Review in the Collegiate Times, Blacksburg VA

Annie Crane to play last show of tour in Blacksburg

Monday, October, 4, 2010

by Mika Maloney, features reporter

Singer and songwriter Annie Crane has been rocking the international stage since the release of her debut album “Through Farmlands & the Cities.”

She combines her Americana and Indie folk blend for a sweet southern flavor that is reminiscent of Gillian Welch or Lucinda Williams.

The Collegiate Times spoke with Crane in anticipation of her upcoming show at Gillie’s Saturday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m., which will be her last stop on her southeastern tour.

COLLEGIATE TIMES: You have been credited with refashioning folk music in a modernist and urbane guise, can you elaborate on this to describe your sound?

ANNIE CRANE: When you say to someone you’re a folk musician, they often think of the 1960s, which does influence me. I’m very influenced by Joni Mitchell; Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, but also by music from my own generation, which really plays a role in how my sound comes out.

I’m influenced by live music in New York. A lot of my friends are musicians, and I wouldn’t be where I am now if I didn’t live in New York.

CT: You have toured extensively and internationally since the 2008 debut of your album “Through the Farmlands & the Cities.” What is your favorite place you have played?

CRANE: My favorite place was in France in this little town (called) Bescom. I played a show there in April. It wasn’t the biggest venue ever, but it was in this really old medieval French village in the southeast of France. The scenery was breathtaking and the people who ran the venue were so great.

CT: You have shared the stage with some of folk music’s biggest legends, such as Emmylou Harris. What was your experience playing alongside some of the industry’s biggest names?

CRANE: It was awesome. I was so excited. I remember being really giddy, but I really wanted to make a point of enjoying every minute and drinking it all in, because who knows when you (will) get a chance to do that again.

Looking back on it, I’m surprised I wasn’t more nervous. I was just really happy to be there.

CT: As a writer and a musician, where do you find inspiration for both your lyrics and your sound?

CRANE: For my lyrics, the environment around me. In (New York) City it comes from the architecture, the mood of the day, the weather, people’s stories and interpersonal relationships.

For sound, going out and hearing live music is the biggest inspiration. There’s something about live performances.

CT: What are your hopes for the future of your music?

CRANE: To be able to keep doing it. Hopefully, for what I do now, to grow and more people to get interested. To do it in a way that always makes me feel good and allows me to have a happy balance in life.