Annie Dinerman

Artist Information

Biography

NEW! SEE VIDEO of "Garbage Percussion Workshop." CLICK VIDEO tab at the top of this epk.

ANNIE DINERMAN is an award-winning singer-songwriter who's funny, frank and definitely female. She holds the 2006 Abe Olman Award from Songwriters Hall of Fame, ad w grant from the Anna Sosenko Trust. Dinerman walks in the footsteps of storytelling songwriters like Paul Simon and Waldman. Maverick Magazine (UK) says she "sings her heart out like a woman on some kind of mission - 4-1/2 of 5 stars". Sing Out! Magazine says she sounds like “Carole King's sister, but a bit warmer, and armed with a guitar instead of a piano. And like King, she's got great songwriting chops.” Dinerman's trademark lyric style is warm, witty and womanly, inspired by two childhood delights: anonymous folksongs and her father’s huge Sinatra collection.

Our Environment: Annie is sometimes joined onstage by gifted percussionist Rex Benincasa, who plays a variety of World Music percussion instruments, and sometimes, recycled "garbage" percussion--a fun way to promote recycling and repurposing.

Collaborations: "My Goodness!", written with Arlon Bennett, has just been recorded by Ali Hoffman for Wing Court Records; release is planned for late March 2011. Dinerman has just finished her first co-write with Adam Levy, a new Christmas duet called "No Time Like The Present." Dinerman co-wrote the title track of her CD, "Broken Cookies," with Grammy-nominated producer Steve Addabbo.

Annie's CD, "BROKEN COOKIES" (2009) produced by Grammy-nominated producer Steve Addabbo ("LUKA" w/Suzanne Vega), displays Annie's wit, tenderness and courage toward challenges facing many of us are facing right now: Love vs. Frugality in the Recession, the loss of friends to AIDS and 9/11, and protecting our Environment. The 12 songs, heard in this epk, include a collaboration with Addabbo. Through DIY promotion, Annie Dinerman's "BROKEN COOKIES" CD has been heard on 35 radio stations worldwide, including stations across the U.S. and XM Satellite Radio, plus Israel, Ireland, England, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands.

From the start, Annie's concerts as a college student in northeast Ohio, were for standing room audiences. The only native Ohioan in a family of transplanted New Yorkers, she heard the artist’s call and moved to New York to focus on songwriting.

There are over 30 covers of Annie Dinerman’s songs, including “Child In Me Again”, recorded by Kathie Gifford on her “Born For You” CD (2000). Gifford's CD hit three Billboard charts: #1 on Heatseekers, #6 on Top Contemporary Christian, and #139 on Top 200.

Affiliations: ASCAP, NARAS (voting member), SHOF, NERFA, OCFF, Roots Music Association, Madison Who's Who (Lifetime Member)

MILESTONES:

2011: Music2Life at Dartmouth College; Feinstein's at Loew's Regency

2010: “BROKEN COOKIES” CD played on over 35 radio stations across the U.S. including XM Satellite Radio, and in Israel, England, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Belgium and The Netherlands. Li'l Mo's Field of Stars at Banjo Jim's, NYC.

2009: HUDSON CAT Songwriter Fest; Released second CD, "BROKEN COOKIES" produced by Steve Addabbo (Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, Dar Williams); Cape May Singer Songwriter Festival Showcase (Cape May, NJ) + compilation CD; Dance Flurry Festival (Saratoga, NY)

2008: Opened for The Refugees, Hurdy Gurdy Folk Concert Series (Fair Lawn, NJ); three shows at The Bitter End (NYC); SRO at The American Folk Art Museum (NYC); Queens International Film Festival; Cape May Singer Songwriter Festival Showcase (Cape May, NJ); Caffe Lena Debut and Dance Flurry Festival (Saratoga, NY)

2007: NERFA DJ Invitational Showcase (Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference); Anna Sosenko Grant for recording expenses on "BROKEN COOKIES" CD (Producer, Steve Addabbo); Millennium Music Conference industry showcase + compilation CD; Susquehanna Music Festival Songwriting Contest finalist; WomensRadio.com poll 3rd Place, Folk

2006: Songwriters Hall of Fame - Abe Olman Award for Excellence in Songwriting; Music To Life Songwriting Contest finalist (Kerrville Folk Festival) + compilation CD

Instrumentation

Rex Benincasa - Various Percussion Instruments, and recycled "garbage" percussion.

Discography

For Annie's Discography, please visit http://anniedinerman.com/links.html

Links

• Facebook
• CLICK TO LICENSE MY MUSIC AT WACBIZ
• CLICK to view most recent press release
• CLICK to contact Annie's music publisher
• CLICK to view Annie's dpk at AirplayDirect.com
• MySpace

Audio

• Solid
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• My Ex-Boyfriend (from Broken Cookies CD)
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• In the Dark
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• One Planet At A Time
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• Egyptian Cotton
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• A King And A Hero
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• Broken Cookies
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• Talking With Absent Friends
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• No Time Like The Present
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• My Goodness!
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Lyrics

• My Goodness!
• Solid
• My Ex-Boyfriend
• In The Dark (And Silent Hours)
• One Planet At A Time
• Egyptian Cotton
• A King And A Hero
• Broken Cookies
• Talking With Absent Friends
• No Time Like The Present

Video

Garbage Percussion Workshop, Dartmouth College, July 2011

Photo Gallery

Press

• 06-01-10 "Broken Cookies" CD receives rave in Sing Out's 60th Anniversary Edition [+ Show ]
  

  "She sounds like Carole King's sister, but a bit warmer, and armed with a guitar instead of a piano...."She sounds like Carole King's sister, but a bit warmer, and armed with a guitar instead of a piano. And like King, she's got great songwriting chops. This album is a wonderful collection of story songs and ballads about longing for love, wrapped tenderly in arrangements of acoustic guitar, light percussion, bass and more. "My Ex-Boyfriend" is a conversation with herself about the negative attributes of her ex and how a certain guy reminds her of him. Then, with a clever twist at the end, she thinks, "You remind me of my next boyfriend." Now there's a woman who knows what she wants. "Egyptian Cotton" has a cool, Latin feel. I love "In the Dark," about being awake in the wee hours and hearing her neighbor. Even though he's old enough for a pension, his "mattress is a rock band." It's just not fair if you're the lonely woman next door. My favorite is the title cut, a touching story about the innocence of kids -- sometimes broken cookies just taste better. All of her songs are delicious."

• 05-11-10 Johnny's Garden (Netherlands) [+ Show ]
  

  “Annie Dinerman can certainly be called a talent, this second CD being sound proof. She's a singer-s...“Annie Dinerman can certainly be called a talent, this second CD being sound proof. She's a singer-songwriter pur sang [thoroughbred] and a comparison to Carole King is easily made. ..."
  
  "She writes fine songs and her lyrics often reveal an autobiographical angle, with personal perspective complementing common emotions, like in the title song “Broken Cookies” ..."
  
  “Broken Cookies” has a lot of memorable moments. “One Planet At A Time”, “Talking with Absent Friends” (a really beautiful title…) and “Shores of Egypt” are examples of excellent folk pop. For me, the most beautiful song is “A King and a Hero”, a lovely piano-driven ballad with a touching chorus that, after a lot of relistening, remains touching.
  
  "... “Broken Cookies” is a real recommendation to people who love the young Carole King, but even when you don't have immediate enthusiasm for the writer and performer of “Tapestry,” “Broken Cookies” is a very enjoyable record. Let's hope the record will find its way to the fans of intelligent and well written music."

• 04-07-10 Music and Pizza Boxes [+ Show ]
  

  "Anything green is music to my ears. Little did I know I would run into a musician who actually uses..."Anything green is music to my ears. Little did I know I would run into a musician who actually uses trash as musical instruments!! Annie Dinerman's second CD, Broken Cookies, was recorded and released to folk radio late in 2009. Her CD packaging is partially made of recycled paper, and her CD lyrics booklet is in a printable pdf file on the CD itself, which saves paper, too!
  
  As a singer/songwriter, Annie sheds light on the world through her witty and charming lyrics. She is frank, intelligent, and fun. Her hit single, One Planet At a Time, featured on her latest CD, makes an 'amusing plea for environmental protection.' Lines like, "This beautiful messed-up world is ours/ so why do they spend my taxes on Mars?" not only make you laugh, but think. And, for the background sounds, Annie actually hired percussionist Rex Benincasa to play garbage in the recording studio! Plastic bags, a pill bottle filled with pistachio shells, a pizza box, a Snapple cap, tin can conga drums, pizza sauce can timbales, a glass, and plastic bottles combined to make a fun and chunky World Music groove."
  --Sydne Garchik

• 12-01-09 "Broken Cookies" CD Review [+ Show ]
  

  Songwriters Hall of Fame award winner Annie Dinerman puts her skills and humor to work on Broken Coo...Songwriters Hall of Fame award winner Annie Dinerman puts her skills and humor to work on Broken Cookies, produced flawlessly by Steve Addabbo, internationally known for his work with Suzanne Vega and Shawn Colvin.
  
  A singer/songwriter with a voice reminiscent of Carole King, she winds her way through 12 songs loaded with metaphors and clever quips, creating stories in the vein of Paul Simon and Wendy Waldman.
  
  "One Planet at a Time" is a clever environmental piece that asks us to take care of our planet "before we try to run them all." As singer/songwriter Christine Lavin notes,
  
  "'One Planet At A Time' is a gem—imagine a Carole King song for the socially conscious: a catchy tune with a serious message for the 21st century." If that isn't enough, percussionist Rex Benincasa plays "garbage in the recording studio," including plastic bags, a pill bottle filled with pistachio shells, a pizza box, a Snapple® cap, tin can conga drums, pizza sauce can timbales, and a variety of bottles. Social consciousness with a sweet World Music groove.
  
  Along with the serious thread that runs throughout, humor and wit abound. Lyrics like "I was using mama's rolling pin when I had a thought..." mix with melodious piano on "A King and a Hero" to blend beauty and laughs ("I can sing and I can bake good pies"). The remainder of the CD explores love and fun in hard times, losses in the wake of 9/11 and AIDS ("I'm walking all alone, talking to myself, talking with absent friends"), independence and intimacy. In the end, Broken Cookies is all about love.
  --Gene Knapp

• 11-01-09 4-1/2 of 5 STARS FOR BROKEN COOKIES CD [+ Show ]
  

  An artist who lays down the previous ups and downs of her life and sings her heart out like a woman ...An artist who lays down the previous ups and downs of her life and sings her heart out like a woman on some kind of mission
  
  Bringing you her second album, this New-York based artist evidently has all the right tools to be considered one of the finest singers of this generation. With these twelve songs, I see no reason why this most likeable artist will not achieve this. The lyrics to "My Ex-Boyfriend" surely do light-up the soul and make the mouth widen with a smile. With its duration of barely just over two minutes, it sure does fit in an awesomely large amount of goodness into its relatively short time-scale. "Talking With Absent Friends" is similar to Jimmy Buffett's "Everybody's On The Phone" but in a more sensitive way, Annie's song speaks of her regret not being there in person with her friends which I'm sure is based on her personal experience due to the sincere style in which she sings so lovingly. Although it can be a tad downbeat at times, "Different Now" has the ability to up its tempo with the click of her fingers. A pro-woman's rights song sung by an artist who passionately believes in said cause, "A King And A Hero" really is a cracker of a track.
  
  It remains a mystery why artists such as Annie are not signed to a label, but when she releases albums like this one you have to ask yourself who needs corporate management? I for one hope Annie keeps on this independent road as the path she is following is a fine one indeed.

• 10-02-09 RECESSION FUELS CD - Folk singer/songwriter releases ‘Broken Cookies’ [+ Show ]
  

  Astoria resident Annie Dinerman, a contemporary folk singer and songwriter, has released her se... Astoria resident Annie Dinerman, a contemporary folk singer and songwriter, has released her second CD, “Broken Cookies,” which has material inspired by the country’s recession.
  
  Originally from Ohio, Dinerman’s involvement in music began when she was taking piano lessons as a child. She eventually learned to play the guitar as well. It was also back home in Ohio that Dinerman became interested in folk music. Around the same time someone loaned her a guitar, another person loaned her the book The New Song Fest. She said she remembers spending hours lying on her living room floor and reading the lyrics. Dinerman said that although the songs were anonymous they survived and were adapted, making them part of a living tradition. She described it as a self-satisfying form of expression – writing something personal and having it continue to live and have meaning for others.
  
  While at college, Dinerman said that she was just writing songs and playing in her dorm room, eventually booking a date to perform in the student union. She said it was a huge hit, and that she was booked every quarter during her junior and senior year, although typically the college only booked someone once a year.
  
  “By the time I was graduating, my shows were standing room only,” she said. The success of the performances made Dinerman think that she had something a larger audience would like.
  
  Dinerman, a resident of Astoria for about 10 years, released her first CD in 2006. Her second and most recent CD was released September 1 of this year. One major source of inspiration for the CD “Broken Cookies” was the recession. During the two years prior to the CD’s release, she wrote about what she had been living through, which included being unemployed.
  
  Dinerman said that had she been successful and wealthy, she would not have been able to cover the recession in the same way. Instead, she was able to write about situations that others could identify with. “People in the business are telling me it’s a record to be proud of,” Dinerman said of “Broken Cookies.” People who have come to her shows have also been touched, Dinerman said, adding that real connections have been made between listeners and the music.
  
  One track off of the album, the environmental song “One Planet at a Time,” was recently selected for the Newsweek On Air podcast.
  
  Dinerman said that one of her future goals for her music career is to have some established artists record her songs. She also said that she’d like to collaborate with some established artists, including being an opening act for their shows.
  
  Dinerman has several upcoming performances scheduled. She will be at Recoup at 9 p.m. on October 10, at Gizzie’s at 8 p.m. on October 17 and November 7, and at Sidewalk Café at 9 p.m. on November 22.
  
  For more information on Dinerman, her music and details about her performances, visit www.anniedinerman.com.

• 09-29-09 PlanetGreen Blog [+ Show ]
  

  This Song is Trash, Played with Plastic Bags, a Pill Bottle, Pizza Box and Snapple Cap. The tune is...This Song is Trash, Played with Plastic Bags, a Pill Bottle, Pizza Box and Snapple Cap. The tune is called "One Planet at a Time."
  
  A new song from Annie Dinerman, a contemporary folk singer-songwriter, sounds like garbage.
  
  It's intentional. The New York musician wanted to make a statement on her second independent CD, called "Broken Cookies." The album features a song called "One Planet At a Time." So Annie told her drummer, Rex Benincasa, to keep the beat with trash.
  
  He dug around and found plenty of musical junk. The song features percussion from plastic bags, a pill bottle filled with pistachio shells, a pizza box, a Snapple cap, tin can conga drums, timbales made from a pizza sauce can, and glass and plastic bottles, according to top40-charts.com.
  
  Annie Dinerman is a Songwriters Hall of Fame award winner. Her producer, Steve Addabbo, has worked with Suzanne Vega and Shawn Colvin.
  
  "One Planet At a Time" has a fun and funky world music groove, courtesy of the trash.
  
  "Broken Cookies" also includes a lyrics sheet in a .pdf file, instead of a paper booklet. The file is on the CD, available online via her web site.
  
  This little ditty brings an important point to light. There's a lot of trash out there. Americans generate almost 5 pounds per person per day, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. We all need to work on beating this glut.

• 09-20-09 Newsweek On Air [+ Show ]
  

  Annie Dinerman's environmental song, "One Planet At A Time," is featured in Newsweek Magazine's sate...Annie Dinerman's environmental song, "One Planet At A Time," is featured in Newsweek Magazine's satellite radio program about corporations that are doing good things for the environment.
  
  Visit the NEWS page at anniedinerman.com for a quick link to the Newsweek On Air podcast
  
  or copy and paste this web address:
  
  http://anniedinerman.com/news.html

• 09-03-09 Interview, Queens Chronicle [+ Show ]
  

  “Funny, frank and definitely female.” That’s how Astoria singer and songwriter Annie Dinerman ... “Funny, frank and definitely female.” That’s how Astoria singer and songwriter Annie Dinerman describes the music on her new album, “Broken Cookies.”
  
  Dinerman’s music is inspired by traditional folk singers but has a contemporary ring, and all the songs in the new CD, which debuted in early August, are autobiographical.
  
  “The idea was to do what the confessional singer-songwriters did in the sixties and seventies and write about my own life in such a way that it would also be about what a lot of other people are living through,” she said, adding that artists like Carly Simon and Joni Mitchel were role models. “They wrote about their lives, and then other people said, ‘Gosh, you wrote about ME.’”
  
  The songs in “Broken Cookies” all deal in some way with the ailing economy, Dinerman said, though the connection is often subtle. There are lyrics about “finding love and fun through frugality in the recession, recovering from depression, losses we feel in the wake of 9/11 and AIDS and our endangered environment.”
  
  Dinerman’s first foray into folk music came as a child in Cincinnatti, when her cousin loaned her a guitar. She enjoyed the instrument, and eventually her father bought her one. The young Dinerman spent her time alternately playing and listening to traditional folk singers.
  
  “I remember my mother pounding on the door, saying, ‘Turn off those Joan Baez records and come eat dinner,’” Dinerman recalled, adding that she also listened to her father’s Frank Sinatra collection, as well as contemporary pop singers.
  
  After graduating from college, Dinerman and her boyfriend decided to move to New York. “I just threw everything in a truck and went,” she said.
  
  Astoria was refreshingly diverse and vibrant after Cincinnatti, where, as Dinerman put it, “there were like two rock bands and two poets and two museums, and that’s what was considered competition and diversity.”
  
  In contrast, she described Astoria to her friends as “an ethnic neighborhood from a black and white movie from the fifties.”
  
  Music hasn’t paid the bills so far, so Dinerman has taken other jobs that come with steady paychecks. But she’s forging ahead with her artistic work, and said putting “Broken Cookies” together was a wonderful experience.
  
  “I was going through a very tough time,” she said. “I was downsized from my job, and then my father died, and I was on unemployment. And I just wanted so much to make this record. ... I don’t think I ever wanted to do anything more in my life, so I just kept at it like a hamster on a treadmill.”
  
  Dinerman’s new album can be purchased at Seaburn Books, located at 33-18 Broadway in Astoria, and downloads are available online at anniedinerman.com.

• Praise from established artists [+ Show ]
  

  "Sitting down for a good, long listen. 'Broken Cookies' is a really strong record. Wow. Thanks for s..."Sitting down for a good, long listen. 'Broken Cookies' is a really strong record. Wow. Thanks for sharing it with me."
  --Adam Levy (writer of "In The Morning" recorded by Norah Jones; tour guitarist with Norah Jones, Ani DiFranco)
  
  "...I was particularly touched by your sensitive and beautiful songwriting."
  --Neil Sedaka, Songwriter and Singer, "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen", "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do", "Next Door To An Angel"
  
  "One Planet At A Time" is a gem -- imagine a Carole King song for the socially conscious: a catchy tune with a serious message for the 21st century."
  -- Christine Lavin, Singer-Songwriter
  
  "Annie's new CD is an evocative journey reflecting her moving observations of life and love. She is a unique talent."
  -- Michael Feinstein, American Popular Music historian and recording artist
  
  Re: Annie's song, "Big Dog", from BROKEN COOKIES CD:
  "Thanks for the song and lyrics. I love the "peed on my tree" line. Priceless. and so true. All success with the project."
  --Christine Ohlman, vocalist, Saturday Night Live Band
  
  "how beautifully written and performed your CD is. Congratulations... I continue to be an admirer of your fine songrwiting."
  --David Zippel, Tony and Oscar winning lyricist
  
  “One of the best I've heard in a very long time. … This CD has everything going for it. Not a bad song in the bunch, many superlative....rare! The writing, wit, performance and production, spotless. The presentation is as good, probably better, than most major label releases. … This is the way a CD should be released. Great work!!!”
  --Mark Saxon, Former East Coast Projects Manager, Songwriters Guild of America

Setlist

Annie Dinerman is an Acoustic Singer-Songwriter. She performs her own original story songs, and she writes both words and music. She accompanies herself on a Martin acoustic-electric guitar. For some shows, Annie is accompanied by percussionist Rex Benincasa.

Basic Requirements

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