Ann-Marita: News

Hi, everyone!
Ann-Marita here, and I've got some very cool news to share with you all. I've been back in Los Angeles for a little over a year, and what a year it has been! Quite sleep-deprived, but deliriously happy, I write some words down sitting on my couch in the not-so-quiet sanctuary I call home.
I am now officially a Daisy Rock Guitars endorsee...cool, huh? After years of lugging my own gear around, playing in every coffee shop, living room, festival and back-of-a-truck I could find between here, Sweden and Australia, I see it starting to pay off. Daisy Rock Guitars is an awesome company, building great-sounding guitars especially made for girls. (If you're a female guitarist, you know exactly why this is a good thing. You won't feel like you're about to topple forward from the weight hanging from your neck, and your fret hand won't be cramping up from trying to navigate around a guitar neck way too wide for shorter fingers...!) I've ordered my first Daisy Rock axe, and as soon as humanly possible, I will post photos of me with my new baby right here on the website - as well as Myspace, Facebook and Sonicbids if you happen to follow me there too.
For the past few months, I've been having a blast taking on a new side project that has become a pretty big venture; L.A. supergroup The McGrath Project. Associated with this rock'n'roll band are a number of legendary musicians and artists, including Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame member Tim Bogert, Doobie Brother Chet McCracken, multiple Grammy Award-winner Gary McGrath, Dean Minnerly and Warrant's Tommy Amato, and the "project" has turned into an epic double album, called "Love is a 4-Letter Word Volume 1 & 2". I'm a featured vocalist on 6 tracks; "Piss Me Off" (set to be the second radio single), "Goodbyes", "Fishing", "Damned", "Hostage" and "So Long, Farewell". If you're a die-hard country fan, this might not be your cup of tea (you'll hear me singing punk rock and swear here and there...), but if you're interested in hearing me do something completely different, then the album is available for download from the iTunes Music Store, Amazon.com, and a number of other online stores.
Also, on April 22nd 2010 we will be hosting the Matchless Amplifiers' 20th Anniversary Concert at Kulak's Woodshed, with special guest performers and hopefully some surprises...! So if you're in LA, please come on down and show your support!
The first single off "Love is a 4-Letter Word"; "Your Secret is Out", is currently being played on radio across the U.S and Canada, so please call your local radio station and request it!
I'm also working on my third solo album, set for release in the fall of 2010. I've gone through some major changes in my life in the past couple of years, some very painful, though life-changing. I've spent a lot of time thinking, journaling, reading, and meditating, and new music, sounds, words and grooves are coming to me in ways I've never known before. I'm still sticking to my country roots, but the spectrum of influences and subject matter has widened even more, and the new songs I'm writing come from raw emotion and true honesty...just the way I like to do things...!
In the meantime, my first two albums are at this moment not available for digital download (you can still get hard copies from CDBaby though!!), because I'm switching digital distribution companies, but they will soon be back in the iTunes Music Store (as well as all those other stores...), with a couple of special bonus tracks added to spice things up a bit. So I'll let you all know!
I'll be back to perform at Norway Day in San Francisco in a month, as well as a number of summer tour dates that will be announced soon! Can't wait to meet some of you out there!

Thank you all for taking the time to check in with what I've been up to...I love you, folks!

Peace and joy,
Ann-Marita.

...It's a beautiful, sunny day in the L.A. high desert, (which means it hasn't hit 100 degrees yet!!), and I'm just sitting down to write a short message about what I've been up to lately.
Firstly, a big thank you to the boys at Pzooky Productions for the awesome video shoot the other week! We're in the middle of making a music video for my song "State Line", and these guys have been doing an amazing job so far. Can't wait to see the finished product, and I'm so excited about having y'all check it out too. More info soon!
My San Francisco trip was fabulous...thank you Wenche and the rest of the committee at Norway Day Festival for inviting me. I hadn't been in the same room with that many Norwegians in a very long time...it sure brought back memories. San Francisco is a gorgeous city, and I wanna get back there as soon as I can. (Those hills sure gave me a good workout too...!)
As far as upcoming gigs goes, you can see me at California Music Fest in downtown Ventura on July 4th. This is a fabulous festival, and I'm really excited to get to be part of it this year. Also, for my Antelope Valley friends, I'll be performing a Concert in the Park in my current home town of Acton, CA on July 26th. In addition to this, I'll be making some appearances as June Carter Cash as part of the Mighty Cash Cats, one of the country's top Johnny Cash tribute acts in July and August. More info on the Calendar page!
There are new tunes in the works...!
Sending out some summer luv to you all, thanking you for your wonderful support!

Peace & joy,
Ann-Marita.

Hi, all!

Yeap, I know it's been a while since one of my online journal entries. I do have some fabulous news to share though!

The 2009 Unisong International Songwriting Contest just honored me with a 4th place win in the AAA/Americana category for my song "Company Town", which is an ode to my home town in Northern Norway. I'll receive a nice little goodie bag as well as this wonderful boost, so thank you! See all the winners here: http://www.unisong.com/Winners12.aspx
In addition to this, the 2009 Faces of Violence Shalom Bayit Singer/Songwriter Competition just announced their top ten finalists, and I'm very excited to say that I'm among them, for my song "State Line". I appreciate every opportunity I can find to bring attention to the issue of domestic abuse, which is the main focus of the Faces of Violence competition. Thank you, it's an honor to have my song being recognized in this way...!

And for our friends in the San Francisco area, or our Norwegian/American friends, come see me at the annual Norway Day Festival at the Fort Mason Center May 1-3, 2009! This will be my first ever trip to the Bay area, and I'm truly excited. More info on the calendar page, or www.norwayday.org.

More news soon! I've been hard at work writing new material, and I can't wait to get out there and play some of it to you all...! For those of you who might be wondering where in the world I am these days, I'm back in California, baby! And lovin' it.

Lots of love, peace & joy,
Ann-Marita, a k a, Viking Girl.

"Hey friends!



For those of you in the Northern Hemisphere, Happy Summer! For the Southern Hemisphere inhabitants, hope winter's not too freezin' for ya!



I haven't blogged in a while, but here I am, back again. News? OK, here goes.



My song "State Line" from my 2007 album release "Intuition" is included on the upcoming compilation album Indie Country Gold 2008 from Nashville's Colt Records. The CD will be sent out to over 400 radio DJs, stations, industry professionals and music media in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Europe, Canada and the United States, so if you are a radio DJ, keep a lookout for this CD – and give it some spins, please!!! To have a listen to me and the 13 other artists included on the album, visit www.coltrecords.com!



The Stimulus Films movie "Grilling Bobby Hicks" featuring my song "Sounds Good To Me", is making the rounds at the film festivals, - and killing them! (Or GRILLING them????) It has now followed up its First Place award for Best Comedy – Narrative Feature at the Macon Film Festival with a Third Place win for Narrative Feature at the Appalachian Film Festival. I'm dying to see what happens next! Other artists featured on the movie soundtrack include American Idol runner-up Bo Bice. To check out the trailer, visit www.myspace.com/stimulusfilms.



I'm doing some gigs around Sweden this summer, playing some good ol' rock'n'roll cover tunes with my buddy Ken Bee (www.kenbee.net). The gig guide will be updated soon with a list of hotspots to be invaded by us, so if you're in Sweden and would like to hear me do my best Joan Jett-impression, we'd love to see ya. More info soon.



I had the great pleasure of seeing the fabulous Grammy award-nominated singer/songwriter Tift Merritt perform in Gothenburg recently. Lo-o-oved it. She's truly amazing. The old-as-earth-itself theatre Storan proved to be the perfect setting for Tift's solo acoustic concert, and for the encore, she brought the entire audience with her to the grand piano in a smaller, upstairs room. It was truly special. I got to meet her briefly, and she was a total sweetheart. She even said she liked my top! (Hi hi…!) If you guys aren't familiar with Tift's music, I suggest you check her out IMMEDIATELY.



Other than that, if you haven't already, go buy some indie music today. Maybe even mine, if you're so inclined!

I hope you are all well on all corners of the world, and thank you for checking in on mine. Lots of peace, joy & love to you all,



Ann-Marita."

That's right - she got nominated for the 2008 Victorian & National Country Music Awards - in two categories! Victorian Female Vocalist of the Year, and Victorian Album of the Year. For a complete list of nominees, please visit the Whittlesea Country Music Festival website. Keep your fingers crossed for Ann-Marita on February 8.!

The top 10 finalists for the 2008 Victorian & National Country Music Awards have been announced, and we're proud to let you know that Ann-Marita is included in three categories; Female Vocalist, both Victorian and nationally, for "State Line", and Album of the Year for "Intuition". This is an awesome Christmas gift for Ann-Marita, and we'd like to thank you all for the wonderful support this year. To see a complete list of the finalists, visit http://www.whittleseacountrymusicfestival.com.au/Award%20Finalists.html
Wishing you all a lovely Holiday season and a prosperous New Year!

"Lisa's Walk the Talk Show" is an internet radio show hosted by Lisa Loucks Christenson , (a k a Lisa LC); a national award-winning author and photographer. Some of the former guests on her show include music industry legends like Aaron Neville, Charlie Daniels, Porter Wagoner, Pam Tillis and Glen Campbell! Ann-Marita will be a guest on the show airing Wednesday December 5. 9:00 am U.S. Pacific time.
If you happen to be in front of your computer, listen in! Here's the link:
http://www.bbsradio.com/bbs_talk_radio_station1.php Then, just scroll down to the list of shows and click on it.
For Lisa's Myspace page, click on this link: http://www.myspace.com/lisaswalkthetalk Sorry about the short notice, everyone, but the show will be online for some time, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to check it out!

Thanks for the support!

Indie-music.com, - certainly one of the top music sites out there -, has featured "Intuition" with a rave review in their current issue! Derek Blackmon claims that the album "(...) recalls the Jack White-influenced rebirth of Loretta Lynn..."! - Oh, we love that!! But why don't you read the review for yourself? Just click on this link:
http://www.indie-music.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=6575

Ann-Marita was a Top 10 Finalist in the 2005 MusicOz Awards. This year, you guys can help her snag the People's Choice Award by simply SMS-ing your vote directly to MusicOz. Click on the image below!

In addition to being a Top 20 Finalist in the Unisong International Song Contest with her heart-wrenching ballad "State Line", there are several exciting things happening for Ann-Marita this month.
Check out the July issue of leading Australian country music magazine "Country Music Capital News" for a full feature on Ann-Marita! This follows up the glowing review of "Intuition" in the June issue. (Read full review on the Press page!)
Also, "Sounds Good To Me"; the closing track from Ann-Marita's self-titled debut album, is going to be featured in the upcoming independent film "Grilling Bobby Hicks", produced by U.S.-based Stimulus Films. (www.grillingbobbyhicks.com) Keep checking this page for more info on the movie release.
For you Scandinavians; Ann-Marita will be appearing live at Svendborg Festdage in Denmark on August 4th. For more info, check out www.svendborgfestdage.dk.

The winners of the 11th Annual Unisong International Songwriting Contest have been announced, and no, Ann-Marita didn't win, but her song "State Line" (from the 2007 album "Intuition") was a Top 20 Finalist. Have a look at the results here: http://www.unisong.com/Winners11.aspx
"State Line" has quickly become a favorite song among Ann-Marita's fans. To listen, check out the Music page, or visit Ann-Marita on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/annmarita

Wanna give me airplay? Wanna book me for a show?

Hi, all!

Hope all is well on all corners of the world!
I'm pretty damn excited about the response "Intuition" has been getting so far! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy...! Check out some reviews, if you don't believe me! http://www.huntingtonnews.net/columns/070419-kinchen-review.html or:
http://www.starnewspapers.com/tinleypark/entertainment/everson/378098,101pop1.article And for the Aussies; you might have seen the review in the 59. issue of Australian Guitar Magazine...! All lovely stuff, and I can't stop bouncing right now.
"Intuition" has also been getting airplay in Australia, New Zealand, U.S. and the Netherlands so far, with more to come.
And here's what the headline is all about: If you're a radio DJ and wanna spin my tunes; don't be shy! E-mail me! Laura at Wildfire Publicity has been helping me get the CDs out, but we can't get to everyone...! So send me your contact info, and we'll get things movin'!
Also, as you guys can see from the gig page, I'll be in Denmark in August, as well as Sweden, - more updates on that soon. So for the music biz people in Scandinavia, get in touch with me, and we'll set stuff up while I'm there. I'll be doing some live radio interviews as well as small, acoustic gigs, so let me know if you wanna book me for something! Same thing goes for the Aussies, since I'll be here in Melbourne for a while to come..!
Now I feel like I'm totally selling myself here...! Well, a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

Keep on filling the world with music, people!

Lots of love,
Ann-Marita.

Hey there, friends!

Hope you are all well! I'm on the road in the U.S., currently taking a break in Iowa, visiting friends, but tomorrow I'm heading down to Nashville...! It'll be my first time there, and it just happens to coincide with the annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival, so I'll get to see some of my all-time favorite artists perform...! Sweet.

So, how has it been so far???

TORONTO

Canadian Music Week was huge. Definitely one of the most enjoyable music conventions I've been to so far. The Canadian cold hit me like a ton of bricks, though! And I'm supposed to be a viking and all...! But Toronto had 18 celsius below zero the night I got there. Damn...! Made me think of my homeland...! And not in a very good way. But Toronto is a gorgeous city, and I totally fell in love with it.

I performed an official CMW showcase at Holy Joe's on March 9. Turned out pretty damn well, if I should say so myself!

Got to see Niagara Falls...! Awesome. That's the only word I can think of. The edges were covered in ice and snow, so it was a unique sight. And I got to taste ice wine - that's wine made from grapes that were harvested while frozen. Good stuff, good stuff.



AUSTIN

Austin, TX is one crazy place...! OK, it probably turns extra crazy during South By Southwest week. And coincidentally, that's when I was there. Got to see some amazing shows. Pam Tillis at Cafe Caffeine with an acoustic band. She was incredible...! Tift Merritt at Hotel San Jose. She totally rocked. And these were free shows! God bless America.

I performed at Austin Java Company, Copa Bar & Grill, and at B Environmental Galleries, as part of the GoGirls SXSW Invasion. These were all great; such nice people everywhere...! The only rough patch was my performance at Texas Rockfest at Wave Bar on Friday night. Somebody, don't know who, had decided it would be a good idea to schedule me in after a 4-piece screamo/hardcore band from New Jersey. They had a moshpit in front of the stage. And here I came, by myself, with my acoustic guitar. Probably one of the toughest gigs I've ever had to do. Booking agents, promoters...GIVE US A BREAK!!! Don't do this. Please. Well, I guess what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

I was also quite sleep-deprived because of some schmuck who would call my motel room at some point every night. "Hey baby, it's Mike," was the extent of his smooth talkin'. Lonely guys out there, here's a tip; doing this won't put an end to your loneliness. Get a pet. Or something. But Don't. Do. This.

After Austin, I took off on a drive through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas...oh, stopped there. Got stuck in a thunderstorm with a nasty cold. Had to stay in Kansas an extra day. Stayed in a roadside motel that had a self-flushing toilet. This toilet would suddenly flush, usually while I was sound asleep. (Ghosts? Do they need to flush?) Sleep-deprivation part 2.



Then, I got to Iowa, did an interview with a Storm Lake radio station - The Moose -, and made them play my song "Under the Iowa Sky"; (off "Intuition",) my little ode to Iowa. I think the locals liked it!



So, now I'm heading towards Nashville. Hope to see some of you there! Or in L.A., which comes later. I'm having an amazing time out here, sleep-deprived or not. This is what life's all about...!



Lots of love,

Ann-Marita.