Annie Lou is Anne Louise Genest – a Canadian artist who carries the spirit of an old storyteller, creating songs steeped in oldtime mountain, Appalachian, and traditional country and bluegrass music.
She writes songs that have a way of breaking the heart and then putting it back together again. Beautifully creative songs and tunes range from rousing and boisterous to gentle and poignant, and map a homescape of hard-drinking grandmas, rural dancehalls, blue collar fashions, small towns, big cities. All of this is delivered with Annie Lou’s vocal warmth, evocative of the sweet tones of Kate and Anna McGarrigle blended with the raw emotion of Hazel Dickens.
Coming to Australia with Annie:
Anne Louise Genest – guitar, banjo, vocals
Sarah Hamilton - fiddle, guitar, vocals
Andrew Collins – mandolin, fiddle, guitar, vocals
Max Heineman – upright bass, vocals
Visit Annie's web site.
“There is magic here: superior picking, excellent rhythm work, impressive and whimsical lyrics. Genest’s lead vocal style echoes the McGarrigles and Sylvia Tyson, but she is irrefutably herself.” - Donald Teplyske, Country Standard Time
“There’s an intoxicating quality to (the music of) Annie Lou…it transports you back to simpler times, at the barn dance, sipping from a flask and twirling around the dance floor with your beloved. Each song is sung and played with skill, humour and gusto, with fine talent and craftsmanship throughout, just what you’d expect from a genre rooted in traditional values.” Doug Swanson, Penguin Eggs
“The music that Annie Lou plays is resonant, vital, and often fun because it is rooted in the everyday. This self-titled debut is a vibrant and vital recording graced with exceptional songwriting.” – Pat Langston, Penguin Eggs
“Annie Lou was the sparkling delight of the festival. Some of the most soulful oldtimey sounding music there is, with brilliant instrumentation and wonderful vocals.” – Bob Hayes, Kluane Mountain Bluegrass Festival
“Annie Lou’s sound genuinely reflects the solitude and the grit that still exists in the North. It is frontier music, it’s northern hillbilly music, and it’s honest music, played by musicians who are very passionate about the genre, the musicianship, and the truth.” – Lynn Miles, Canadian singer-songwriter
“When making music in the old time tradition, it is a real challenge to write new tunes that feel in step with the older repertoire. Anne Louise’s original songs stand tall and proud beside the old-timers and the playing and singing is first rate.” – Chris Coole, Foggy Hogtown Boys
View full photo album of the concert.