Anna Wolf
Photo Artwork credit Paul Harries
From whippets to music and back, Anna Wolf talks to pauliepaul
How are you?
I’m good I’m sitting with a sick whippet dog, he eats anything then gets ill!
I’ve got dog envy at the moment I’d love a dog.
It’s a responsibility, we researched it a lot and this breed has less separation anxiety than most...
We haven’t spoken for a while, since before the first lockdown in fact…I’ve spoken to a lot of people about this and in a lot of cases it improved/changed creativity?
Yes excactly that, I told myself outloud I’d have to adapt? That’s emotionally and creatively!
And you do like to perform Anna, something that was just blocked, taken away!
Yes exactly, and for any performer the actual physicality of being on stage, the movement all restricted...
I’m good I’m sitting with a sick whippet dog, he eats anything then gets ill!
I’ve got dog envy at the moment I’d love a dog.
It’s a responsibility, we researched it a lot and this breed has less separation anxiety than most...
We haven’t spoken for a while, since before the first lockdown in fact…I’ve spoken to a lot of people about this and in a lot of cases it improved/changed creativity?
Yes excactly that, I told myself outloud I’d have to adapt? That’s emotionally and creatively!
And you do like to perform Anna, something that was just blocked, taken away!
Yes exactly, and for any performer the actual physicality of being on stage, the movement all restricted...
You released a new album earlier this year..
Yes 'Romance was born'!
I really enjoyed listing, tell me about that?
Ah thanks, ok, it’s a 5 track EP written and produced just before the pandemic. It’s strange, I had a funny feeling something was about to happen, I couldn’t explain it but I kept saying to my husband I need to build an ‘Ark!'…. I didn’t know how the EP would happen because at the time I had no financial backing, I didn’t have a studio, so I thought I’m just going to write for the sake of doing this 5 track EP because I knew something …
Are you disciplinned can you sit down with a way of working or do you go with the flow... and write …
I would say I’m getting better at my discipline… (laughter) you know what it is Paulie I go with my instincts.. I went into the studio with Mathew Fink whose a fantastic producer - did the 5 tracks which just unfolded everything was organic evolving naturally, nothing forced….then literally as I got back from finishing that the pandemic hit.
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Anna I know you’ve got a festival booked details…. the ‘Colours Of Ostavia’ in the Czech republic? That sounds amazing you don’t think you’ll have any probs traveling I’m a travel phobe at the mo
Yes that’s right but No no, logisticly we’ve been back and forth and in terms of moving forward with the festival the promotors are happy with everything….
I saw the video Anna, you’ve been working with Paul harries an amazing photographer. I thought it was a great balance between still and video photography if you understand me…
Yes, Paul hasn’t really made a video before and we wanted to play to all of our strengths, bringing the two worlds together. I mean Paul is amazing some of the things he’s captured, pivotol moments in the music industry
Yes i agree, we’re instagram friends. I’m after a chat with him at some point...
Any other live stuff coming up Anna?
Yes after the festival I’m playing The Half Moon in Putney on the 4th August which is great because it’s quite central for me...
You’ve played there before?
I have under my previous stage name Tailor.
It’s nice seeing London come alive again after such a strange time. It was weird seing London locked down for the first time in it’s history I suppose?
It’s interesting to see what’s changed, it’s nice having the live shows back like you said but a lot of the changes are good, so many times people ask for a face to face and I can say lets just Zoom now
Thank goodness for Zoom it was a great tool is a great tool but it’s still nice having that human contact.
Absolutely I was joking in the early days of the pandemic saying I don’t need to leave the house, I said to myself I’ve got my family, my shows, but looking back, althought that’s beautifull, in hindsight I’m embarrased I said that because now I’m getting the beauty of what it’s like to connect with people again. It’s a pretty lazy existence confining yourself to a room...
Anna you mentioned your producer, Do you see the importance of producers? Not long ago producers like George Martin, Phil Spectre and one of my favorites Trevor Horn were almost super producers…?
Yes my producer in South Africa is genius, I wish he would move to London permanently we work so well together. If I could just work with him all the time... I arrive at 10am, work through till sometimes 10 at night we would build together, I would say something this would go back and forth which would intertwine into an orchestration and so on...
I think intertwined is the word, I imagine you can’t be precious with a song…
Thats such a good point that’s why you have to have the right producer! I've been in the studio and the producer has said: ah I wouldn’t have gone that way I would have done… and that opens a conversation, isn’t that great that your being challenged? And you’re right it’s the letting go of a song when the true magic starts unfolding…
Back to lockdown, we have seen a lot of bedroom producers but I agree with you on that, room for both maybe…
Thanks so much Anna, I’ll leave you with your Whippet, it’s funny my friend Jack jones of Trampolene has a whippet called Mona…If I lived nearer I’d take it for a walk for you Anna….
Oh my gosh I’d love you for that…
Take care Anna hope to catch you playing live one of these days...
Thanks Paulie
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