Portland Phoenix Staff - BEST MUSIC POLL AWARDS 2012

Best Female Vocalist

Anna Lombard

Get ready, folks, because Anna’s really just getting started. River Girl, the recently released debut from Anna and the Diggs, is a toe in the water. A true solo record will soon follow and the wheels are in motion to get this powerhouse voice in front of even more people as Lombard grows as a performer and songwriter. There’s no question people are drawn to her voice, first as it was tinged with country sass in Gypsy Tailwind and now as it fills out with further body for takes on soul, rock, and R&B. No delicate flower, Lombard can belt it out with the best of them and then dial back for whispery nuance. It’s no surprise she finds herself guesting with the likes of Zach Jones and Eric Bettencourt — the woman can sing.

7 January 2012

Dispatch Staff - Dispatch Magazine

BREAKING BANDS FOR 2012

Anna Lombard's something of a radio gal herself. If only the radio would play the kind of music you used to hear there: the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, maybe Dusty Springfield. Now that her stint (well, couple of stints) with Gypsy Tailwind is over, she's spreading her big voice out over the kind of music it wants to invade: R&B, bluesy rock, the kind of stuff where you let it all hang out.

"I think I can sing soul and sing blues and old-school R&B and maybe modern R&B, too," she says, behind eyes that can be hard to tear yourself away from. "I've been influenced a lot by Susan Tedeschi lately. I've been listening to her so much over the last six months you wouldn't believe it."

What Tedeschi and hubby Derek Trucks have, more than anything else, is a community of people who love them to death. Maybe you can't find them all over People magazine, but once they get a fan, they've got them for life. Can Lombard do something similar with the brand-new project she's launched (still called ANNA as of this writing, but searching for another name)?

Yeah, I think maybe. What drew people to her in Gypsy Tailwind, more so than her huge soaring vocals, was the intimacy she projected; the real hurt of loss and the real joy of discovery. Plus, she gets it now.

"Songs are everything," she says. "If you don't have good songs, you don't have anything. But, really, I also just want to be comfortable with who I am and to be real, and I mean that I'm not sure that I was myself in Gypsy Tailwind."

25 July 2012

J.W. Oliver - The Lincoln County News

Anna Lombard of Anna and the Diggs with Diggs Maxwell Cantlin (left) and Benjamin Trout (right) at the band's July 19 performance. (Greg Latimer photo)

Two Generations And Genres Sell Out Darrows Barn

Folk troubadour David Mallett and rhythm and blues powerhouse Anna and the Diggs sold out Darrows Barn in Damariscotta July 19, day two of the Midcoast Music Fest.

The opening act, Anna and the Diggs, is coming off the release of its debut album, "River Girl;" a best female vocalist win for lead singer Anna Lombard and recent gigs opening for Rustic Overtones and, on Lombard's 27th birthday, for Chris Isaak at L.L. Bean's 100th anniversary party.

Lombard said she felt humbled to win best female vocalist honors in a city with a wealth of talent. It was her third nomination but her first win in the category, part of the Portland Phoenix Best Music Poll Awards.

The singer impressed the crowd with that award-winning voice, well suited to rhythm and blues, although it's a change for Lombard and her bandmates from the Americana of their former band, Gypsy Tailwind.

The band closed their set with a raw, bluesy take on "Meet Me in the Morning" from Bob Dylan's classic 1975 album "Blood on the Tracks," perhaps the ideal song to show off the melding of their folk influences with their new sound.

Lombard said the band plans to stay busy into the fall. They're booking a tour of Northeast college towns and Lombard is putting the finishing touches on her debut solo album, set for release in September.

"I started singing when I was 3," Lombard said. She started taking vocal lessons at the age of 7 and played the baritone tuba and French horn in her school band. "Singing was always my first love," she said.

Lombard and the Diggs - Maxwell Cantlin on guitar and vocals, Benjamin Trout on mandolin and Colin Winsor on bass - performed in Damariscotta a year ago as Gypsy Tailwind. The band played at Roots, Rock and Reggae on the Bay, the outdoor day festival that preceded the Midcoast Music Fest.

Gypsy Tailwind split up as a result of creative differences with another member, Lombard said.

She describes the Diggs' music as "modern rhythm and blues soul fusion."

"That was the direction I wanted to go in and I was just lucky enough that these guys wanted to be on board," she said of the Diggs. The band also includes drummer Chris Dow, who sat out the July 19 show.

Lombard underlined the multi-generational bill when, while telling the audience of her delight to share the stage with headliner David Mallett, she said she and the band are friends with Mallett's sons and fellow Portland musicians Luke and Will Mallett, who lend the family name to The Mallett Brothers Band.

David Mallett has recorded 14 albums and toured for 30 years. He's known for his deep, sonorous voice and tender lyrics, as well as for the many artists who cover his songs.

Bass guitarist Michael Burd has been performing with Mallett since 1981.

Mallett's songs "each speak to the human condition in some way," Burd said in an interview after sound check. "They speak to where we live, those of us that are native Mainers or Mainers by choice, those who value the heritage of life in Northern New England."

Mallett, on lead vocals, guitar and harmonica, along with Burd, Susan Ramsey on viola and violin, and Robbie Coffin on guitar, led the way through a set list spanning his extensive catalog.

They played the ballad "Red, Red Rose," made famous by Emmylou Harris' 1990 recording; "Beautiful," a love song to his daughter; "My Old Man," a tribute to his father; and "The Artist in Me," a reflection on the creative life. The band also strayed from Mallett's original material for a cover of the Frank Sinatra classic "Fly Me to the Moon."

The audience applauded as, midway through their set, the band played the opening notes of Mallett's most famous song, "Garden Song," also known as "Inch by Inch."

He invited the crowd to sing along for the chorus, as many enthusiastically did.

Burd, said after hundreds of live performances, he never tires of playing "Garden Song." In fact, he covers the song with his other band, a ukulele ensemble called The Merry Plinksters.

"It speaks to our rural way of life, our hopefulness and the community of folks who acknowledge the earth," he said.

Mallett, in a brief interview before the show, said he enjoys Damariscotta, where he has played at Lincoln Theater and, during the Great Salt Bay Music Series, at the Damariscotta River Association's Belvedere Road farm.

"It's a lovely town," he said.

The Sebec resident said he's at work on an album of farm songs, to include original and re-recorded material. The album is a project for the non-profit Maine Farmland Trust. Mallett said his hope is that it will boost the profile of the organization.

The trust is active in Lincoln County, having acquired a pair of high-profile properties in recent years - the Damariscotta property known as the Phillips Farm, once tapped as a future Walmart site; and Jefferson's Rolling Acres Farm, said to be the largest undeveloped land tract on Damariscotta Lake.

The Damariscotta River Association, a non-profit land trust, is presenting the Midcoast Music Fest for the first time this year.

Executive Director Steven Hufnagel is enthusiastic about the music and the public response.

The Jason Spooner Trio opened the series July 12, with support from The New Rangers.

"The crowd ate Spooner up," Hufnagel said. The audience, like the Mallett crowd, ranged in age from children to senior citizens.

Dick Bower, 84, of Hanover, N.H., falls into the latter category. Bower, who is vacationing in New Harbor, attended the Spooner show and returned for David Mallett.

"I thought it was great," he said of the July 12 show. Near the end of the show and at the invitation of the band, many in the audience, including his New Harbor neighbors, pushed their chairs aside to dance in the aisles, Bower said.

He said he didn't join in because he didn't want to risk a fall. To say he enjoyed the show, however, is an understatement - he told a DRA employee afterward that he hadn't had such a good live music experience since the days of swing bandleader Benny Goodman, who enjoyed his prime in the 1930s.

Bower said he usually prefers show tunes by artists like Cole Porter and Rodgers and Hart. Spooner, however, was a revelation. He said he told his daughters about the concert and they, too, are now fans of the blues-rock band.

Before Anna and the Diggs took the stage, Bower said he expected a more conventional show, minus the dancing in the aisles.

"I hope I'm wrong," he said.

Hallowell-based rock-and-roll band The Boneheads will wrap up the music series Thurs., July 26 from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Local singer-songwriter Bruce Hardina will open.

7 June 2012

Kristen DiCara-McClellan - The Portland Press Herald

CD Review: With new band, Anna Lombard tries some new sounds on for size

'River Girl' is an example of local talent bursting at the seams, with one complication: a small case of identity crisis.

By KRISTIN DiCARA-McCLELLAN

Anna & The Diggs' new five-song EP, "River Girl," is another example of local talent bursting at the seams, with one complication: a small case of identity crisis. The band consists of former members of the defunct Gypsy Tailwind, featuring frontwoman Anna Lombard. At first listen to this EP, it is clear that they want to get far away from the Americana/alt-country label that Gypsy had, veering instead toward rock, pop and blues.

The first track, "To Feel Alive," captures some experimental song structure plug-ins that go flat at times. Still, I had the chorus-y lines "I wanted to be your girl to travel around the world/ I wanna climb up a mountain high and lay down a valley low" swimming in my head for a while.

HOW IT RATES

ANNA & THE DIGGS -- "RIVER GIRL"

PRODUCED BY Jonathan Wyman

***

-- Based on a four-star scale

Track No. 2, "Taste," stands out on a rock edge and harkens back to the '80s. Lombard's rockin', belt-it-out pipes were reminiscent of Patty Smyth, even down to her intonations of ending notes. But I could have gone for a more crunchy, thick guitar sound along with the harder-edged rock vocals.

The closing tracks, "Are You OK?" and "How Will I Know," are more cohesive. More laid-back, they fill a certain bill for listeners who like a rolling, gentle rock vibe. It's consistent with the sounds of bands like Zero 7 and Over the Rhine, with some lovely spacey organ and sweet electric guitar licks.

Anna & The Diggs have proven on this EP that Lombard has the voice and songwriting potential to fit into many genres, but they may have been too eager to define who they are. But let's give these talented musicians a break: The songs are all experimental dips from the known to the unknown. It will be exciting to see where they will eventually plant their feet, grow some roots and "dig" in.

Kristin DiCara-McClellan is a local freelance writer. She can be reached at:

kjoydmac@yahoo.com

26 January 2012

Aimsel Ponti - The Portland Press Herald

Making Noise: Lombard lends powerful voice to new band and solo project

Anna Lombard first caught our ear with the now-defunct folk-rock band Gypsy Tailwind. Most of her Gypsy bandmates stuck with her, and the new band is called ANNA. The sound is soulful blues-rock, one that's well-suited to her 1,000-watt voice.

Lombard also just recorded a solo EP, so there was no shortage of things to talk about with GO.

click image to enlarge

ANNA, mostly made up of former Gypsy Tailwind members, will play on Friday at Empire Dine & Dance in Portland.

Courtesy photo

Select images available for purchase in the
Maine Today Photo Store

LEUKEMIAPALOOZA, featuring ANNA with Model Airplane. Benefit for local musician Christian Cuff's brother Jacob, who is battling leukemia.

WHEN: 8 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Empire Dine & Dance, 575 Congress St., Portland

HOW MUCH: $8; ages 21 years and older

INFO: bigeasyportland.com;jacobcuff.com

WHAT'S ON ANNA LOMPARD'S iPOD

"What Would It Be Like," Sara Hallie Richardson

"Elephants," Rachael Yamagata

"Tip of My Tongue," The Civil Wars

"Farm Day," Megan Jo Wilson

"My Love Will Keep," Jonathan Edwards

"Peace Comes," Jacob Augustine

"Emmylou," First Aid Kit

"Somebody That I Used to Know," Gotye featuring Kimbra

"Push On," Lyle Divinsky

"Never Easy," Zach Jones

"Peace of Mind," Will Dailey

TURN YOUR RADIO DIAL

to 102.9 WBLM every Friday at 8:30 a.m. to hear Aimsel Ponti wax poetic about her top three live music picks for the week with the Captain and Celeste.

Let's start with the ANNA lineup.

We have Max Cantlin on electric guitar and backing vocals, Benjamin Trout on the "flying V" electric mandolin, Chris Dow on percussion and Colin Winsor on bass. I am on vocals and guitar and sometimes piano, but only in the privacy of our practice space.

What's the latest with the band?

We are busy in the studio right now working on a record -- most likely a five- (to) six-song EP, but the more tunes we write, the more we consider a full-length record. It's been almost seven months since the end of Gypsy and the bottom line is, we need to release some music to keep a buzz going, to show fans we haven't died.

It's been quite a transition from Gypsy; we had to literally start from ground zero. We went into the studio in August with no songs. What we did have on our side was the fact we had played together as a band for four years (minus my year away to have a baby) so that comfort, the vibe, etc., was all there. Now we are just trying to figure out what our sound is, and although we may not be overly conscious of it, we want it to be very different from Gypsy.

You just raised funds for a solo EP using Kickstarter, and went to New York City to record it. Tell us about that.

I set a very conservative goal of $5,000 -- those of you who know what it costs to make a record will agree that in order to do a record "right," it should cost considerably more than that. I was blown away, though, by the amount of support I received, from fans, from friends, from family. To me, that's a lot of money.

My trip to New York was absolutely amazing. I went there to be a part of the beginning stages of this record, and I'm heading back there in February to check in on the progress. At the helm of this record are my dear longtime friends Adam Agati and Nick Falk. The players on this record are among some of the best session musicians in New York. Nick is a hyper-talented drummer who is fresh off the class of 2011 Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, and Adam is a world-class guitar virtuoso and songwriter who is currently playing with the legendary Marcus Miller as well as rapper Ludacris.

What are your ANNA goals versus your solo goals?

I think it's safe to say my goals for both are the same: To create music that people connect with, with musicians I respect, admire and love; to do what I believe I was put on this Earth to do -- to sing; and to continue to grow as an artist and a writer. Also, to make records that people will feel compelled to buy. ANNA is certainly a unit -- we write together, we play together, we make fun of each other, and we all sleep in the same bed every night. Except for Colin. Colin sleeps on the floor.

Musically speaking, how does your solo work compare to the ANNA stuff?

My solo work is definitely going to have a poppy, indie-rock feel. ANNA is driven by a soulful, bluesy-rock vibe. Ideally, I would love to have it all be one thing so as not to confuse people, but I'm still figuring that out.

What did you listen to growing up, and does any of that influence your work?

I grew up listening to Aretha Franklin, Bonnie Raitt, Janis Joplin, Mahalia Jackson, John Lennon, Carole King, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Patsy Cline and Johnny Cash, among others. I have more recently been influenced by Rachael Yamagata. I never want anyone to say, "Yeah, Anna she sounds like (fill in the blank)." I want elements and undertones of everyone I've ever listened to to come through in my work and singing, but I want to be my own voice.

Where can people listen to your music?

You can find Anna & the Diggs at http://www.annaandthediggs.com

Staff Writer Aimsel Ponti can be contacted at 791-6455 or at:

aponti@pressherald.com

23 May 2012

Sam Pfeifle - The Portland Phoenix

Anna Lombard’s first post-Gypsy release

Can you Digg it?

It's not exactly Stevie Nicks releasing her first solo album post-Fleetwood, but it's hard not to listen to Anna Lombard's first release with her new post-Gypsy Tailwind band, Anna and the Diggs, without comparing and contrasting. Nicks's Bella Donna sold eight million copies, which was enough to show she could do just fine on her own, thank you very much. Hopefully, it's not too much of a diss to say that River Girlprobably won't approach that kind of success.

To continue the analogy, Nicks was already an accomplished songwriter when she joined Fleetwood Mac for the Rumours album. Her "Dreams" was actually the album's biggest hit. Lombard, however, is writing her own material for the first time on this first EP, and it shows. Not yet settled into her own personal style, each song sounds a little like, "What if I wrote a song like this?"

Which puts her band — drummer Chris Dow, bassist Colin Winsor, guitarist Max Cantlin, and mandolinist Ben Trout — in the position of trying to play along in ways that might not be geared to their personal strengths.

Take "Taste." It's aggressive rock, like Lombard doing ZZ Top, and Cantlin's riff is a bit by the numbers. But when it dials back to something more bluesy, he tosses in a run in the left channel that's delicious. In general, it's like a band wearing a costume — Lombard's nearly shouted "you only want me when you want me" in the finish is nicely delivered, but I don't believe it, or the guitar solo that follows.

This is an album where you listen for the moments when everything locks in.

"River Girl" opens like a Widespread Panic tune, with nice playful bass from Winsor, and appears to be your basic jam tune — until the post-chorus when the handclaps come in and Lombard starts riffing on the word "home" in a way that's soulful without trying to be and then gives way to a classic Cantlin solo with great tone. Better yet is the second time we get the same post-chorus, filled with a tasteful sax solo by Ryan Zoidis that takes us all the way to the finish.

"Are You OK?" has the best use of Trout's mandolin chunk as a rhythmic element, and the first really big chorus, but the moment here comes in the bridge, when Lombard's vocals are doubled and the vibe gets pretty indie: "All I really want to know, is that you're okay/Are you okay?" There's no trouble believing that whatsoever.

Lombard has a solo record (i.e., no Diggs) slated for the fall, and we'll be hearing plenty from this band going forward, so consider this something of an experiment. Even at that, it's not like it blows up in anyone's face.

28 September 2011

Sam Pfeifle - The Portland Phoenix

Introducing ANNA

Band Watch

It would appear Gypsy Tailwind's tumultuous ride has lost its backing breeze. There was talk of a new record this summer, but "it's done. It's dead," says Anna Lombard, the on-again, off-again, on-again singer for GT. After joining with singer/songwriter Dan Connor to surprise Portland with a thrilling vocal pairing in 2008 and the debut Halo Sessions, following up with 2009's Grace, and then leaving the band to have a kid while Amanda Gervasi took her spot for 2010's Decades and Days, Lombard has now left the band again — and taken the band with her.

Tracks have already been laid down, and plans are in the works for the debut show from ANNA, the last Saturday in October on LL Bean's outdoor stage. For the moment, at least, Tailwind's drummer Chris Dow, bassist Colin Winsor, guitarist Max Cantlin, and mandolinist Ben Trout are tagging along.

While getting back in the saddle with Gypsy has been a good ride, says Lombard, "over the course of the last year, my artistic vision and what I want to do music-wise is very different from the sound that Gypsy Tailwind has . . . Gypsy Tailwind just wasn't the right band for me. I'm not an alt-country singer, and I didn't realize that for a really long time. It worked, but at some point, I have to figure out what I really want to do."

She says she's been inspired lately by old-school R&B, the likes of Susan Tedeschi, the blues. "I want people to connect with me as a singer," she says, "but also as a writer, and that's opened up completely different doors for me." She started collaborating with the likes of Cantlin and Trout and all of a sudden there was a whole new vein of music streaming out; Lombard's also had the chance to bounce ideas off the likes of Nigel Hall, Jon Nolan, and Zach Jones, among others, as she's started to hone her nascent songwriting skills.

Along the way, she's also picked up an association with Geordie Gillespie, a long-time Sony Music exec, who's started up music marketing and promotion consulting firm Unleashed Music and thinks Lombard could be some kind of big deal.

So . . . ANNA? She laughs: "We tried for months to come up with a band name!" And who knows if it will stick. "I think that the band is something that will continue to evolve. We're all on board and we want to see how it goes. It will continue as long as people are stoked to keep playing. I'm lucky to have a lot of talented people who are interested in working with me."