Revered soul/pop songstress Ann Vriend (AV) is returning to Australia for her annual summer tour to showcase her new single, Anybody’s Different. Bringing her band back with her down under, the sultry songwriter will be traversing throughout New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, and even the nation’s capital. Showcasing new material from her as-yet-untitled EP–due for release in early 2017–AV will also be jammin’ out audience favourites from For The People In The Mean Time, plus a few back catalog selections.

“I can’t wait to play some of my new tunes for everybody down there,” says Ann. “Some of the new tunes we’ve been playing for a year live already and people always ask for them at the merch table. And, I’m not going to lie, Australia’s summer is such a thing to look forward to when you’re from such a cold northern city as Edmonton.”

She is bringing her acclaimed band back with her, the award-winningRooster Davis Group, who are rapidly gaining fans in Australia with their New Orleans blues and funk sound in their own right. They can’t wait to perform back down under. “We’ll play the new songs we’ll be releasing, plus some favourites from the previous albums,” says Ann. “In general, it’s a lively show on the soul-funk- pop side, with some quiet ballads on the piano here and there. Described as an enchanting cross between ‘the girly timbre of Dolly Parton and the blues-filled prowess of Aretha Frankin’, Ann is revered for her live shows–endearing audiences from the first bar to the closing song. As a musician, she loves the diversity of playing both solo and with the backing of the Rooster Davis Group, and it is that versatility that has seen Australian audiences embrace Ann and her music. She is always pushing the envelope–both in the studio and on the stage–and acknowledges the great support she receives from fans ‘down under’ for her live shows.

“I love both scenarios equally,” she says of performing in a solo or band setting. “As an artist you sometimes get pigeonholed in the music biz so that your artistic freedom gets very compromised. I’m lucky to be working with people who see my diversity as a plus and not a minus–that is a real gift.

Saturday 18th February 2017