Stereoboard Speak To Folk Multi-Instrumentalist Anja McCloskey About Her New Solo Career (Interview)
Friday, 02 September 2011
Written by V O'Hagan
She's a multicultural multi-instrumentalist with a passion for accordion-driven folk, Anja McCloskey is embarking on a solo career. She's played with folk rockers Haunted Stereo and performance orchestra The Irrepressibles, she's alienated the Lone Accordion of Winchester and she's determined to make her instrument cool with her beautiful new single 'And Her Head'. Stereoboard caught up with Anja this week to chat about busking, bass buttons and going solo...
Hello there, Anja! Could you introduce yourself to people who are new to your music?
Hi. My name is Anja and I’m a Southampton-based accordionist and singer-songwriter. I am originally from Germany and the US, but I have lived in the UK for the last nine years. I spent most of that time in bands, such as The Irrepressibles and Haunted Stereo, but decided to start a solo project late last year.
You’re a singer/songwriter, you play the piano and the clarinet, but your main identity is as an accordionist. How did you start playing the accordion? And why did you choose it as an instrument?
My grandfather played the button accordion and as a child that was the most fascinating thing to me. He wasn’t a trained musician, but he could just pick up his instrument and play any song you wanted him to. It was the most obvious thing to me that I had to learn how to play it, and my mother was kind enough to humour me and enrolled me for accordion lessons. I have never looked back...
Did you ever busk? I feel you would make a very dramatic busker.
I did and I do still, actually. If you are lucky, you may catch me on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Winchester. It is actually great fun, and I love watching the passers-by as I play. I have been told though that there is a local accordion player who is a little put out by us, so I try and restrict the number of times we go and play.
I’m a compulsive collector of objects that I'll never use (old typewriters that don’t work, obsolete telephones, etc) and I happen to have a tattered old accordion stashed away in the attic. If it wasn't held together with gaffer tape I think I'd have a go at playing it. For any budding accordionists out there, how difficult are they to learn?
I think initially it is difficult, as there are so many separate movements to master. You have keys on the right hand, buttons on the left; your bellow needs to move smoothly... and you can’t see a thing! But once you have got your head around the initial co-ordination difficulties I think it is fairly straightforward. I nearly quit when I was 7 years old, because I just could not find the G major7 bass button on my little kiddie instrument. Once I ran out of the lesson in tears, apparently screaming my head off – “Mum I just cannot do it – it’s impossible!” Luckily I have a fierce mother, who just dragged me back into the room to get on with it.
You’re half German, half American, and you’ve lived in the UK for nearly a decade. How has your multicultural background shaped your musical identity?
When I lived in Germany my exposure to music was quite limited. Pre-internet days meant that we only had late-night MTV to discover new music and I thought Radiohead was a band only I knew about... In the US it was even more restricted, as I lived in deepest farming territory in Missouri. All I had was the High School Show Choir (yes – I was in it). When I came to the UK to go to university, this vast landscape of independent music suddenly opened itself in front of me and to begin with it was quite overwhelming. But then I very much got stuck in. I am still fairly ignorant of the 60s and 70s (to the great annoyance of my Neil Young loving husband), and my parents have a lot to answer for, for exposing me to so much Madonna and Chicago when I was younger, but sometimes I think ignorance can lead to interesting results.
You’ve been in many different bands over the years. Why go solo?
I reached a point last year where I realised that a lot of my ideas didn’t fit very comfortably with the bands that I was in and I decided to explore them on my own. I still play in bands (Haunted Stereo and Moneytree), but my solo project has enabled me to explore folkier pursuits and in a way it has made me more creative.
Do you find that you relish the independence of being a solo artist or do you find the creative freedom a bit daunting?
I am quite a productive person, therefore I have found going solo extremely blissful from an organisational point of view. It is so easy to do things. I can agree to anything that I fancy and not every decision has to be a co-operative process. Musically it took me some time though to adjust. Having always been in bands, I really had to build up my confidence and to realise that it is ok to do things on my own. People will still listen...
Your single 'And Her Head' (check out Stereoboard's review here) is out on the 5th September and its gorgeous mournful melody has made quite an impression on us. Can you explain the inspiration behind the song?
Thank you. The song is really a story about a tragic event in my grandpa’s life. It is about a moment of realisation where the narrator recognises that something terrible is about to happen, but can’t do anything to change it.
I’m loving the b-side to the single, 'Impeccable'. Bizarrely, it reminded me of 'Reel Around the Fountain' by The Smiths. Assuming The Smiths are not one of your influences, can you tell us who inspires you musically?
It is difficult for me to truly pinpoint my influences. From an accordion point of view, I love Astor Piazzolla, who was an Argentinian tango player, and of course Yann Tiersen, who did the Amelie soundtrack. They both showed me in their own way that accordion can be an emotional and popular instrument. Musically I like Abigail Washburn, Sharon Van Etten, Josephine Foster, Rufus Wainwright, Michael Nyman and many more.
Your music is very dramatic and expressive. How much of your music is inspired by your own personal experiences and emotions?
Some, but not all of it. I have quite a vivid imagination and sometimes I am just very moved by a film or a book and write a song about it. Sometimes songs are definitely inspired by experiences in my personal life. But at the end of the day I try and capture a feeling, whether it is my own or someone else’s.
You are obviously a very creative and imaginative individual. Was a career in music always your main objective, or do you enjoy other artistic pursuits as well?
I actually started out as a writer. I studied journalism, and worked as a journalist for a number of years. I always played music, but I never saw it as something that I would do as my main pursuit. I just did not see how playing the accordion could earn me a living. However, at my university my classroom was right next to the music department. One thing led to another and before I knew it I found myself in various bands. Everyone loved having an accordionist. It completely changed the way I viewed the instrument and also the possibilities that I had with it.
Do you find it easy to write lyrics? And do you think they’re as important as the music itself?
To me lyrics are very important. If a song is really beautiful, but the lyrics are a little cheesy, then that can completely ruin it for me. I take a long time to write my lyrics and I usually try out different things until it feels right.
The video to 'And Her Head' seems to feature a young Billy Corgan lookalike dancing with a Goth who’s covered in blood. It’s an interesting video, very moody and vampirish. Was it your own creative concept?
Well, the vampire concept completely escaped us, but looking at the footage afterwards we realised that it creates that impression. The video is a collaboration with director Gillian Sore, who has been absolutely fantastic to work with. I came up with the initial concept and Gillian very much realised it.
You toured the US recently. How did America react to your music?
The US was amazing. We chose to tour the Mid-West, rather than the East or West Coast. Nine dates, 10 states, 80 doughnuts and copious litres of Mountain Dew later we were certainly very happy with the tour. All the venues we played at were fantastic. Everyone was so accommodating and kind and we had very lovely feedback on the music. We definitely want to go back soon.
What are your plans for the coming months? Any important gigs that we should know about?
I am currently putting the finishing touches on my first album, which is being recorded in an old hall in Southampton and we are putting the wheels in motion for a European Tour next year. But I am also currently gigging around the UK to promote my new single. You can catch me in London on 11th September at the Old Queen’s Head in Islington, 14th September at The Latest Music Bar in Brighton, 18th September at the Railway Inn in Winchester and on 27th September at The Wheelbarrow in Camden.
And finally, do you think the accordion will ever be cool?
I am not sure it will ever be a trendy, cool instrument, but I certainly think it has gained in popularity of late. There are a lot more bands out there with accordions – I am thinking Peggy Sue for example. Whether it will make it into the mainstream is another question... I will keep my fingers crossed!
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