Last night I played a show at Tangier in Hollywood.  I'm beginning to see familiar faces and folks are sing along more often.  What a treat to have a room full of people singing "breathe, just breathe" back at me. 

In a few days I'll be leaving for Sundance in Salt Lake City, Utah, and then up to Toronto for a day or two.  I've never played for Sundance or been to Canada, and I'm looking forward to the performances, the socializing, and the snow.  Mostly the snow.  I'm going to put on about 14 layers of clothing and dive into the biggest snowdrift I can find.  Then I will most likely cry cause I'm from California and I have no tolerance for the cold, and I'll go back to my hotel and defrost with a cup of cocoa while I sit and just LOOK at the snow.

As for now, I have a keyboard, a notebook, and a fireplace (I'm pretending its snowing outside right now) waiting for me downstairs and I'm going to go jot down a few lines and chords before I forget them.  Goodnight.

xo Anna

1.20.05
Here's hoping that everyone had a fun and restful holiday.  I went on a little vacation to visit my best friend in Minnesota, where I enjoyed my very first sledding adventure and ate my first actual snow cone.  I was convinced for a minute or two that I had frostbite on my face and I would be forced to forever sing through my teeth,"Vreathe...just vreathe." 

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to getting back to work.  I've got so much to look forward to in the year to come.  Like a record release, another tour, and my 21st birthday.  That's pretty exciting, although I'm not sure what I want to do for the "big day".  Any suggestions?  Any great 21st birthday party stories?  Do tell! 

xo Anna 

12.15.04
Hello everybody.  I just got back from playing a radio show in Tucson, Arizona. It was in a bowling alley called Bedroxx, a first for me and quite fun.  The folks from the radio station, The Mountain, were very nice and I was lucky enough to also meet a few of their listeners who showed up for the performance.

I met a little boy and his big sister who reminded me so much of myself and my brother when we were their age that I wanted to just drop everything and hang out with them.  Another very sweet couple approached me with such kindness and contagious enthusiasm.  When their two kids showed up later, we all snuck off to the side and I played a mini-show for them. I sat on a pool table and sang "Breathe" to that sweet family.  This ended up being my favorite performance of the trip.

Many thanks to everyone who took their time to support me on this trip.  I appreciate it and look forward to seeing you all soon.

11.22.04
I am finally home after my first big journey through the great US.  I'm glad to see my loved ones and to sleep in my own bed, but I miss the road and the friends I met along the way.  Just for fun I have compiled a list of "Best Of" from this tour.

Best Hotel Lobby: The Peabody Hotel (Memphis, Tennessee) It looked like something out of the Jazz Age.  Dark wood, white pillars, and burgundy and gold trimming.  The sweet, young man at the grand piano was absolutely the cherry on top.  He asked me if I was a cover model.  I could have kissed him!

Best Hotel Room Decor: Also a win for The Peabody.  I felt like Jean Harlow in Dinner At Eight....The Bijou Hotel in San Francisco came in at a close second.  It too had a Jazzy feel to it, with brighter colors and more dress-up feel to it.  I loved the photos of the old movie stars and the movie titles labeling each room.

Most Comfortable Bed: The Terrace (Washington, DC). The pillows were fluffy and the mattress was all made out of that squishy stuff that forms to your body every time you move. It was positively yummy!

Best Bathroom: The Hotel Derek (Houston, Texas) It was modern with a vintage finish. Great lighting, spacious sink and sparkles on the shower curtain. 

Best Meal: Honestly, I had the most delicious milkshake ever made in a truck stop in the middle of nowhere at 4:00 in the morning.  I'm not sure if that place really even exists....but the shake was heavenly.

Best Flight: Into Columbia, Missouri.  I recommend taking a flight over that area in autumn.  It is one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen.

Best Shopping: Kansas City.  Amazing vintage shops.  I bought a jacket that makes me feel like Chrissie Hynde.

Best Weather: I like the crisp, dark feel of Seattle, Washington.

My Favorite Show: Most definitely The Roxy (Hollywood, California)  All of my friends and family were there, as well as the friends and families of my band members.  I watched the faces of my brother and my friends from back in grade school light up when I walked on stage.  My buddy Josh and his girl Brianna slow danced to Breathe.  It was amazing!

Best Drive: In the bus, the morning we arrived in the countryside in Utah.  It brought tears to my eyes.  Indescribable. 

Best Hotel View:  I awoke at 6 in the morning at the Hyatt in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  It was dim outside and  the streets were wet and empty, but there were neon lights blinking and a giant screen with President Bush speaking on it. (He was in town later that day.)  The darkest and tallest building in sight had black birds circling overhead and the whole scene had a very Gotham City feel to it. 

Coolest Photo Opportunity: We made a quick stop to take a picture in front of Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee. 

Thank you to everybody who helped me and all those who gave support and prayers on this tour.  It meant the world to me.

xo Anna

11.08.04
I have to share the most amazing thing that just happened to me, one that will go down in the history of amazing events in my journal: For as long as I can remember, I've been a U2 fan. It seems like the majority of the landmarks in my young timeline are in my memory with a U2 song playing as the background music... A few days ago, I had a meeting at a fancy hotel restaurant with a man who is considering using a song or two of mine in his movie. During our meeting, he mentioned that he had just met with Bono about a possible cameo role in this same film and tilted his head to a hotel room directly above my head where his meeting took place. I couldn't believe it! I was only a courtyard away from one of my biggest musical influences! I was too shy to ask, so I was thrilled when my new potential business associate offered to take me up to meet him. I've never been the type to get star-struck, but my goodness I was excited. Had to keep it cool though. Well, when we go to the suite it turned out that Mr. Bono was already in yet another meeting. But as we stood in the doorway, I recognized the sound of his voice and was feeling pretty psyched that a man whom I admire on so many levels was only a short hallway away. Then, just as we were about to leave, Bono tipped his head back to see who was at the door. I tipped my head to the side and smiled and he smiled back at me. I'm sure he was just wondering who that smiling young girl in his doorway was....but I would like to think that we bonded!

It is now October 29th and I've been on a club tour opening for Ari Hest for the last three weeks. The first day out, I flew into Missouri to meet up with my bus and band. Flying in and looking down over the trees brought tears to my eyes. I'm experiencing autumn in the Midwest for the first time. The colors were incredible! In a sea of rich gold there will be a solid patch of red so bright that it looks like fire. And on the ground, the air is so crisp that it made me excited for that first breath of fresh air every time I stepped outside. I almost missed my sound-check one night because I HAD to write about it.

This tour has been another fantastic adventure for me and I have really enjoyed myself. Ari and his band have been so sweet (I am officially an Ari Hest fan) and of course my band is a total riot with all of their antics on stage and on the bus. Thanks for catching up with me and thank you to everyone who has come out to support me and my band at shows in the last few weeks. You have made this a lot of fun.

Until next time,
xo Anna

10.04.04
Well, its about time I showed up! Here are some of the highlights of the last month ...

On September 11, I played a show in Portland, Oregon sponsored by KINK (one of my favorite radio stations) to raise money for SMART, an organization that aids children in learning to read. I opened for Five For Fighting and Tears For Fears. It was thrilling! The audience was made up of about 3000 people and while I sang "Breathe", I looked out over this sea of faces and was astonished to realize that I was making a connection to so many people all at once. I felt incredibly lucky.

From there, I flew to NY and on September 20, my band and I played for the annual Sony Branch meetings. There were about 500 sales and distribution people present at the Supper Club and I waited in the wings as nervous as I've ever been. I wanted so badly to impress these folks. I played second, after Nas. I had such a great time on stage, they were really a fun audience to play for, so into the music. When I finished, I was shocked to be given a standing ovation! It meant the world to me to have this forum in which to say thank you to everyone who puts in the hours, energy, and creativity to get the records out there. And to see that they were as grateful to me for making the music, actually brought tears to my eyes. I curtsied and (shaking with so much excitement and nervous energy) I walked back to the artist lounge where I had my next adventure ...

You see, as a 13-14 year old I was still too shy to sing my own songs, but I would sing with pride the songs that were popular and my favorites at the time. One in particular was "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone" by Paula Cole. When I sang it to my friends in junior high school they would egg me on with "you should be a singer". I never thought I actually would be. At any rate, at the Sony Branch Meetings Paula Cole sang a song with Columbia artist Chris Botti. After talking with the kind and very talented Mr. Botti for a while, he turned around and introduced me to Paula Cole who was so sweet, and of course she sang beautifully that day. I felt like I was 13 again and I wished I had the numbers of anyone I knew from junior high to tell them about it!

I'm home for about 2 weeks before a club tour starts on October 10. I spent some much needed alone time, sitting in a local coffee shop and writing in my journal. As I sit here, I watch as girls that I used to tutor as 12 and 13 year olds, walking in on dates and wearing lipstick and carrying purses. It hit me that life moves so quickly. It seems like not so long ago, I was sitting in Mrs. Porter's jr high class and wondering if my dreams of making music weren't just way too far fetched. I still can't believe this is my life. I am so excited to see where it all goes, and in the meantime I encourage you to stop and smell the roses along with me ...I need a reminder to do so sometimes myself. The five minutes that you just spent reading this are irreplaceable and I am honored that you decided to spend them with me.

As always...you are slow down beautiful,
xo Anna

9.08.04
As I continue my radio tour, I have a heartwarming personal experience to share with you......

I was thrilled to be back in California and to see my brother Tim, who stopped by a station in San Diego to visit with me. While I played "Breathe" he called our sister on his cell phone and sat the phone on the stage so she could listen in during an in studio performance. It was amazing to feel the support of my family.

After my performance, he handed me the phone to speak to my sister. Turns out her son, my six year old nephew Jacob who is currently working on mastering the written word, has changed the lyrics to my song "Citadel." As it is, the lyrics to the chorus read "what if I bleed, what if I break, and I find that I can't take, the city below the citadel ... " However, his interpretation of the lyrics are "what if I break, what if I bleed, what if I never learn to read?"

Another adjustment to my lyrics was made on the song "Paper Bag" where the line reads: "someday we'll all be old and I'll be so damn beautiful." Jacob was concerned that his Auntie Anna was using a swear word, so my Sister assured him that I was not saying "so damn beautiful," but in fact I was singing, "slow down beautiful." "She's so pretty you gotta slow down," said my Sister. So a few days ago Jacob looked affectionately at her and said, "Mommie, you're slow down beautiful." He is just precious.

I am so looking forward to sharing all my songs with you, and for Jacob to share them with his friends (my sister's edited version of course).

In the meantime, thanks for checking up on me .... you are slow down beautiful!

-Anna

8.23.04
I'm experiencing so many amazing moments as I tour the country promoting my album. One that especially stands out and that I wanted to share with you is when a car came to pick us up in Boulder to take us to the airport in Denver. "We" consisted of my manager, Kathy Anaya, my guitar guru, Chris McClure, and myself. Before we had traveled too far, Chris suggested we make a stop at the nearest Sam Goody where he picked up a copy of Kris Kristofferson's All Time Greatest Hits.

The ride was like something out of a movie, driving down the countryside, with two people I care very much about and all of us singing "Me and Bobby McGee" at the top of our lungs.

The sky was clear and I witnessed one of the most gorgeous sunsets I've ever seen...all while shamelessly singing "Silver Tongued Devil" to the captive audience that was our highly entertained driver.

I felt unbelievably lucky and moments like this sum up much of the trip. I'm learning lessons at lightening speed and taking lots of pictures. Looking forward to each new step.

".... With the windshield wiper slappin' time and holding Bobby's hand in mine, we sang every song that driver knew ..."

xo Anna