worked very hard to create artwork for the cover to accompany the music itself, and that person deserves to be honored in the same way that the musician is honored when we listen to the music. Plus all the people who work so hard to help the album get made in the first place, whose names are printed in the liner notes....they deserve to be honored as well. When you don't have the cover art because you've just downloaded the 3 fun party tracks from itunes or whatever, then all those people and their work aren't recognized.
I guess mine is maybe more of a "don't hate the player, hate the game" type of issue here. I buy music online, I use streaming sites. I'm not at all chastising anyone for using these services. But if I really, really like a musician/band or an album, I will get my ass over to the record store to buy it--and if it's not in stock, then I'll place a special order and wait for it to arrive, dadgummit.
I am so very, very sorry for this rant.
What should I ask the next person or band to be on the blog?
What should I ask the next person or band to be on the blog?
What book character do you most identify with, and why?
Annie's favorite songs:
Annie's favorite songs:
Stream these songs at 8tracks.com
1. for getting through a tough day at work "my baby just cares for me" nina simone
this song always fills my heart with joy. plus, it has my absolute favorite piano solo of all time in it.
2. that you were part of the recording "the dream, the lie" outshine family
recording the album 'galleria de la luz' with matt nicholson, patrick liddell, et al was one of the best, most enjoyable, inspiring experiences of my life.
3. from before 1970 "lonesome town" ricky nelson
my first crush was ricky nelson, i was 4.
4a. to listen to at high volume "sleeping aides and razorblades" the exploding hearts
1. for getting through a tough day at work "my baby just cares for me" nina simone
this song always fills my heart with joy. plus, it has my absolute favorite piano solo of all time in it.
2. that you were part of the recording "the dream, the lie" outshine family
recording the album 'galleria de la luz' with matt nicholson, patrick liddell, et al was one of the best, most enjoyable, inspiring experiences of my life.
3. from before 1970 "lonesome town" ricky nelson
my first crush was ricky nelson, i was 4.
4a. to listen to at high volume "sleeping aides and razorblades" the exploding hearts
4b. "the luckiest guy on the lower east side" magnetic fields
both are so much fun to loudly sing along to (the worse you are at singing them, the better) as well as loudly listen to.
5. by a mostly or all-female band "birds" electrelane
"it's not that i can't go on without you" ....sigh. i love how verity sings this line.
6. that has the sound of jingle bells in it "bring it on home to me" britt daniel
i have a little crush on sam cooke and britt daniel, so this is a match made in heaven for me.
7. from a lesser-known artist "kisses" the shivers
incredible musician from new york, his music is so devastatingly honest. some songs are strange/funny/vulgar, and others are pure and beautiful and the vulnerability is palpable.
8. from a Chicago artist or artist from your hometown "r.p. (forget the metaphors)" roommate
this. song. is. brilliant. also, kent lambert is truly one of the nicest people you could ever meet.
9. sung in a foreign language "domino" lucienne delyle
i'm pretty certain that there isn't a problem in the world that listening to lucienne delyle can't fix, she's magnificent.
10. to dance to "take on me" a-ha
fuck yeah.
11. cover song performance "ceremony" pascal babare
gorgeous, utterly gorgeous. if pascal's songs were an actual place, i would live there.
both are so much fun to loudly sing along to (the worse you are at singing them, the better) as well as loudly listen to.
5. by a mostly or all-female band "birds" electrelane
"it's not that i can't go on without you" ....sigh. i love how verity sings this line.
6. that has the sound of jingle bells in it "bring it on home to me" britt daniel
i have a little crush on sam cooke and britt daniel, so this is a match made in heaven for me.
7. from a lesser-known artist "kisses" the shivers
incredible musician from new york, his music is so devastatingly honest. some songs are strange/funny/vulgar, and others are pure and beautiful and the vulnerability is palpable.
8. from a Chicago artist or artist from your hometown "r.p. (forget the metaphors)" roommate
this. song. is. brilliant. also, kent lambert is truly one of the nicest people you could ever meet.
9. sung in a foreign language "domino" lucienne delyle
i'm pretty certain that there isn't a problem in the world that listening to lucienne delyle can't fix, she's magnificent.
10. to dance to "take on me" a-ha
fuck yeah.
11. cover song performance "ceremony" pascal babare
gorgeous, utterly gorgeous. if pascal's songs were an actual place, i would live there.
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