Bio
Annie Crane was born into an upstate NY home and since her birth has taken with her the stories of immigrant grandparents, the chills of February ice storms, flowers from the tops of the northern Cascades, sunfish from Oxbow Lake, heartache from snowy Toronto streets and an industrially sweet Brooklyn love. She sews these pieces together using the fabric of the music she grew up on: Traditional Irish ballads, Paul Simon records, and contemporary pop music from the radio dial.
At 13, beginning to be noticed as a girl with a voice, she was already developing a special affinity for classic 60’s folk. She received classical vocal training at Eastman School of Music, but while studying at the University of Toronto, she turned her prodigious talents toward her first love, folk music.
She has been compared to the likes of Sandy Denny, Lucinda Williams, Neko Case and Gillian Welch. As one enthusiastic fan put it, “She looks across the audience like she’s looking deep into a distant decade.”
— PRESS —
“Local Annie Crane plays fabulous folk with enough thoughtful twang to transport you back in time…and down South”. -Time Out NY
“Crane’s music is mature, minimalist, and she’s got a depth to her voice that lends credence to even her most mythical poetic wanderings…Finally, here’s a girl-guitar combo that is unapologetic but never angsty”. -Urban Folk Magazine
“Annie Crane plays mournful songs with a voice that echoes Nancy Griffin, Joan Baez and Richard Thompson. Favoring a chugging guitar strum ala-Mark Kozelek, she spun a set of heartbreak that I thoroughly enjoyed.” – JezebelMusic.com
Reviews of “Through the Farmlands & the Cities” (released April ‘09):
“Few artists have the ability to take you along with them; to make you feel as if you’re a spectator of the travels and defining moments… Crane has assembled a wonderful, lively documentation of her experiences and she makes it easy and enjoyable for you to sing along with her”. -PraiseforWallflower.com
Writing from a Folk/Punk perspective, Brook Pridemore of JezebelMusic.com says, “Crane’s proven that her gentle brand of country folk carries just as much weight as the ‘insurgent’ stuff I’m regularly drawn to… In a more just world, ‘I’ll Be Right Here’ would get as much airplay as ‘Not Ready to Make Nice’ (or some other dogshit young country track)”.
“This album is folk rock in its purest form… I am looking forward to what is to come in the future from Annie Crane. If you get the chance to listen, do not pass it up!” -Melodic.net
“Annie Crane, who has a very high and pure voice, show(s) a lot of lyrical and musical talent”. -Altcountryforum.nl
Reviews of Self-titled EP (released Aug’07):
“This EP is too short!…I am highly recommending it.” -Blog.CollectedSounds.com
“Finally some good talent. A great album with insights beyond the ordinary…Annie’s beautiful voice constantly uplifts the material, making every selection (no matter the genre or instrumentation) well worth hearing. She is long overdue to be discovered. Way to go Annie!!!” -CD Baby Fan Review
“ANNIE CRANE’S soaring Baez vocals (without that overbearing, church singer quality), and rustic Americana-to-European-mountaintop (quite a trip!) songwriting will make you want to hug the person next to you. Her voice is like chasing a butterfly: a sound you’ll never be able to catch, but one that leaves enough feeling in the air to make you forget it’s gone – like all the stuff that glides by your window on a cross-country drive: the perfect canvas for the daydreams in your head to start wandering….like that one bird you always see taking off into the landscape, not held down by any of it.” -New Jersey’s Lone Wolf
