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Anne Williams
Anne Williams is the host of Acoustic Sunrise every weekday morning on WNRN. She is also the Assistant General Manager of WNRN. Anne has been with the station for over a decade. Her CD of the month club has become a staple of WNRN’s fund drives and grows in members each year.
Locked Down by Dr. John is Anne Williams’ pick for April’s CD of the Month.
From Greg Kot at the Chicago Tribune:
Mac Rebennack has been making records since the ‘60s and has been a revered figure in New Orleans music for just as long. In reinventing himself as Dr. John, he took the city’s funk tradition deeper into the swamp of his imagination, mingling soul, blues and Afro-Cuban mysticism for some of the trippiest music ever to come out of the deep South.
One of his fans, the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, guides John back to that shadowy “Night Tripper” era with a batch of fresh songs. The legendary pianist sounds reinvigorated on “Locked Down” (Nonesuch), in part because he’s not plugging into a formula, but animating it with some feisty new sidemen. Auerbach’s terse, reverb-encrusted guitar and the studio band he assembled for this project play vital roles, particularly drummer Max Weissenfeldt and bassist Nick Movshon. They keep things syncopated and slippery, and Auerbach tosses off an ornery solo on “Getaway.”
The Doctor plays less piano and more electric keyboards, which means he’s less inclined to draw on his tourist-friendly Professor Longhair mannerisms. Instead, he soaks “Revolution” in Farfisa-organ eeriness and conjures voodoo imagery from an Optigan (a vintage sampling keyboard) on “Big Shot.”
“My Children, My Angels” and “God’s Sure Good” allow the 71-year-old artist to close the album on a reflective note, but the cracks, imperfections and mystic weirdness of this music are where his personality truly lies. “Let’s all pray on it, right now,” he mutters before digging into his keyboard solo on “Revolution.” He brings the trickster god “Eleggua” out of the murk, and presides over the “Kingdom of Izzness.” It’s Dr. John’s world, in all its voodoo inscrutability, rediscovered.
Wrinkle Neck Mules chatted with Anne last week before their CD release party at The Southern. They played “Central Daylight Time,” “Leaving Chatanooga,” and “Liberty Bell” from their new album, Apprentice to Ghosts. If you missed the show, you can get the album here. Listen to the interview below!
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Ashley McMillen chatted with Anne and played a few songs on Acoustic Sunrise yesterday morning. She’ll be playing at The Southern tonight along with Scott Tiernan and Shanna Hoar for a CD release party. Ticket information for the show here, and if you can’t make the show you can order the EP here!
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Acoustic Sunrise December CD of the Month: “Wolftown” by Carl Anderson
WNRN is celebrating Virgina native Carl Anderson’s first full-length album “Wolftown” with a CD release party on Saturday, December 10 at The Southern Café and Music Hall. The Carl’s album was recorded at White Star Sound in Louisa County and produced by Dave Stipe.
Ticket information here
Check out our interview with Blitzen Trapper! They chatted with Anne Williams and played five songs from their latest album American Goldwing.
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Tune in at 9AM to hear our full session with Blitzen Trapper! They talked with Anne Williams and played five songs. Check out the first video from the session and don’t forget to tune into Acoustic Sunrise to hear everything.
Anne Williams interviews Chris Funk of The Decemberists backstage before their show a the nTelos Wireless Pavilion.
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Staunton/Charlottesville based band, The Judy Chops, was in the WNRN studios this morning to talk to Anne Williams and play some music from their first full album “Give Her The Gun”. Hear “Old Virginia’s Gone Cold”, “Tell Me How”, and “Home”! Also find out about their musical inspirations, creating the music, and where the name “Judy Chops” comes from, so listen here!
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The Honey Dewdrops were in the WNRN studio on May 6th to play for us and chat with Anne Williams! They talk about their newest album These Old Roots, the reach of public radio, touring through the midwest, yodeling in songs, what they are working on now, and topical songs, particularly about coal mining and mountain top removal. Hear “Test of Time”, “Hills in my Home” and a cover of “Across the Universe” all here!
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This morning Andrea, Pete, and Josh of Birds and Arrows came up to speak with Anne Williams at the NRN studios! They will be promoting their new record, We’re Gonna Run at The Garage tonight, with an upcoming release party on the 7th at Chapel Hill, NC. Hear about putting the band together, followers, facepaint, how music is made awesome with cellos, and listen to “Time Alone” and other songs. Tune in here!
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Last week Thomas Gunn came into the NRN studios to chat with Anne Williams about his new album Conversations with a Wishing Well and play some music for us. Hear about the album, working as a film scorer, inspiring artists, the songs “Dragonfly Memories,” “Don’t Change Your Mind,” and more!
Listen here.
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This morning, Dean Fields came to the NRN studios to play some music and talk to Anne Williams. He has a new EP, Under a Searchlight Moon, talks about what home is, creating an EP, the EP release show, and plays “No Where Fast,” “Forever Never Knowing,” and “Something’s Gotta Give” for us! Listen below!
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The Taters came to the NRN studios to talk with Anne Williams on the morning of the 4th. Listen to hear about the latest album, Menagerie, playing in the listening area, and remembering things. Hear “Oceans Apart”, “No I Don’t”, and two covers! Listen here!
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Earlier today, Andy Friedman came by the WNRN studios to talk with Anne Williams. He plays “Time for Church”, “Going Home”, and “A Quiet Blues” for us, as well as talks about how he started writing songs, living in Brooklyn, and cartooning and illustrating! His New CD out in April is called Laser Beams and Dreams, Listen to him here!
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The Rock River Gypsies were in the WNRN studio recently to chat with Anne Williams. Hear about their history, including recording at William and Mary, incorporating the flute into acoustic rock and it’s jazz influence, playing live, writing articles, and what they are doing in Charlottesville. Also hear “Camel Cigarettes”, “Who Sold Louisiana”, and “The Great Escape”. Listen below!
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Members Tim and Ryan of Ivan & Alyosha from Seattle came in to the studio with friends to talk to Anne Williams this morning! Hear “I was Born to Love Her” , about big label deals, where they’ve been playing and more! Listen below!
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On January 27th, Ted Pitney brought the Roosevelt Trio, part of the larger Teddy and The Roosevelts, to Anne Williams at the WNRN studios. Hear “Catapult” and “October Fire”, as well as working with other bands, about the Winterball, a new EP, and song writing!
Listen below!
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Anne Williams interviewed Sarah Lee and Johnny this afternoon at The Sound Studios before their show at The Paramount. Keep your eye on the youtube page for the videos.
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