Want to go?
WHAT: Annie Mosher
WHEN: 6 & 9 p.m., July 27 & 28
WHERE: The Listening Room, OurGuest Inn & Suites, 220 E. Perry St., Port Clinton
COST: $13.50/person (includes two drinks)
INFO: 419-734-7050 or thelisteningroompc.com
Quiet may be free, but it’s often a hard commodity to come by for aspiring musicians.
After all, singers can’t really yell “Shhh” during their set, but more often than not, that’s exactly what they’re thinking when some jughead decides to answer their cell phone, talk loud or show utter disregard for what’s taking place on stage.
It’s a transaction that singer-songwriter Annie Mosher knows all about, which is why she can’t wait to make her Port Clinton debut July 27 and 28 at The Listening Room. Funcoast talked to Vermont native and Nashville resident Mosher about her latest album “Welcome to My Birthday,” her future and the uniqueness of this local venue.
Funcoast: Let’s start off by talking about your new CD. What was your idea behind it?
Annie Mosher: I’ve got two albums prior that were kind of a full production feel and this last record is just me and my guitar with a little backing bass. So it’s much more sparse and pared down, which is closer to my live show. And I really love the feel of it. It’s been nice. On this record there are moments of silliness or moments you might hear a tap of my ring on my guitar, and we kept a lot of that. It’s entirely organic and it feels really good. It’s got a lot of life.
Funcoast: Do you feel your music grew on “Welcome to My Birthday?”
AM: Absolutely. It’s really an intimate recording, with just me and my guitar recorded simultaneously. I didn’t lay a guitar track and then sing to it later after the fact. I sang and played at the same time. I wanted a very live and intimate feel. I hear a lot of my songwriting friends in the industry tell me when you first put your first project out, you feel great and it’s exciting. And then years later you look back on it and think, “Oh no.” I’m fortunate to have loved the production on each record, but I think my writing has changed just from investment in the Nashville writing community.
Funcoast: Tell us about a few of the newer songs you may play at the upcoming shows?
AM: One is a dark track called “Luther.” It starts the record and sets the tone. It’s kind of a murder ballad and that’s a tribute to a story I heard about a whiskey running family. The murder ballad is a little bit of a lost art that I wanted to get back in touch with that. And then “Grain of Sand,” that’s kind of a ballad. Even though there’s a lot of darkness on this record, something I subscribe to is the idea there is hope in all things and once hope is lost you’re a gonner. So it’s a nice message.
Funcoast: Finally, what do you think about the idea of The Listening Room, where young artists can come into an intimate room and perform for fans looking to hear something new?
AM: It’s fantastic. I was thrilled. Of course we have The Bluebird in Nashville, which is one of the last listening rooms, but the true idea of a listening room is hard to find. It’s such a great idea, for two hours there’s a place where people can come and quietly listen to music and drink it in and absorb it and take something away. You can go to a lot of places and eat, drink and talk and enjoy yourself and have background music. That’s great and has value too, but just to know there’s a place like The Listening Room, to have discovered that was like a breath of fresh air. I’m psyched.
Annie Mosher is scheduled to play at 6 and 9 p.m. July 27 and 28 at The Listening Room (located inside the OurGuest Inn & Suites), 220 East Perry St., Port Clinton. Cover is $13.50 (includes two drinks). For more information, call 419-734-7050 or visit thelisteningroompc.com.
