Anna Connolly Shares 'Jewels' Video With Buzzbands LA; Playing April 17 at Zebulon in Los Angeles

Anna Connolly has shared the official video for "Jewels" from her debut solo album After Thoughts with Buzzbands LA. The video which was directed by Drew Hagelin & Corynne Ostermann can also be shared at YouTube. Buzzbands LA says, "Her delivery is stark, haunting and occasionally blunt, punctuated by that old '90s warhorse, the tension/release bridge, with phrasing that borders on the unconventional. Heartbreak is the common thread that weaves its way through After Thoughts. There is a powerful vulnerability in the songs, still sharp despite her well-worn heart. They speak of a woman who has learned some hard truths, is unwilling to make compromises and has emerged scarred but smarter." After Thoughts can be ordered digitally and on limited edition vinyl now at Bandcamp.

Anna Connolly has announced a Los Angeles show taking place on April 17 at Zebulon with The Messthetics and Craig Wedren. Anna Connolly says, "My family moved from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. a long time ago, but I still consider LA my hometown. It's enormously meaningful and exciting to me that for my first show in LA, I will share the stage with the Messthetics and Craig Wedren--such talented friends from my second home, Washington D.C. I simply can't imagine a better way for me to be bringing my music home for the first time." Playing with Anna for the Zebulon show will be Hannah Burris (Teething Veils, Coven Tree) on viola. Joe Lally and Brendan Canty of the Messthetics will also accompany Anna on a few songs. Upcoming additional shows are listed below with additional tour dates in the works.

Anna Connolly writes songs that lay bare a personal and often dark world of emotion through the human experience. Her music is catchy yet stark, and her lyrics pull no punches. A simple rawness iskey to her art; think of the approach of artists such as Conor Oberst, Liz Phair, Elliott Smith and Leonard Cohen. Anna's songs are powerful by way of a deep vulnerability revealed adeptly.

Anna fell into playing music later in life, but the seeds were planted early. She went to punk shows in LA as a young teenager, and when her family moved to DC in the 1980s, she and her sister Cynthiabecame part of a small, nascent punk scene, which later became what everyone knows as "DC punk rock." She spent much of her high school years working at a record store, buying records, and going to shows. Though many of her friends were in bands (Minor Threat practiced in the basement of her mom's house), she didn't feel a compulsion to play until much later in life-after she had kids and got divorced. "It just didn't cross my mind to try to play when I was younger. Maybe I was rebelling against my rebellious friends. But I know for sure that my younger years of being steeped in music ranging from the Circle Jerks to the Cure have directly contributed to the songs I write today." She continues, "It truly is an amazing experience for me that I'm playing music today, after so many years-especially in DC. It feels like I've come full circle-like I've come home in some unexpected and profound way."

Anna's songs combine engaging story-telling with subdued, minimal guitar playing; it's acoustic folk in presentation, but punk rock in spirit. She has a kind of rich Marianne Faithful huskiness to her voice, but she can also undersing a line and conjure up the sound of youthful innocence. The varied vocal qualities make it possible for her to shift between opposing kinds of emotional projection in the same song; poignant laments can become defiant, and she can sing about happy times while suggesting a wiser, sadder perspective.

Anna's shows began as solo acoustic performances. Her live shows have expanded to include different musicians and therefore different arrangements, from viola for a quieter mood to full drums and bass for a bigger rock sound. On-stage collaborators have included Devin Ocampo on drums (the EFFECTS, Beauty Pill, Faraquet, and more), Joe Lally on bass (Fugazi), Don Godwin on bass, horns, percussion (Slavic Soul Party), Hannah Burris on viola (Teething Veils), Amy Domingues on cello (Garland of Hours), and Stefan Bauschmid on drums (Numbers Station). On the road, Anna has played with other veteran DC musician friends in other cities--Seth Lorinczi (The Vile Cherubs, The Quails) in Portland, Nick Pelliciotto (Edsel) in Austin, and Nicky Thomas (Fireparty, Mavis Piggott) in Santa Cruz.

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