Anne Lindsay

Biography

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Eavesdropping

For most of her life, the Toronto violinist - or is she a fiddler? -- has been listening in on other people's musical conversations, absorbing an enormous variety of ideas, idioms, dialects, patterns, rhythms and melodies. Always a captivating performer, Anne Lindsay found her own voice with her first independent release Eavesdropping and continued to impress her fan base with her second release News From Up the Street in 2006. Her voice is one you'll recognize... and one you'll never forget.

Her new album continues to showcase Anne's hybrid style -- neither violin nor fiddle, but a confident blend of both disciplines. The funky, fiddle-driven tracks combine strong melodies and complex rhythms with a rootsy approach to stretching musical boundaries. There are hints of Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, retro and folk jazz and even an incursion into Finlandia on this fourteen track CD but it is the addition of Anne's beautiful vocals which markedly sets this album apart from her first.

Beginning her musical studies at the age of five, Anne specialized in violin, voice and piano. A graduate of York University and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto she has received many scholarships and awards over the course of her training. "Music really began to take over my life early on. With days split between high school, the Conservatory, church choir and my first folk/rock experiments. I listened to as many violinists and bands as I could: Zappa, Menuhin, Vassar Clements, Jean Luc Ponty, Stephane Grappelli, Joe Venuti, The Grateful Dead, even Jimi Hendrix. I threw off my middle-class mores and ran away with a rock band."

Anne has performed on concert, club and festival stages and in countless studio sessions with artists including Blue Rodeo, the Jim Cuddy Band, Led Zeppelin, Natalie McMaster, Oh Susanna, John McDermott, The Chieftains, David Woodhead, and in the hit stage musical, Stan Rogers: A Matter Of Heart. Anne also regularly plays (fiddle!) for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The year 2006 was quite a busy year for Anne Lindsay since she began a stint with the musical Lord of the Rings in Toronto, released her new album in October and still toured Canada with her regular gig as the fiddler in the Jim Cuddy Band. Reviews for the Jim Cuddy Band tour consistently mentioned Anne's prowess on the fiddle and audiences were wowed with her improvisational skills and dynamic solos.

2006 was also a year of awards for Anne, starting with the OCFF Songs From The Heart Instrumental Award, runner-up in the Colleen Peterson Songwriting competition and the 2006 KM Hunter Music Award from the Ontario Arts Council. She will be touring to support the new CD throughout 2007 as well as joining John McDermott on his tour of British Columbia this spring.<.p>

Raising a family never stopped Anne from performing, but for about eight years, when her children were very young there just wasn't time to compose. Now, she and her violin tell stories of love and parenting, sorrow, loss and the joys of city-living and pastoral life.

Source: Anne's Official Website

Relationship to Blue Rodeo

Ann has collaborated with Blue Rodeo, and many of Blue Rodeo's collaborators! Here are some examples:

Anne and Jim both attended the same junior high school in Toronto where they played together in the school orchestra. She was the concert mistress and he played the bass drum in the percussion section!
They had a musical reunion in 1993 when the Zodiac Strings joined Blue Rodeo for a killer version of "Lost Together" on CBC TV's "Benmurgui Live."
A few years later their kids started playing in the same hockey house league and Anne kept reminding Jim at the rink that she wasn't just a classical player, she played fiddle and loved to jam. When Jim was preparing to release his solo CD All In Time he gave her a call and they've been collaborating ever since.
Anne has written, recorded and performed string arrangements on Blue Rodeo's Just Like A Vacation and Greatest Hits. Her solo on "5 Days In May" has become a show stopping trademark when she's on stage with Blue Rodeo or the Jim Cuddy Band.
Anne joined Jim on a cross-country tour with his band through the fall of 2006 after recording all the fiddle on his September 2006 release The Light That Guides You Home.

Quotes

"When I got the call to play with Jim I was pretty excited. I've always loved his songwriting and thought that fiddle (especially mine! ) would be a great addition to the tunes." - Anne Lindsay

"...a powerful jolt of energy from frenetic violinist Anne Lindsay on the beautiful ballad, 'Five Days In May' ... the crowd roared appreciatively and the boys rode the momentum the rest of the night." - Derek Tse, Toronto Sun

"Anne Lindsay ... cut the night air with a brilliant fiddle solo that proved to be one-third Ashley MacIsaac and two-thirds Jimi Hendrix." - Jeff Macklin, Peterborough Examiner

" Anne continues to raise the bar every time she raises her bow. " - Steve Lambert, CHCH TV

" Lindsay … cut the night air with a brilliant fiddle solo that proved to be one-third Ashley MacIsaac and two-thirds Jimi-Hendrix. " - Peterborough Examiner

Last Updated

February 2007

Special Thanks To

Ann