Anna Vogelzang at the Knitting Factory 7/07

By Loren Jakobov

Anna Vogelzang, a 2-piece Chicago-based band, is currently touring in a grey Nissan Maxima nationwide and will be visiting Purchase for a one-night show at the Co-op on the 26^th of February. The band plays folk rock that incorporates guitar, mandolin, violin and are sometimes accompanied by a flute, cello and a variety of inventive instruments (i.e. beer bottles as percussion instruments). The band has a witty, humorous air about them that is subtle in delivery. Their Myspace profile features a song, written about Paris Hilton serving time. "Paris baby, don't stop now. You've got to make it through somehow. I'll meet you on the outside…You dream in dehydration… Why do you want to suffer? Why do we want to watch you suffer?...I love your hair!

I arranged for an interview with the lead singer/guitarist, Anna Vogelzang, to answer some of my questions. I gave her a call on a Tuesday night, during which she told me about the origin of the band, her experiences as a songwriter and the band's current experiences on tour. The band has been on tour for the past week and a half and intends to make their last stop at Purchase College.

L.J: So, how did you guys meet up and start the band? What's the story?

Anna: Um, we started the band at Pittsburg. It was in Pittsburg at Carnegie Mellon University, where we all went to school and we were actually a full band. It was me, the violin player, a bass player, and a drummer, and we decided that for this February tour we would have it to be, like, just this duet of me and the violin. So, we wanted to keep it simple and it has a different sound from the one on the record, which is the full band. We really like it. We're really happy with it, you know.

L.J: Umm, my other question is…I have a few questions about your own experience of writing. What got you into writing music?

Anna: Oh, man. Like my mom used to sing opera and my dad, uh, plays guitar and we all went to church, so there was a lot of music in our house. And my mom used to write songs, like folk songs. Pretty much, the way that I write songs now. She used to write songs when I was growing up and I never realized what she was really doing and then, as soon as I started writing songs, like because I wanted to be like Jewel basically, my mom was like 'Dude, well I used to write songs like that'. And I was like, 'really'?

So it was kind of like this family bred thing.

L.J: Uh, huh.

Anna: So, it was just like… it sort of just happened.

L.J: So, it was in your genes?

Anna: Yeah, basically. And I never thought it would be more than a couple years of hobby and then it just kinda' kept going and never stopped, so I hope that makes sense.

L.J: Yeah, that makes perfect sense. Um, I guess, what gives you the most inspiration from everyday life?

Anna: Oh, Dude! That's like a hard question.

L.J: I know. Ha, ha.

Anna: Um, what gives me the most inspiration from everyday life? Ummm…

L.J: Just be spontaneous about it! Whatever comes out.

Anna: Yeah, I think like, well the last album was called 'The Things That Airplanes Do,' and it's all about travel. So like, that album was really inspired by like places and being in motion constantly and um really writing about being in different places, if that makes sense. Almost all those songs were written in a city that isn't my home.

L.J: Have you done a lot of travel?

Anna: Yeah. It's about either being in a new place, or while in transit, in travel to that new place on a plane, or on a train, or bus, or something like that. The other is just people, like people that I meet on tour and people that are in my life and, I mean I think that's a pretty obvious inspiration for most people but I think, you know, I think people is a pretty big one.

L.J: What would you say is unique about your music?

Anna: Ooh, uhh, 'hey, guys, what's unique about my music'?

L.J: No. It has to be from you. Ha, ha.

Anna: Well it's pretty much heart-felt and enthralling is what my friends said. I actually just think that umm, the kind of vibe of the lyrics is pretty different.

L.J: How so?

Anna: Uhh. It's hard to explain. It's pretty much based on a formal poetry background that I learnt in school and so I kind of took this formal poetry background and applied it to songwriting, which I think is pretty interesting And also a lot of the times it's just like fun. We write for fun and kind of like a joke. And, I think that lyrically that's good. And, I think that also, guitar-wise I have a lot of Jazz influence and chords that in terms of pop music are pretty different. I mean, most people are just like doing VI chords and like Power chords throughout their songs. I'm just using these like really, pretty all tiny Jazz chords. So, like these weird VII chords, all these old timey, Jazz traditions that I learned from a teacher of mine. So, I'm really happy about my chords, my chord progressions too, cause I think they're pretty unique.

L.J: Ok Cool, nicely answered.

What is a subject matter that you are really drawn to when you write?

Anna: Oh, Dude, uhhh, boys and ladies… that would be number one. I feel like, uh, romantic relationships and uh… because I think in pop music if you're going to put your music into a 'pop music' category, I think it's impossible to escape like, the people you're in love with. Beyond that, it's just like travel and kind of our generation as a whole and our apathy and hoping that we push through this apathy that we have

And kind of make something different of ourselves, like that's really what it's all for, like involving people and like getting people to get involved with their political movement or their community movement. Whatever it is for them, and um getting them more active so that our generation kind of makes the big step.

L.J: That's awesome.

Anna: Yeah, I think that's really important. I mean, that's what I'm hoping to do anyway.

L.J: So, I was going to ask you actually about the fact that you're on tour right now.

>Do you have any funny stories to tell?

Anna: Oh, man! We almost died on the way to Cleveland!

L.J: What?! That's crazy! How did that happen?

Anna: We pretty much like, it was all about the weather and we like, swirled and basically ended up on the wrong side of the highway and spun around a bunch of times.

I usually tell this story at my shows, but like we spun around a bunch of times and then ended up like perpendicular to oncoming traffic.

L.J: Shit! That's crazy!

Anna: There was a tractor trailer coming towards us and we were like, 'Ok, we gotta' get out of the way, otherwise we'll die…'

L.J: Ha.

Anna: …and we ended up like on the median in the highway. So, that was pretty intense.

L.J: Right.

Anna: And, otherwise, we're just having a great time. Like, beyond that experience we're definitely loving like, hanging out with our friends and playing music in their basements and their apartments and also a few big shows. We've had a couple of really big shows and a couple of small house shows that have been awesome. So, we're really happy with the tour so far.

How would you explain your music to someone who has never heard it before?

Anna: Oh, man. If someone were to ask me about my music and they never heard it, I would have said like folk music with umm, some interesting influences. But I consider myself so much more than folk music. Like, I really consider myself part of the Jazz genre and part of this like Indy music movement. I pretty much feel like I'm folk music, because I'm telling stories of our generation, which is what folk music is, in my opinion. But I'm also, like exploring Jazz harmonics and exploring history and a bunch of different 'shit'. I would just say some folk music with some extra shit in there.

L.J: Ha. That works. That description works.

Now that you know a bit too much information, to add enough of a creep factor to the audience, you should definitely come and decide for yourself what Anna Vogelzang is all about, this Friday at the Co-op, I know I will.

Don't forget to mention: Happy Birthday Anna!