Anna Coogan: News

Here's the link:

http://www.euroamericanachart.nl/charts.html
For the month of August!

"The Nocturnal Among Us" is #26 on the Freeform Americana Charts! Good news!

Nice blog post about my performance at the Belladrum Festival featured on No Depression. Should be up for a day or two, check it out!

http://www.nodepression.com/
I'm finally resting up after the last few months of tours and enjoying the waning Seattle summer. Not that there really was a summer, this year. But that is a different post.

Got a great 4 star review in September Issue of UK Music Magazine Maverick. Really excited about this one!

****

Fantastic new music that embraces country and folk with a mix of her own remedy to the tough times...

Firstly from visiting her website, you will notice that Anna Coogan truly understands the times and this is reflected in her music. She understands that right now everyone’s suffering the tough times and that music is something you don’t necessarily have the money to enjoy. So with THE NOCTURNAL AMONG US, her latest recording, Anna is adopting a ‘pay what you can’ system that she first adopted on the road. Basically if you purchase the CD from Coogan’s website you can donate an amount that will get you a copy of the CD. Anything up to 10 dollars will get you a digital copy and anything above 10 dollars, a signed hard copy with a bonus EP plus a personal thank you card from Anna herself. I think this is a marvellous idea and it just shows that you can be inventive about the hard times and still get a chance to enjoy some good new music. And that’s just what this album is—good new music!

Anna Coogan’s music is Americana at its best. As a trained opera singer and field biologist, her music focuses on bringing to the forefront the realisation of beauty all around us, in daily living and the relationships that connect us all. It’s enjoyable sweet music that swirls through the air to your ears, a melodic voice in Dreaming My Life Away as the ensuing Crooked Sea is slightly darker. Embracing country and folk, Anna Coogan’s music is a mix of this and more, with sweet melodies and catchy hooks that instantly have you involved, especially with Take The Sky And Run. This is an impressive collection, a really enjoyable listen that has you chilling but content. Standout tracks include Take The Sky And Run, Halfway Gone and Mockingbird. LB

At Amsterdam airport, waiting for a flight to take me back to the States. How sad it was to watch a flight to Seattle leave, while I have to wait a record 5 hours to get to Minneapolis and then 5 more hours and then a flight to Seattle which means I am still traveling for another 24 hours. This is why living on the East Coast is easier. I associate 24 flights with going to Asia!

Enough cranky. Rainy day in Europe today, and I am going to go blow my meager earnings on a glass of champagne at the airport restaurant. Can't wait for my January 2011 trip to the Netherlands, when I can actually leave the airport. Until then though, I've got a few more US tours coming up before the end of the year.

I plan to sleep for the next 200 hours and then go back to jetting around on Lake Washington. Wish me luck!!

It was like the last night of band camp last night-- 10 of us at a huge table at the Curry House on the Isle of Bute, ordering 4 courses each-- the meal itself took over 3 hours! Waddled out of there, happy to have played my last show and begin the preparations for coming home. The Sunday Sessions was incredible-- all those people coming out of the sun to sit in a dark bar and listen to music. Thanks!

I am looking forward to driving on the right side oft the road, never eating another Cheese and Onion and Mayo sandwhich from a Shell Station, and drinking some cheap American macrobrew. I also am thrilled to see my husband, corgi, Seattle friends, and Lake Washington. Possibly some heat as well. As a side note, today is my one year wedding anniversary. We made it one year, husband!!

People have always told me that touring in the UK was "different", and I can honestly say that they are right. I continued to be pleasantly shocked by the packed houses and attentive listeners, by the number of people who came and chatted with me and showed support. What a luxury. A million thanks to all the many people who were involved with booking and promoting this tour, and especially to those who put me up (and put up with me), put me back together, fed me, took me around the sites, served me tea, 4.8 percent beer, or whiskey. You know who you are. It's amazing how fast people can go from strangers to family.

Now off to a confusing day navigating car rental return, packing, cleaning, exchanging and sorting, before my ridiculously early flight tomorrow. I'm coming home.

XOXO,

Anna

Just a quick note before I pack up from Stonehaven and head off to ye olde Ilse of Bute-- coming to the end of my whirlwind tour here, two more shows (both on Bute) and then a day to clean the rental car and get myself to an airport before the entire system shuts down (holy crap). Really do not want to get involved in a BAA strike! I do my best to stay out of local politics while on tour, but sometimes the politics come to you....

What an amazing island this UK is! I have stayed with some of the most kind people in the whole world on this trip and seen some incredible sites. In a nutshell: the wheel of Falkirk-- one of the wonders of the engineering world-- a few incredible castles, the North Sea, a sea of greasy food at a Leith Chippery, (I am American, yes, but have never seen anything like it!!!)a few more castles, many cups of tea, and some charming town squares. I have also seen many a gas station, a lorry driver pay over 100 pounds to fill up his tank, and over 1000 miles of motorway.

Looking forward to heading home-- I do miss my husband and small corgi. It turns out that the only corgis over here live with the queen-- haven't seen a single low rider since I've been here. It's a little lonely without a corgi.Also looking forward to planning my next tour here within the year-- can't wait to be back!!

XOXO,

Anna

Here I am at my halfway point on my UK tour--wow. My bag chased me around Scotland, leaving me lost and lonely with no socks/undies/clothes/performing gear. It is amazing to me how important a suitcase is when traveling abroad. I spent the week in a tunic I bought at a thrift shop in Edinburgh, charmingly called "Pets need vets", which is a cause I can surely support. Pets do need vets. Another stop at the Gap on Princes street for unmentionables, and I was off. Sort of.

I started the tour with a trip to the amazing Scottish highlands-- Braveheart Territory minus Mel Gibson (thank god!), and a spot at the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival. Great festival, although I was basically in a deep stupor the whole time due to my insomnia and lack of baggage. When you are not sleeping, basically everything is worth a good cry. Or a bad cry.

Left the festival on Friday night and began the long (who knew the island was so big??) drive down to Wombwell. Arrived on Saturday afternoon after some detours involving a million cones in Scotland (apparently that particular stretch has been under construction for 10 years.) Also-- do not miss you exit while driving in Scotland. You may never get back to where you need to go.

Arrived in Wombwell just about as broken as they come, dirty, Pets Need Vets tunic wearing thin. Hedley and Lynn Jones, local promoters and most kind people on earth, took me in and fixed me up with some dinner, an incredible house concert in the "wheelhouse", and finally, a bed that I could sleep in.

Woke up a new person on Sunday, finally awake and aware that I was on tour! Yay! Headed over to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and did a wonderful benefit for them-- attentive audience, great coffee, beautiful place to wonder. Andy, a local Wombwellian, offered to drive with me over to my BBC gig in Sheffield. All I have to say is thank god he came. I counted something like 12 roundabouts between Wombwell and BBC Sheffield.

Upon arrival, I immediatly noticed the difference between US public radio and UK public radio. As in, one is funded and the other is not. The BBC Sheffield building is big and beautiful and modern and has excellent security. I met with Allan Watkiss to discuss my music, tour, and country music in general. Wow. I will try to find a link to the show to post-- it was great.

Now recovering some more on my rest day before heading back up to beautiful Scotland, this time awake enough to take in some of the surroundings. I love rest days.

Please stay in touch-- it gets lonely out here by myself.

XOXO

A

I just got the great news that "Nocturnal" is # 1 on the Euro-Americana charts for the month of July. I don't think I've ever been #1 at anything before. Thanks to everyone involved-- including Juno, my faithful corgi who came with me on each post office trip this summer....

Heading off to Scotland today, (via Memphis and Amsterdam and a million hours of flying). Haven't been since the Fringe Festival when I was in 11th grade and went with my high school drama group. (I was in the chorus, no speaking lines, big surprise). Can't wait to see King Aurthur's Seat, my second favorite dormant volcano on earth. And drink some tea. And beer. And haggis.

"Lucky Dice" in the Netherlands added "The Nocturnal" to their monthly suggestions:

http://www.luckydice.nl/news.html
Thanks, dice!

Some more reviews coming in from overseas: one from Ruud Heijjer in The Netherlands:

http://www.kippenvel.net/?p=2852#more-2852
(this one is in English!)

and a nice piece from Freddy Cellis from Rootstime Magazine in Belgium. You can run this one through a translator...

http://www.rootstime.be/
Thanks very much guys!

In other news, I just printed out 26 pages of driving directions for the UK and am packing a suitcase for my Tuesday departure. Getting nervous and excited, and fielding questions like this one from my husband: "do they use the left foot to break and accelerate over there??" My answer: I sure as hell hope not! I am willing to drive on the other side of the road, and even shift with my left hand. But please, please keep the pedals the same way.

That's all for now.

Reviews are starting to come in from Europe, in particular the Belenux region. Here's a nice on from the Alt Country Forum. Warning: it is in dutch. Translate online for a serious good time.

http://www.altcountryforum.nl/2010/07/21/anna-coogan-the-nocturnal-among-us/

Here's some english highlights:

"Anna Coogan has much to offer. The Nocturnal Among Us is a beautiful, glorious, but dark album."

Dank u wel, Rein!

In other news...

For those of you who have been wondering what in hell this record is about, I did an interview a few weeks ago and finally got the writing down the stories behind the record. I've posted it in the blog section of the website.

"The Nocturnal Among Us" just debuted at #15 on the Euro Americana charts for July! Fun note: at #17 is our producer JD's band The Slummers. Go JD!

http://www.dutchrootsradio.com/nieuwe_pagina_3.htm

Nice review in from the Flying Shoes Review in the UK:

"Awash in simple, but effective melodies one-time opera trained (in Salzburg, Austria) singer-songwriter Anna Coogan’s bittersweet form of Americana cuts to the bone and then some.Young Coogan who, I believe resides in Seattle is a fine talent has an ability to stamp a feel to a song with her beautiful, sometimes aching tones. She carves out imagery of the finest order. A trained opera singer and field biologist her worth as a recording act hits a high on the likes of a big sounding, swirling organ, guitar and percussion plied ‘Dreaming My Life Away’ such is its pumped up feel. While of a more conservative feel ‘Crooked Sea’ is melodic and peaceful, with it containing an ambience rich is calming qualities as her wraps warm as a blanket round the listener."

More at:

http://flyinshoes.ning.com/profiles/blogs/anna-coogan-the-nocturnal
Thanks, Maurice! And thanks for the "young" part....

Here we go!...Releasing the record in Europe...Really getting excited for my August UK tour, and beginning to book a 2011 Europe tour. Here's some shows that "The Nocturnal" has recently appeared on...

Bob Patterson, Americana UK
http://flyinshoes.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2554640:BlogPost:5377


Thomas Kaldijk
Radio Blueprint 460 (The Netherlands)


Johanna J. Bodde
Radio Girl on Dollar Radio (The Netherlands)
http://www.rtvlogo.nl/
****
In other news, it is still cold in Seattle. I'll be playing the Tractor Tavern next Tuesday, June 22 with Kelly Joe Phelps and Corinne West. Fun.

XOXO

Anna

 

I am finally back in Seattle after most of three months on the road. It is cold and rainy here, but I am happy to be out of the intense heat and humidity that is encroaching on the rest of the country! A little more summer would be nice, though...

I want to say "Thank You" to everyone who was involved in any way in the tour or "The Nocturnal Among Us." For the first time in my life, I see music as a viable (if not particularly lucrative) way to make a living. It's like a little light has been shed on my path, and I can see a way forward in this business. It's grassroots. It is in people's living rooms, and in the indie radio stations, and in all the musicians out there criss-crossing the country in their old, beater cars. It's all very hopeful.

In the course of the last three months, I have played two converted churches, one funeral-parlor-turned-club, one jail, many living rooms, and a whole host of clubs and bars. I have driven over 10,000 miles and spent way too much money on gas. I have seen winter come late to the south and spring come early to the north. I've been stuck in snowstorms and biblical floods. I've put one 1984 VW on the market. (Any takers? Anyone??)

So thank you thank you thank you thank you. If you hosted a concert, or came out to hear us, or tuned in to a radio show, or bought a record or just a song or told a friend or just love music, thank you. I've never felt so loved or optimistic about the future of music. (My own and everyone else's).

I am now booking my October tour in the US and finishing booking a short tour in the UK for August. If you would like to host a house concert in those time frames, please let me know. I love to hear from you.

XOXO

Anna

I'll be doing a little spot on Seattle's Q13 Fox on Thursday, May 27 at around 7:45. I will be talking up Seattle Folklife and possibly (no promises) giving a little voice lesson to the anchors... This will be my first time on TV. I'll post footage as soon as I can get it!

It is finally spring (summer!) here in New England-- all the trees are out, all the grass is bright green, and the dogs are wild and looking for action. We actually saw a bear walk across our field the other day-- something I have never seen in 29 years of living in (or visiting...) Vermont. Alaska, yes. Vermont, no. Wow.

I am at the tail end of my 3 month CD release tour-- got another few weeks of shows on the East Coast, then I begin the journey back to Seattle. I've just added a weekend of house concerts in/near Minneapolis (as well as my first gig at a prison) for the weekend of May 22-23. Then I board an airline that I have never heard of, cross my fingers, and fly on back to sunny Seattle, hopefully in time for the good weather.

It has been an incredible tour so far-- I really am blown away by the generosity of people around the country who have opened their homes to us-- either for concerts, or just for a warm bed and a meal, and all the people who have come out to say "hello" and catch a set.

I am also blown away by how much gas a musician uses on tour. I haven't quite sorted this part out yet. I changed the oil in my car, and less than a month later have hit the mileage for the next change. Next time I come out, I am going to try to work more with the many "Bolt-bus" type operations. I am, however, proud to say that I overcame my #2 fear in life (#1 being airplanes, which I shall never overcome) which is Driving in New York City. I lived. The Car lived. The Pedestrians lived. Victory.

I'll be playing Seattle Folklife when I get back,including the Dolly Parton Tribute show, which is going to be SO fun. I'll be laying low for most of the summer, doing a short tour with Katie Todd and Jenee Halstead on the West Coast, before I head across the pond in August for my first official UK tour. I am currently planning to head out on another US cross country tour this October.

So a million thank you's to those of you who have been involved in any way on this tour-- it is truly the most fun I have ever had (except for my wedding day, which was more fun). Please please keep in touch!!

Here's an excerpt from a really nice review from The Bluegrass Special:

"It’s more thought provoking in its ruthless examination of the whys and wherefores of things coming apart, of people disconnecting; and the subtlety of the arrangements and JD Foster’s evocative soundscapes offer a beautiful, compelling backdrop for the various dramas under investigation. Not the least of her music’s attributes is Ms. Coogan’s voice, which has the timbre and affecting catch in the throat of the young Natalie Merchant. It’s something a listener cannot turn away from, a voice that insists on being heard, not by dint of sheer volume--exuberant displays of vocal brio are not part of the program--but by its pronounced, persistent, aching vulnerability."-David McGee

You can read the full review here:

http://thebluegrassspecial.com/archive/2010/april10/anna-coogan-nocturnal-among-us.php

I'll be doing an interview with these guys in the May edition- stay tuned!

We're a month into our radio campaign, and things are going great. Below is a list of stations that are playing the record-- a big thank you to the stations that have supported us!

CO Grand Junction KAFM
IL Monmouth WMCR-2
wa Bellevue KBCS
ak Anchorage KRUA
NY Purchase WMVL
NJ Glassboro WGLS
MA Boston WECB
mi Alma WQAC
NJ Piscataway RLC
NJ Lawrenceville WRRC
NY Jamaica WSJU
PA Shippensburg WSYC
ID Boise KBSU
AZ Flagstaff KJACK
CA Lemoore KGAR
MA Waltham WBRS
PA Carlisle WDCV
NJ Wayne WPSC
ME Machias WUMM
CA Orange KNAB
CO Denver KRCX
IA Mt Vernon KRNL
LA Shreveport KSCL
KS Manhattan KSDB
MO St.Louis KWUR
CA Sacramento KSSU
IN Bloomington WIUX
VA Richmond WVCW
CA Norwalk WPMD
MD Baltimore WLOY
OH New Albany OHIO.FM
TN Johnson City wets
OH Columbus WXCU
ND Fargo KNDS
Ont Thunder Bay CILU
MA Boston WTBU
IN Notre Dame WVFI
PA Scranton WVMW
CT Fairfield WVOF
pa Collegeville WVOU
PA Pittsburgh WPPJ
PA Slippery Rock WSRU
VA Fairfax WGMU
NY Clinton WHCL
PA Millersville WIXQ
WI Waukesha WCCX
VA Lexington WLUR
OH Oxford WMSR
ny Oneonta WONY
OH Athens WOUB
ny Morrisville WCVM
ny Ithaca VIC Radio
IL Godfrey WLCA
PA Reading WXAC
PA Schnecksville WXLV
La Monroe KXUL
il Rock Island WAUG
CA Stanford KZSU
PQ Montreal CJLO
MI Kalamazoo WIDR
NY Auburn WDWN
mi Marquette WUPX
ct New Haven WSIN
pq Westmount CIXS
AZ Tucson KAMP
OR Portland KDUP
MT Bozeman KGLT
LA Ruston KLPI
MN Mankato KMSU - MN
NY Staten Island WSIA
WA Bellingham KUGS
MI Canton WSDP
IL Chicago WXAV
va Harrisonburg WXJM
OR Gresham KMHD2
NY Syosset WKWZ
Il Glenview WGBK
IL Chicago WIIT
WI Milwaukee WMUR
IL Lake Forest WMXM
VA Norfolk WODU
wi Milwaukee WMSE
NF St John’s CHMR
NJ Pomona WLFR
IL LaGrange WLTL
ny St. Bonaventure WSBU
IL River Grove WRRG
IN Valaparaiso WVUR
KY Bowling Green WWHR
CT West Hartford WWUH
DC Washington WVAU
ME Brunswick WBOR
VA Farmville WMLU
GA Savannah Scad Radio / WRFS
tx Richardson Radio UTD
PA Grove City WSAJ
ONT Mississauga CFRE
NC Winston-Salem WAKE
WA Spokane KWRS
MD Towson XTSR
ME Bangor WHSN

AND...

WERU FM E ORLAND, ME *
WFDU FM TEANECK, NJ **
WHUS FM STORRS, CT ** +
WSYC FM SHIPPENSBURG, PA
WXLV FM SCHNECKSVILLE, PA **

MID-ATLANTIC:
WRRW FM VIRGINIA BEACH, VA **
WYOU FM NORFOLK, VA **
RADIOFREE VERONA, VA **

SOUTHEAST:
WIKX FM PORT CHARLOTTE, FL **

SOUTH:
WMSR AUBURN, AL **
WETS FM JOHNSON CITY, TN **
WTTU FM COOKEVILLE, TN **

UPPER MIDWEST:
KAXE FM GRAND RAPIDS, MN **
WOJB FM HAYWARD, WI **
WWSP FM ST POINT, WI **

MIDWEST:
WHAY FM WHITLEY CITY, KY **
KDHX FM ST LOUIS, MO **
KOPN FM COLUMBIA, MO **
WRUW FM CLEVELAND, OH **

CENTRAL:

SOUTHWEST:
KFAN FM FREDERICKSBURG, TX **
KTEP FM EL PASO, TX **
ROCKY MOUNTAIN:
KVNF FM PAONIA, CO **

FAR WEST
SEMI-TWANG SACRAMENTO, CA **

NORTHWEST:
KBOO FM PORTLAND, OR **
KSMF FM ASHLAND, OR **

KRUU FM Fairfield, IA

Reviews keep coming in for "The Nocturnal". Here's one from Blurt Magazine:

".....The beauty in her melodies becomes more engaging with every listen. After three albums and an EP, Coogan clearly isn't the star she ought to be, but even so, she ranks one of the best of her breed."

You can read the full review here:

http://www.blurt-online.com/reviews/view/1968/

I'm not from Jersey, but my drummer is, AND I love the Soprano's. (This is a joke, NJ!) But nice review in the Jersey Beat:

ANNA COOGAN – The Nocturnal Among Us (http://www.myspace.com/annacoogan) Armed with an extremely sweet, dulcet, and soothing voice, singer/songwriter Anna Coogan immediately wins the listener over with her supremely lovely and arresting pipes alone. Soaring over the high notes with breathtaking skill and agility, hitting a lower register with equal grace and smoothness, this gal’s voice is truly something to hear. Moreover, Coogan is also one hell of a smart and thoughtful songwriter with a strong knack for eloquent lyrics and simple, yet harmonic melodies. Best of all, this remarkably moving and intelligent country-folk album that addresses relevant issues about adulthood in a mature and direct way without ever becoming too sappy or cloying about it. A lovely and touching little jewel. - Joe Wawrzyniak, JerseyBeat.com

Thanks, Joe!

New review in from OliverdiPlace.blogspot.com. Thank you, Darius!

Here's an excerpt:

One thing Coogan does as a writer that I really enjoyed was enhancing the emotion of a song by using nature imagery. Done badly, this can wreck a song’s emotional power, by making it seem fluffy. Coogan never has that problem. She knows just how far to go with a metaphor or an image. Crooked Sea is a good example, but my favorite is Mockingbird. The song is a beautiful work musically as well. The song begins with a simple but powerful pattern played just by the drums. Then the rest of the band joins in, and Coogan sings a soliloquy to the mockingbird of the title. The narrator goes from bemoaning her fate to accepting that her relationship has ended, and you are left with the sense that she is finally ready to build something new. The rest of the band disappears, and the drum figure from the beginning repeats a couple more times, and then the song ends. Exactly the same drum figure feels completely different at the end, because of what has happened. Anna Coogan has done two previous albums, but The Nocturnal Among Us is my introduction to her work. It has made a strong first impression.

You can read the full review here:

http://oliverdiplace.blogspot.com/2010/03/anna-coogan-nocturnal-among-us.html

Just got a nice review from UK based music reviewer Allan Wilkinson. For the full review, see the "press" section, or check out Allan's site here:

http://www.allanwilkinson.co.uk/node/675
Here's a highlight:

"The songs here are deeply personal, especially So Long Summertime which together with all the other songs on the album, almost provides an epitaph for a lost friend.
With an impressive forthcoming tour schedule, the songs comprising THE NOCTURNAL AMONG US will no doubt serve Anna well, whether you catch her at a concert hall in San Francisco, a folk club in Falkirk or the smallest house concert in the back of a van. I certainly look forward to catching her at one of those soon."