Annaliese
Los Angeles, California, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Annaliese, a promising pop singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles, CA, has won the SongwriterUniverse “Best Song Of The Month” Contest for November, for her song “Stay Gone.” This song will be included on Annaliese's upcoming EP (her second EP), which she will release independently in January.
“Stay Gone ” is a well-crafted, contemporary song which has the personal lyric perspective of a singer/songwriter, but also contains pop production flourishes which make this recording sound radio-ready. The song starts off intimately with Annaliese's expressive vocals and piano playing, and then builds into a full-band sound in the chorus. Another highlight is the distinctive string arrangement, which accentuates the end of each chorus. "Stay Gone" was expertly produced by Morgan Reid, who also played several instruments on this cut.
Annaliese was born in Seattle and grew up in the Kitsap Peninsula, which is a ferry ride away from Seattle. She learned to play piano at an early age, and she also plays guitar and ukulele. Her musical influences include Aimee Mann, Ryan Adams and the Dixie Chicks. It was during her college years (she graduated from University of Washington) that she developed her songwriting and performing. Notably, in 2004 she entered and won the regional competition in Seattle for the TV talent show, Nashville Star.
Following college, Annaliese first moved to Austin, where she performed many live shows. She then spent a year in Nashville, where she made good connections and recorded her debut 7-song EP, called The Same Conversation We Always Have, which was produced in by writer/musician Neilson Hubbard.
It was in 2008 Annaliese that decided to move to Los Angeles, where she regularly performs shows at L.A. venues such as The Hotel Cafe and Room 5 Lounge, and in San Diego at Letstat's coffeehouse. It was during the past year (2010), that she recorded songs for her second EP with producer Morgan Reid, and she will soon be releasing the EP's first single, "Pretty Little Thing."
Annaliese discussed the writing of her song "Stay Gone," which is on her EP. "'Stay Gone' is based on a personal experience," she said. "It's about a person who ends a relationship, and then later decides they made a mistake and tries to come back. But by the time they want to get back together, the other person has moved on. So ultimately the relationship is over, and it's time to 'stay gone'."
Currently, besides releasing her new EP, Annaliese has been co-writing with local artists, and performing more live shows. "I'd looking forward to promoting my EP, and I'd like to put together a west coast tour," she said. "Also, I'd like place songs in film & TV, and I hope to sign with an independent label and record a full-length album." - Singer Universe
The Early Years - Recollections of various earlier participants. 2008 Annaliese Scheirsch. - Kerrville Folk Festival
Seattle has played a long and substantial role in the development of music in our country and beyond. As the Seattle Sound continues to evolve 107.7 The End and our HD2 channel 107.7-2 The Sound give you a front seat to hear what’s now, and what’s next.
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About us: Annaliese was born in Seattle WA and raised in Kingston WA on the Kitsap Peninsula. She attended the University of Washington in pursuit of a legal career, but after graduation she fell hopelessly in love with a guitar player from Austin TX. She discovered her love for singing and songwriting and has been performing ever since. Annaliese completed her first EP entitled, The Same Conversation We Always Have, last winter in Nashville TN and is currently in Los Angeles working on her second. - The End 107.7
The usual Fourth of July weekend fanfare requires a celebration filled with booze, fireworks, parades, barbeques and a fun day at the beach, but on Friday night the crowd at Lestat’s West was there for some great music to cool them off from the blustering hot weekend ahead.
The crowd was small but intimate. It was be a clear breather from the circus that would ensue in days ahead.
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Following Joel Eckel’s impenetrable performance was Annaliese on guitar, backed up by pianist Danny Mitchell, who also accompanied her with vocals. In between sips of coffee from next door, Annalise proved to be a worthy act to follow. Her soothing voice quieted the room, and the crowd took in the comfort of her beautiful singing, much like inhaling the voluminous cool air you could only find in front of an ocean. She started off with her dreamy track “Too Hard,” and the Sarah McLachlan influences in her songwriting and voice were immediate. As she softly cooed through the mic, “Only to get her through the night,” one could definitely envision her on stage with the Lilith Fair ensemble of yesteryears.
“The Water’s Not Too Deep,” another beautiful track Annaliese performed that night, gives a deep insight into a way out when holding on gets too painful. Although the storytellers that evening were clearly downers, you could not deny the relentless beauty in their music and lyrics. Annalise closed with “Beautiful Lie,” another track audience members would be slow in forgetting.
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-Words by My Nguyen; photos by Betty Trinh - Performer Magazine
3 1/2 stars
Annaliese's country-inspired blues/pop debut could be a tribute to the adolescent psyche. The bipolar album oscillates between poppy, percussion-based tunes and tortured, Tori Amos-like piano melodies. Granted, Annaliese is extremely talented; her passion on the keys and her buttery, Shawn Colvin-like voice are a gorgeous combination. But the Dr.-Jeckel-and-Mr.-Hyde effect is jarring. The first two tracks, "The Water's Not Too Deep" and "Fall" are built on a simple eight-beat drum pattern with piano and guitar accents. Lyrics follow the music's simplicity, with cliches of falling and deep water representing the thrill of early romance. Then, the intro for "Ain't That a Charm" drifts in on a light violin strain, accompanied by a creeapy, minor-key rich piano part dripping with reverb. The composition and chorus about ignored warnings circle around each other, like a creepy carousal ride you can't get off. The album fades out on the line, "I'm kidding myself by blaming me," and you feel worlds away by the sunny beginning. Annaliese certainly doesn't box herself in with this album, but you are left feeling tired and uncertain, albeit intrigued. RACHEL DOVEY
Standout Track: "The Same Conversation We Always Have" - The Record Report
Discography
"Same Conversations We Always Have" EP
Track Listing:
1) "The Water's Not Too Deep"
2) "Fall"
3) "Ain't That a Charm"
4) "Can't Let Go"
5) "The Same Conversation We Always Have"
6) "Too Hard"
7) "Novelty"
Singles: available on CW website and Itunes:
"Sad Songs Are for Happy People"
Tracks Streamed- Online Radio: "The Sound 107.7"
"Stay Gone"
Photos
Bio
When your car breaks down in the middle of the road on the way home from a show maybe that’s not just bad luck. Maybe that’s life telling you to stop and take a look around. That’s precisely what happened to Annaliese one night 100 miles due east of Los Angeles, only it took her a while to listen.
Annaliese was raised on the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington State. Growing up, she found herself drawn to artists such as Alison Kraus, the Dixie Chicks, Lucinda Williams, and Ryan Adams. A trained pianist, it wasn’t until her freshman year in college however, that she finally picked up a guitar. Soon she began writing songs on her mom's old classical guitar, playing wherever there were crowds of people and a microphone left unattended. She fell for a musician. A guy in a band, of course. When Annaliese packed up her Martin and followed him to Austin, she thought she was following her heart. She would end up travelling thousands of miles before she would finally learn her heart was with her music.
Annaliese played wherever she could while she was in Austin; sometimes paid in spaghetti and meatballs. She soon found herself missing home and headed back to Seattle. On her way she stopped in Los Angeles to play a show, leading to that fateful night, stranded on the side of the interstate, where her engine over-heated. Here began her first stay in the City of Angels. But she wasn’t ready to put down roots just yet. She packed up her car once again and hit the road, heading east toward Nashville, where she hoped to find her own James Wright at the Blue Bird Café.
Annaliese started playing writers rounds and open mic nights around Nashville. In a short time, with the help of local producer, Neilson Hubbard, Annaliese recorded her first EP, "The Same Conversation We Always Have."
One year and one cross-country move later, in 2008, Annaliese held an EP release party at the Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles. That same year Annaliese performed songs from her EP at Nashville’s Own: Next Big Nashville. She was also a finalist and performed in the Kerrville Newfolk Competition at the Kerrville Folk Festival in Texas. In the spring of 2010, her single "Sad Songs Are For Happy People" was featured on the CW’s “Fly Girls”. Most recently, Annaliese’s single “Stay Gone” won the Songwriter Universe: Best Song of the Month competition for November, 2010.
From the moment Annaliese's soulful, haunting voice hits your earbuds (and soon heartstrings), you can't help but feel you have been momentarily transposed onto the pages of a heartbroken, hopeless romantic's composition notebook. Equal parts indie-pop and country-folk, Annaliese is a rare breed of musician: both vulnerable and pensive, yet engaging and inspiring.
Annaliese currently resides in Los Angeles. She writes daily, hourly really, recording and playing out as much as she can. She is currently working on her second EP.
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