Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
“Great songwriting in the style of the Pretenders, with Anny Celsi’s charming stage presence. One of L.A.’s best unsigned bands.” - John Koenig
“Little Black Dress & Other Stories is a superb debut album from Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Anny Celsi. A versatile writer and singer, Celsi is perfectly comfortable with folk rock, jazzy pop, heartbroken ballads, sunny pop, power pop and even a sort of folk-noir. Little Black Dress & Other Stories is a hell of an impressive debut, and Anny Celsi is a talent to watch.” - Michael Toland
"...a beatnik-cool performer who veers from poppy, bouncy beats to jazzy piano bar riffs and sexy come-ons. With songs inspired by pulp fiction (and prose to accompany them), she’s sensitive but no wimp and a fellow traveler to Aimee Mann and Sheryl Crow. The “pop-noir” soundtrack of her solo debut, “Little Black Dress,” wears a veneer of L.A. Confidential style." - Bob Ruggiero
Discography
"Little Black Dress & Other Stories" - Ragazza Music, 2003
"She Walks In" (Annyland) - AsFab Music, 1996
"Chapter One: Songs Inspired by Literature" (compilation) - SIBL, 2002
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
Anny Celsi (pronounced “Chelsea”) began her musical upbringing in the shadow of Portland’s freeways, infusing the Northwest’s rain-soaked, caffeine-rock culture with the girl-pop sounds of Phil Spector, Dusty Springfield and Ellie Greenwich. She spent her teenage years as a writer and vaudeville performer with the acclaimed avante-garde Storefront Theatre, after which, several inches short of the Las Vegas showgirl minimum, she turned her attention to songwriting. She was a founding member of the L.A. boy/girl pop-rock band The Tearjerkers, which released a 7” single back in the 1900’s now highly prized by collectors. Anny’s next band, Annyland, released an independent CD, “She Walks In,” which garnered rave reviews, quickly achieving frequent rotation on over 200 college stations nationwide, while their video of the same song became a staple with indie video programmers.
Anny has opened shows for such artists as Steve Forbert, Amy Rigby, Amanda Marshall, William Topley and Randy Weeks, and has had songs covered by alt-country artists Claudia Russell and Grey Delisle (Sugar Hill Records). Another of her songs was recently chosen as a finalist in the “Songs Inspired by Literature” national songwriting competition, and is featured on their compilation CD “Chapter One,” along with such artists as Aimee Mann, Suzanne Vega, Grace Slick and Bruce Springsteen.
Anny's vehicle is The Black Dress Band, whose lineup includes some of LA's busiest and best players: Steve Barton (Translator), Adam Pike (The Syrups) and Kevin Jarvis (Steve Wynn, Grant Lee Phillips, Lucinda Williams, John Wesley Harding). They are frequently joined by Adam Marsland (of college radio faves Cockeyed Ghost), on keyboards. For some shows, Anny likes to take it down to acoustic guitar, accompanied by guitar, keyboard or mandolin, for a more intimate listen.
The Black Dress Band is currently tearing it up around Southern California in support of Anny's new CD, "Little Black Dress & Other Stories." Produced by Anny and Kevin Jarvis, with additional songs produced by Marvin Etzioni (Lone Justice, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Counting Crows), the album includes guest turns from Randy Weeks (Lonesome Strangers), Joey Peters (Grant Lee Buffalo), Phil Parlapiano (John Prine, Tracy Chapman, Rod Stewart), Bill Bonk (Aimee Mann, Grant Lee Buffalo), Robert Lloyd (Steve Wynn, Victoria Williams, John Wesley Harding and Hank Van Sickle (John Mayall).
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