Anna Van Visits Section 36!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Anna Van is an incredibly talented singer, and I was so pleased that  she agreed to visit with us and discuss her music, her goals, and more. I’m sure you’ll love everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Anna Van visits Section 36!

I really enjoyed your recent single “Tore Me Down”. What can you tell me about it?

I wrote “Tore Me Down” in 2018 and it has been my favorite original to play live since. I find this song interesting from the writers standpoint because it’s one of those songs that just seemed to write itself. It follows two people in an obviously complicated relationship, “Tore Me Down” coming from the perspective of a man who is having regrets about how he left things off. I actually have a handful of songs that follow this couple from different perspectives. I suppose I pull some inspiration from my own life for the lyrics but ultimately their purpose if just to tell a story. Each song ends in a way that can lead to the next chapter, “I’ll be knocking at your door to fix what I started” for example. I’d love to turn all of these songs into a larger project one day. For now, you can find “Tore Me Down” on all streaming platforms and on iTunes! 

Who or what would you consider to be your biggest musical influences?

For sound and style, I would say my biggest influences are

The Lumineers and Fleetwood Mac. They are both incredible bands but even more impressive story tellers. I’m also heavily influenced by Ray LaMontagne. He has a captivating sound, of course, but I look up to his musical journey. He and my parents were friends when I was about 6 months old and based off of the stories they’ve told me, I think the fact that he was able to take the songs he wrote in the woods of Maine and bring them to where he is now is very inspiring. 

Your Instagram account has several informal videos of your music. What do you enjoy about recording and sharing those?

When I’m scrolling through Instagram I always stop and listen when people post original music. I think it’s so cool to get a glimpse into another persons artistry which I suppose is the reason I share my songs that way. I also like recording them to look back at them and see the aspects I’ve grown in, which is more of a personal reason but nonetheless. I find that ideas get lost in voice memos and videos always do the trick, which is why I even post some unfinished songs.

You’ve been able to make a few live appearances lately. What do you enjoy most about performing in front of an audience?

Maine is doing fairly well despite COVID-19 so I’ve been

getting to play two or three outdoor shows a week which I’ve been so grateful for. Playing live music is such an outlet for me - the energy involved in it automatically brings my spirits up. Also, over the past five years of gigging I’ve built up my songbook quite a bit just from requests and I’ve started to really love the way live shows help me find new music. 

Other than COVID, what would you say is your biggest career challenge?

I love being a solo artist but at the same time I really crave that full band sound during live performances. The area I live in doesn’t exactly make it easy to make connections with musicians my age so I’ve never truly gotten experience working with a band. Building off of that, although I am so lucky for what I’ve gotten to do in Maine, I would say location is small challenge for me. I’m looking forward to taking my experiences from home and building my musicianship is other places as well.

What are your immediate career goals?

To network and grow! Of course, COVID-19 makes that a bit

harder but not impossible. I had to defer from college this past year and stay in Maine rather than moving to Boston so my immediate goal became to meet at least 6 new Maine musicians and learn from them. I would say it has been a pretty successful year for that and I have felt very inspired. Meeting other people with such a strong shared passion is one of my favorite parts of being a musician so I’m excited to continue doing that!

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Hopefully we’ll be able to help her with those networking goals!

As always, I want to thank Anna for visiting, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I know you’ll all want to follow along with Anna to see what she's up to. The best way is to check out all her social media accounts, Like Facebook and Instagram. They’re great ways to make sure you don't miss a thing. You should also be sure to check out her music on Spotify, or anywhere else you choose!

You should also check out her Section 36 Music page. There you'll find more links, pictures, and samples of her music. It's a great way to enjoy everything Anna has to offer all in one place.

Thanks again Anna, and good luck in reaching your goals!