Anna p.s.

East coast born and raised, midwest influenced and rooted, Anna p.s. continues to captivate audiences across the nation with storytelling, introspective lyrics, and the humor encompassed in the everyday and the mundane of the human experience.  They have been dubbed a one-woman-symphony for incorporating many instruments into their live performance using flute, guitar, foot percussion, and vocals.  Years of private classical lessons and band competitions form the foundation of what she’s doing now.   With technical acumen acquired during an early career as an audio engineer, and a humble but confident stage presence groomed as a founding member of indie roots rock band Shiny Shiny Black, Anna stepped out as a solo musician in 2014. She’s been on the road intermittently since the debut of her LP Umbrella  in July of 2016, showcasing her signature sonic blend of melancholy, hope, and resilience. 

As many artists can relate, Anna experienced her fair share of loneliness and lack of belonging as a young person.  While it’s not a time in her life she cares to go back to, those years of yearning for connection inform much of her songwriting. Anna’s music helps her listeners feel less alone, but not with false cheeriness. Her listeners know from her songs that she’s been there, and felt what they’re feeling. She is able to form an empathic bond with her listeners, weaving intimacy and connection from the strings of her guitar and the soul in her words. 

In her twenties, Anna was one of the founding members of the roots rock band Shiny Shiny Black. She spent several years playing with the successful indie band before embarking on her solo career, and her former bandmates have deep respect and affection for Anna: “Anna's songs fill you with a sense of longing, of friendship, and community. Dark and warm vocals complement lilting acoustic melodies—creating the perfect moment in which to reflect, to mourn, to live with hope in your heart. We were honored to share the stage as bandmates and happy now to see her own project take wing.” 

Throughout this time, Anna also worked as a sound engineer for live music venues; that technical knowledge has aided her greatly not only on tour, but in the production of her album Umbrella. The tracks on Umbrella showcase Anna’s rich, warm vocals and deeply personal lyrics. These are songs with dirt under their nails from working in the soil, and grass stains on their feet from running out into a summer rainstorm, breathless and weary and yet full of life. 

Anna's songs translate beautifully to Anna’s live shows, where her gentle but unyielding voice, simple but vibrant guitar, and lilting flute make every show feel like an intimate living room concert. She has an easy rapport with her crowd, using humor and storytelling to set the tone for her songs. She’ll even surprise listeners at some shows by interspersing her own music with an eclectic selection of cover tunes, ranging from Over the Rhine to Corinne Bailey Rae. 

The song “Free” on Umbrella starts out, “I want to be with the sun and the green, and the wild things beneath my feet.” Anna’s songs could all be said to have wild things beneath their feet, full of life even as they know the hurts life can bring. Whether sharing sunny skies or offering an umbrella, Anna will keep translating life’s ups and downs into songs that help her listeners feel less alone. 

Anna released their second album, In The Void, in July 2019 on both CD and Vinyl, putting on a collaborative show with Goshen's own Improv troupe.  The album itself was a collaboration with long time musician friend Tony Eckenrode.  It departs from Umbrella with fuller instrumentation and production work.  

Their most recent album of original music, 11 Songs Till Sunday, was released in November of 2023 at Goshen Brewing Company, sharing the stage with local legends Sonny Carreño on percussion and Bryan Chris on bass.  This album gets much closer to what they sound like in concert, with a surprise at the end. 

Anna currently lives on on the road, traversing much of the USA throughout the year.  They are also gradually making a home in the woods in the often forgotten upper peninsula of Michigan.