This story is featured in CityBeat's May 1 print edition.
With a new EP and a live recording, ANNIE D (Ann Driscoll) will grace this spring and summer with her amazing music.
ANNIE D began her musical journey at the age of seven, beginning with guitar lessons. Then, at the age of 11, she began writing and recording her own songs. She also learned how to play the drums and piano, and took double bass lessons from Dayton Philharmonic principal bassist Debbie Taylor and Cincinnati jazz legend Michael Sharfe.
Now, ANNIE D is excited to share her latest endeavor, an EP and a live recording. These two collections, ANNIE D Live at the Tone Shoppe , available May 9, and Annthology Vol 1 , out May 23, will feature songs familiar to those who have attended her incredible live shows.
Live at the Tone Shoppe will present two songs, “Colors” and “Obloquy.” Both works were recorded live by Eric Cronstein at The Tone Shoppe. “Colors” was mixed and mastered by Michael Oliva, and “Obloquy” was mixed by Mike Montgomery at Candyland Studio, and then mastered by Adam Pleiman at Play Audio Agency.
In the song “Colors,” ANNIE D tackles the subject of finding the power to change one’s mental state and identifying the various positives and negatives within that journey.
“Embrace for Impact” is inspired by the writings of historian Raul Hilberg, and musically influenced by Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief .
“It’s an exercise in empathetic imagination and a tribute to those who have been victimized by war and persecution,” ANNIE D told CityBeat of “Embrace for Impact.”
Music videos for “Colors” and “Obloquy,” directed and edited by Josh Purnell, capturing the live performances of both songs, will be released as companions to the EP.
The EP, Annthology Vol 1 , is the beginning of an ongoing project to release the Cincinnati native’s abundant back-catalog of material. This trio of songs, “Embrace for Impact,” “Colors” and “The World’s Worst Weather Man” was recorded and produced by ANNIE D at her home studio.
Being an extremely accomplished musician and multi-instrumentalist, ANNIE D played every instrument on the album. Orchestrations by Oliva, who also mixed and mastered the songs, and backing vocals by Coast Off’s Chris Robinson, are featured on the songs as well.
Live at the Tone Shoppe will feature artwork by Charity Bonapfel, Kelsey Stack, and Purnell. The artwork for Annthology Vol. 1 is still in production; the typography is designed by Mia Carruthers.
ANNIE D received a lot of positive attention for her music during her years in high school and college, but soon after became dispirited, primarily because she felt she lacked the necessary personal maturity to parlay her earlier attention into greater opportunities. Therefore, throughout her 20s, ANNIE D performed and released her music fitfully. Many factors played a part in the sporadic music-making during those years. The concept of making money through music and being commercially successful no longer made sense to ANNIE D, and it became more and more difficult for her to find the impetus for making and sharing music publicly.
But after much time and reflection ANNIE D, now in her mid 30s, settled on a particular rationale, in that for her it felt unnatural and spiritually unsound not to share her music. And in writing music about confronting darkness and despair she felt each song she wrote was a concrete example of choosing creation over destruction, and “in a culture that incentivizes self-destruction,” ANNIE D tells CityBeat , “I feel it’s a message worth sharing.”
One major decision ANNIE D made in her musical life was settling on the moniker, ANNIE D. In adopting the name, she’s found it extremely helpful in disconnecting her musical project from her personal identity as a human being. The decision to give her musical endeavor the name ANNIE D was an effort to help shield her, a spiritual layer that would potentially protect her from the psychological risks that both praise and criticism might bring.
Above all else, as a human being, ANNIE D values high character. Kindness, reliability, listening skills, patience, resiliency and curiosity are virtues she works on one day at a time. So, when speaking about the title, ANNIE D, and the crucial role it plays in her life, she tells CityBeat , “Whether or not people like or dislike my music has very little to do with my value as a human, and it’s easier to concretize that boundary when you have a moniker.”
Producing, performing and recording on her own is something ANNIE D is very passionate about. Annthology Vol. 1 was recorded in her home studio, a space that’s become a haven for her creativity. While working at Play Audio Agency, ANNIE D has clocked in hours of hands-on experience and has learned a great deal about engineering and production, invaluable knowledge she puts to good use in her home setup.
Among the many instruments ANNIE D owns and plays masterfully, she has a few personal favorites, the first being a Fender Telecaster that she’s owned since 2012. The flawless setup and maintenance of this classic electric guitar is attributed to Andrew Aragon, a trusted friend of ANNIE D’s for many years.
The song “Embrace for Impact” features a double bass that's been in ANNIE D’s possession since high school — the same one she used during her time as a member of the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra.
Another favorite instrument of ANNIE D’s is a Casio CZ-1000 she found in a shed behind an apartment in Bushwick, which supplies quirky, idiosyncratic keyboard sounds on “Embrace for Impact” and “The World’s Worst Weather Man.”
With deeply honest and unapologetic authenticity, ANNIE D elevates Cincinnati’s music community, and her music fills the hungry souls of all who are fortunate enough to bear witness to her extraordinary gifts.
Watch for ANNIE D ’s releases, ANNIE D Live at The Tone Shoppe , out May 9, and Annthology Vol 1 , out May 23. Be sure to also catch her live at the North by Northside Festival at the Northside Tavern on May 26. Info: anniedmusic.com .
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