Independent Recording Artist From Edmonton
Ann Vriend – “When We Were Spies” CD Release Show
July 01 @ Minstrel’s Café w/ T. Nile
MP3 For “(If We Are Not) Spies” + One Sheet/Photos/Album Cover @ http://www.killbeatmusic.com/annvriend.html
Listen @ http://www.myspace.com/annvriend
Watch The Video For “(If We Are Not) Spies” @ http://workingtitleartists.com/clients/AV/Spies.html
“A class act all the way that invites repeat listens. Recommended” Scene (London)
“Ann Vriend’s sultry pop vocals are wonderful. In the world of build-up songs – the ones that start low then rise to fill the room – her voice and songwriting are fun and difficult. Pure entertainment. Excellent music. Great stuff. Scene and Heard (Toronto)
“Ann Vriend drives me nuts; how can music be this good and she’s not plastered on billboards from L.A. to N.Y.? It can be a little unnerving to receive a second album of an artist you really enjoy, because there is always the idea that the first album was a fantastic fluke, but Vriend manages to show that talent has a great deal of constancy to it. …do your best to support a new and inspiring talent, so that when she does become hugely famous you can say “Ann Vriend, oh yeah, I’ve known about her for years.” AnE Vibe
While listening to the album’s opening track, “(If We Are Not) Spies”, it should become quite apparent to listeners that Vriend has the doubtless potential to become a radio darling. She possesses the swagger and stylistic flair of a star in the making, with “(If We Are Not) Spies” being the most immediate proof of it.” When We Were Spies” is Vriend’s most consistent release yet, with both her fantastic songwriting and vocal ability resulting in her best overall effort to date. If this album does not gain her some serious recognition outside of Canada, I would be absolutely shocked. Obscure Sound
On this, her 3rd album, Ann Vriend is a former spy. She had worked incognito for an undisclosed western European agency, posing as a freelance journalist, when she met someone who was also spy — but for the other side. Against all odds, they fell in love — thus entering an increasingly complicated game of torn loyalties, clandestine passion, and treacherous lies. “When We Were Spies” is the harrowing, passionate tale of these experiences; and the cinematic baroque pop album by Ann Vriend.
Firmly rooted in pop music, Ann Vriend exudes originality and flare, comparable to the likes of Kate Bush, Regina Spektor, and Sarah Slean. Her double-entendre lyrics have had critics liken her to Leonard Cohen and Paul Simon. Her voice is as much Dolly Parton’s as it is like Eva Cassidy’s, making her albums and acclaimed international performances a stunning vocal experience. Ann’s songs are literary, poetic and intelligent; in short, epic, and encompass the feelings of anyone who longs for freedom, love, and meaning.
Ann has sold over 8,000 albums which are distributed in Germany, Australia, and Canada. She tours internationally on a regular basis, including the festival circuit: Port Fairy Folk Festival (AU), International Leonard Cohen Festival (Berlin), Edmonton and Calgary Folk Festivals, among others. She has recorded at Sony Studios and the Hit Factory (NYC), and been featured on national television shows such as, “Mornings With Keri-Anne” (Australia), “Arte” (Germany/France) and “Good Morning Canada”, and radio programs such as “Lionel’s Vinyls” (CBC) and Derek Guile (ABC, Australia). She is endorsed by Yamaha Canada (pianos) and has had full page coverage in national magazines such as Elle and A N E. She won 1st prize in the Sidetrack Cafe / Beta Sound song writing contest, which helped finance her first album and took her to Nashville. In 2006 she was commissioned to write a song for the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, AU, and has had a song placed in a DVD release of the hit TV series “Party of Five”.
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