Ann Vriend Those Records Interview

Ann Vriend Those Records Interview

Internationally acclaimed Canadian retro soul songstress Ann Vriend is returning to Australia for a special tour throughout March. Aptly titled the Those Records tour, Ann will not only be releasing the song of the same name in the lead-up to the tour, but will also be bringing a swag of limited release vinyl with her. Celebrating the Australian vinyl release of her album For The People In The Mean Time, this whirlwind tour will be the last time Ann performs down under before she heads into the studio to record the material for her next long player.

Considered by many an honorary Australian, Ann is well-known for her enigmatic shows and is looking forward to bringing her band back with her for her 2016 East Coast tour. 'I am known to a lot of Aussies as a solo performer, as up until recently I've performed almost exclusively solo in Australia," says Ann. 'And while I enjoy that intimate way of performing and am glad I'm able to have that ability up my sleeve, this latest album is all about groove, all about the rhythm section. So I'm pretty excited about showing off my band to Aussie audiences. We've toured a lot in the last two years and we have worked out some live arrangements of our material from the album that I'm really proud of."

Ann's last tour of Australia was a select amount of tour dates surrounding a showcase spot at BIGSOUND in September 2015. The songstress is no stranger to industry showcases and festival slots, but it was still a highlight and something she – and the band – found inspiring.

'Professionally, playing for a full house and getting such great reviews of our show was a pretty great reception to my first foray with the band in Australia," says Ann. 'Personally, it was cool to see my band members go a bit ga-ga over seeing kangaroos for the first time… even seeing one poo was apparently Instagram worthy for them."

While 2015 was the band's first trip to Australia, Ann has been touring Oz for almost a decade. In fact, she has made Aussie tours almost a bi-annual pilgrimage, and it is no surprise that in that time she has been embraced by Aussie music lovers. For the impressive songstress, it doesn't get much better than escaping the Canadian winter to tour her -second home' during the warmer months.

'I love that it's your summer when it's our winter, I love the Aussie hospitality, and I have made some really great friends- er- mates down there," she says. 'No one other than Aussies would shout out something like -good onya, mate' after a song, that's for sure… although up until a few tours ago I thought people were saying -good onion, mate,' which was a bit perplexing, but still better than a BAD onion, I thought to myself. Aussies are the opposite of reserved – I like the banter back and forth between me and the audience. I get people singing along on songs and I really like it when shows are interactive."

Always wanting to do something special for audiences, Ann is also bringing along a limited release of For The People In The Mean Time on vinyl for her Australian tour. So far the special release has been available in Canada only, so this is a big coup for Aussie fans, being the first outside of her home state to have access to the LP. Celebrating the next Australian single – Those Records – to coincide with the tour makes March 2016 an exciting time for Ann Vriend.

'It is such a retro sounding album that it was just begging to be on vinyl," says Ann. 'The fact that there's a song on it the album called Those Records made it a no-brainer that I should release that as the next single. I'm so happy with how the mastering on the pressing turned out, so I'm pretty proud of it, and just so pumped to have finally have it out. It was a big ordeal getting vinyl done in any sort of timely fashion, due to the high demand for it that there is these days. And it was great to be able to work with the artwork in the sense of having a bigger canvas than you do on a CD, too."

For more information, please visit www.annvriend.com

Interview with Ann Vriend

Question: What should we expect from the upcoming tour?

Ann Vriend: Me and my band the Rooster Davis Group-- 2 keyboards and drums-- playing retro 70s soul w a contemporary twist.


Question: Did you have any pre-conceived ideas about the music industry?

Ann Vriend: I think I naively thought people in general would be better at keeping their word and/or having pride in their work... there are some, but I've discovered there is a strong tendency to use the excuse that there is so little money in music to be made that you shouldn't have high expectations for ethics or quality of work. I've had to learn to be a lot more discerning about who to work with!


Question: Do you write your own songs? What's your inspiration?

Ann Vriend: Yes. Probably like any artist I would say you can find inspiration in anything – it has more to do with the space you're in and your perspective on what you've seen and heard, and your imagination- some of the best music comes out of some of the bleakest neighborhoods or situations, for instance. My most recent album I wrote while living in an inner city neighborhood in Edmonton (McCauley), which has a high homeless population. I see a lot of sad scenes on a routine basis, and though the people I saw were really down and out , but when I learned some of their stories I realized they are actually amazingly resilliant survivors. The music I made was not revelling in the sadness so much as a celebration of people surviving tough circumstances-- which is what soul music came out of in the 1st place, in a pretty similar way.


Question: What music/artists do you listen to when you are not playing your own?

Ann Vriend: Oh man, such a vast array-- in the car we were just listening to Daft Punk and Philip Glass cuz it just seemed to go nicely with the Aussie country landscape we were driving through... in general we listen to a lot of old school New Orleans funk, jazz, and blues, a lot of 60s and 70s R&B... but will go from Ryan Adams to Chopin to Amy Winehouse -- it's all over the place.


Question: What's next? Tour/Album/Single?

Ann Vriend: Right now we're on our vinyl release tour for my album 'For The People In The Mean Time," the single for which is called 'Those Records." When we're home I'll get started on my next album before we head off on a tour of Europe in late April.


Question: Was there a moment you contemplated throwing in the towel?

Ann Vriend: Haha- there are a few-- but mostly I don't know who I'd be or what I'd do with myself if I wasn't doing music stuff. It has defined my entire life and it's the only thing I'm good at! Despite the hard work and sacrifices it's the only thing that really gives me healthy joy, too. I figure there are few jobs that don't have annoying aspects but at least this one has the part where I get to make music at a high level with great musicians, and the energy and joy when that is received by people is quite incredible.

Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Ann Vriend: It's an 'apples and oranges" I'd hate to have to choose one over the other... one is introspective and done kind of holed up in a room, and one is the extroverted job of sharing that intimate thing, in a big place with the energies of tons of people around. They both have their own adrenalin and excitement but in a totally different way. I like the variety of doing both, and just hope I'm in the right mood for the right thing when the time comes.


Question: What/who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Ann Vriend: The industry side is just the necessary evil you have to deal with to be a musician for a living haha. So, the inspiration is/was just that I love doing music enough to tolerate the industry side, and enough to eventually make myself learn a lot about running a business, which does not come naturally to me at all :). I'm finally at a point now where I feel like I have found the right people to help me instead of the types I described above. That's exciting and I feel like there are really good things on the horizon now.


Question: What is the biggest challenge you have faced along the way to your musical success?

Ann Vriend: I think just the drain and distraction of needing to be a business person, and how that compromises the time and energy it takes to improve as a musician and a writer. I don't know a single musician that doesn't struggle with that. There are too many hats to where and it's really hard not to feel impossibly inadequate most of the time. You try to delegate tasks but if anyone drops the ball it can really set you back.


Question: What's a typical day like?

Ann Vriend: It depends a lot if I'm on the road or at home. Today was/is: wake up, have a coffee while doing a whole bunch of phone interviews in a row, do a whole bunch of emails in a row, try to fit a little yoga or jog in, including running to the bank (kind of the opposite of yoga lol), then hit the road for the next town, do emails in the car, get to sound check, do that, eat, do the show, sign albums, pack up stuff, wind down for a few minutes w the band over a beer and/or something on Netflix, go to bed.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?
Ann Vriend: The thrill of creating something that you are convinced people will really get something out of, and then the confirmation when you present it that indeed they do. I used to work as a waitress time and that of course that's all about customer service-- to be a musician making a living with music you provide customer service, too, I think. You make music for yourself and your own artistic measuring stick, but it also has to move other people and be relevant and needed by them. That is your role in the world.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Ann Vriend: I would be beside myself if I could work with the guys in Radiohead. Quincy Jones. T-Bone Burnett. Chilly Gonzalez. Leonard Cohen. Lady Gaga. Bjork. Ray Charles and a whole bunch of other dead people haha.


Question: Do you have a website fans can visit?

Ann Vriend: www.annvriend.com


Question: Can you tell us 5 things required for a happy healthy & enjoyable life?

Ann Vriend: I'll let you know when I have one hehe. A wise me would say to unwise me: Enough sleep. Healthy food. Enough water. Time for yourself. Exercise. Good friends.

60 Second Quiz

Full Name: Ann Louisa Vriend
Nickname(s): AV
Star Sign: Aries
Favourite Food: curry, spicy, real food, no preservatives
Favourite Film: The Gods Must Be Crazy, District 9
Favourite Actor: Meryl Streep
Pet: Theo (cat), short for Thelonius Monk
Person You Would Most Like to Meet: Any/all of the people listed in who I'd most like to work with :)
Hobbies/Interests: gardening-- though hard to do while on tour obviously (cacti a good choice)
First Job: delivering flyers-- how I bought my first keyboard!
Are you a Pub, Bar or Club kind: pub if I want to catch up properly with friends, club to go dancing but I am very picky what I dance to!
What Can You Never Leave Home Without: earplugs
What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning: sometimes songs I've written in my sleep (yay for the voice memos app!). Otherwise: my massively insurmountable to-do list-- and then I hit snooze a bunch of times :)

Interview by Brooke Hunter