(ARCADIA, CA) – Anni Piper, ‘Australia’s First Lady of Blues,’ is on tour, kicking off at the Gorge Blues & Brews Festival in Stevenson, WA on June 23, and bringing her to, among other stops, Southern California (Arcadia Blues Club, June 30) and Lincoln’s Roadhouse in Denver (July 8).
The Edmonton Sun writes, “Piper has the kind of voice that lulls men to their doom. It’s soft and sweet when it wants to be, scared and vulnerable a moment later, then ripping through you like a razor… Piper commands songs utterly.” The Charlotte Observer raved, “A towering bass player and sultry vocalist that plays up her sex appeal, this Australian transplant mixes soul-spilling electric blues rock, raw Southern steeped hill country acoustic blues, gritty hard rock, and jarring slow burners approaching it all like a seasoned torch singer that’s conscious of her instrument’s lack of limitations.”
Blues-E-News had a chance to do 5 Quick Questions with Piper before she departed on her tour.
BEN: To the best of our knowledge, this will be your first foray to Southern California, and more specifically, the Los Angeles area circuit. What are your thoughts on playing down there?
AP: That’s correct, it’s my first trip to Southern California in many years, the last being a trip to Disney with my parents in the mid-eighties. I relocated to Oregon from Florida just under a year ago and I’m excited to explore more of the west coast. I grew up in Australia and the weather in my new home of Portland has taken some getting used to. Needing snow chains over the winter was a shock to my system and I want to frolic in warm California weather for a few days.
BEN: Any new recordings and/or new videos in the works?
AP: There’s a new song in the works that already has its own hashtag among my friends, let’s just call it #JOMFB for polite society’s sake. I’m currently in the throes of a hideous divorce which has been a big drain on my finances, so no plans to record anything until the big D is finalized.
BEN: Your promotional photos are interesting, to say the least, many of them a throw-back to the Pin-Up Girl days. When did you decide to start doing photo shoots like these?
AP: I’ve been a fan of vintage fashion and the pin up girl look for many years. I did my first pinup shoot with Sveinn Kjartansson in Florida almost four years ago. Totally love the glamor and I think it’s a sexy, classy empowering look that complements my music.
BEN: Music-wise, who have you been listening to lately?
AP: Toronzo Cannon, William bell and Susan Tedeschi have all been on playlists of mine recently. On any given night in Portland you can hit a jam and hear great musicians like Karen Lovely, Ben Rice and Rae Gordon.
BEN: When you tour, is there on specific thing you try to do in each city or town you visit?
AP: LOL every town I visit, I always try to go to the gym! I know that’s unusual for most musicians, but I take my fitness very seriously. Plus, we travel without a road crew, so I don’t want to leave all the heavy lifting to the boys.
More on Anni Piper at www.annipiper.com and www.facebook.com/AnniPiper.music.
