Anni Rossi Anni has returned to Northampton, this
time as support to the Ting Tings on their headline tour.
Armed with her viola, feet and voice she declares that she
will play, stamp and sing but not necessarily in that order.
We stop her in a doorway to ask her some more questions.
The current high media
attention or success expectations surrounding the band were
never expected.
"I grew up in "Minnesota," begins Anni. "It's
quite a difficult place in winter. It's very Canadian prairie
weather. It's really cold and it really snows and it's really
impossible some times and so I write a lot of lyrics of songs
about winter and have a song about glaciers."
If Anni's song titles are anything to go by then they given
reason for thought, 'Artic Swing', 'Prairie Shooter', '‘Wheelpusher'
and 'My Grandmother Was A Church Organist'. The former three
could be heard live by listeners to Marc Riley's BBC 6 Music
show earlier in the year.
"I had some heavy duty classical training from a young
age," admits a smiling Anni. "I do actually like heavy
metal, Michael Jackson, Modest Mouse, lots of Modest Mouse and
other contemporary composers."
Perhaps this Modest Mouse fan's willingness to persevere in
learning the viola stems from her father's love for sports?
"My father was a marathon runner and he trained me when
I was at school for the cross country for about 3 years and
I was okay at that. I ended up being quite good at tennis but
my brother went on to be a tennis coach. Overall I'm not really
an athletic person," she explains smiling.
We briefly touch on the subject of Anni having to catch a train
the day after for the next gig. It seems she's not against the
idea of commuting as one of the great unwashed to make it to
her gigs.
"Travelling on the train sometimes is a pain in the ass
but lots of the time it's really nice. It's a good way to see
things you wouldn't normally see." >>
