http://annmarita.com/news.html Ann-Marita: News Jannis' PHPRss class - http://www.jannis.to/ Thu, 09 Sep 2010 01:07:21 -0700 http://annmarita.com/news.html#14 The top singles off the album are "Your Secret is Out", (which cracked the Billboard Top 200 airplay chart in the U.S.), "Piss Me Off" (which features Ann-Marita on lead vocals), and "Damned" (a funky duet between Ann-Marita and Gary McGrath, co-written by McGrath and Richie Sambora). "So Long, Farewell", another song off the album on which Ann-Marita gets to flex her punk rocker muscles, will appear in the upcoming Hollywood feature film "Hollywood and Wine", starring David Spade and Pamela Anderson.
Ann-Marita is hitting the road with The McGrath Project in the coming months, with recording sessions squeezed in between dates, making her third solo album. The new Ann-Marita record promises to be still predominantly country, some of it stripped down, rootsy and acoustic, some of it reminiscent of her rock-influenced sophomore album "Intuition", and there will even be a couple of covers thrown in. Some of the songs already tracked include "Killing The Blues" (written by Rowland Salley, previously recorded by Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, as well as Shawn Colvin), and Ann-Marita's breathtaking version of the classic "Midnight Train to Georgia".
More Ann-Marita tour dates to be confirmed soon! Please keep checking in!

Viking Girl Promotions, September 2010.]]> http://annmarita.com/news.html#14 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:00:00 -0700 - Singer/songwriter. "Country music is really more international than we realize." (Indie-music.com) - Ann-Marita - News http://annmarita.com/news.html#13 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.]]> http://annmarita.com/news.html#13 Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0700 - Singer/songwriter. "Country music is really more international than we realize." (Indie-music.com) - Ann-Marita - News http://annmarita.com/news.html#12 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.]]> http://annmarita.com/news.html#12 Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700 - Singer/songwriter. "Country music is really more international than we realize." (Indie-music.com) - Ann-Marita - News http://annmarita.com/news.html#11
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.]]> http://annmarita.com/news.html#11 Sun, 19 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700 - Singer/songwriter. "Country music is really more international than we realize." (Indie-music.com) - Ann-Marita - News http://annmarita.com/news.html#10


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."]]> http://annmarita.com/news.html#10 Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0700 - Singer/songwriter. "Country music is really more international than we realize." (Indie-music.com) - Ann-Marita - News http://annmarita.com/news.html#9 http://annmarita.com/news.html#9 Sat, 05 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0800 - Singer/songwriter. "Country music is really more international than we realize." (Indie-music.com) - Ann-Marita - News http://annmarita.com/news.html#8 http://www.whittleseacountrymusicfestival.com.au/Award%20Finalists.html

Wishing you all a lovely Holiday season and a prosperous New Year!]]> http://annmarita.com/news.html#8 Mon, 24 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 - Singer/songwriter. "Country music is really more international than we realize." (Indie-music.com) - Ann-Marita - News http://annmarita.com/news.html#7 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!]]> http://annmarita.com/news.html#7 Tue, 04 Dec 2007 00:00:00 -0800 - Singer/songwriter. "Country music is really more international than we realize." (Indie-music.com) - Ann-Marita - News http://annmarita.com/news.html#6 http://www.indie-music.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=6575]]> http://annmarita.com/news.html#6 Tue, 09 Oct 2007 00:00:00 -0700 - Singer/songwriter. "Country music is really more international than we realize." (Indie-music.com) - Ann-Marita - News http://annmarita.com/news.html#5
]]> http://annmarita.com/news.html#5 Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:00:00 -0700 - Singer/songwriter. "Country music is really more international than we realize." (Indie-music.com) - Ann-Marita - News