Anna Fermin
Anna Fermin is an American folk/country singer and songwriter.
Fermin was born in the Philippines but moved to Kenosha, Wisconsin with her family when she was a small child.[1] Fermin attended art school in Chicago from 1989 and began playing acoustic guitar there. She has cited Steve Earle's song "Down the Road", which she later recorded, as an early inspiration.[2] She played in a band called Anaboy briefly, then played solo locally before forming a new band called Trigger Gospel with Andon Davis (guitar), Michael Krayniak (double and electric basses) and Paul Bivans (drums). The name "Trigger Gospel" is taken from an old Western paperback.[1] The group opened for Johnny Cash at the House of Blues Chicago in one of their first gigs in 1996.[3] They self-released an EP in 1997. After performing at SXSW in 1998, Lloyd Maines saw them and offered to produce their debut full-length album, Things to Come, which was released in 1999.[4] 2002's Live Music, Vol. One was recorded at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. Jay Bennett produced 2003's Oh, the Stories We Hold.[3] Trigger Gospel released Go in 2007.[5]
Along the way, Rob Novak replaced Michael Krayniak on bass for a time, after which Krayniak returned. Subsequently, Andon Davis left the band, but has occasionally returned as a guest guitarist. Since Davis's departure, several others have alternated in the guitarist slot, including Frank Kvinge, Scott Ligon, John Rice, and Grant Tye.[2][6][7] Ligon also sometimes played keyboards with the band. More recently, Alton Smith (keyboards) has also joined Trigger Gospel.
In 2012 Anna started moving in a new direction with a new band and a couple of EP releases. She has been working on new material for a while, and is playing the new songs with a greater nod towards pop music, and shifting slightly away from her country/Americana roots. Live, she still plays some of her older hits with the new band.
In July - August 2012 Anna appeared in renowned Chicago artist Tony Fitzpatrick's autobiographical play, "Nickel History: The Nation of Heat", at the Steppenwolf Garage Theatre in Chicago.
Discography
- Trigger Gospel EP (self-released, 1997)
- Things to Come (Sighlow, 1999)
- Live Music, Vol. One (2002)
- Oh, the Stories We Hold (Undertow Music, 2003)
- Go (Sighlow, 2007)
- Awaken to a New Earth single (Monkey Bread Music, 2008)
- The Contender EP (Monkey Bread Music/Pink Room Records, 2009 - re-released 2012)
- Someday Afternoon EP (Monkey Bread Music/Pink Room Records, 2012)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Anna Fermin at Allmusic
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "anna fermin & trigger gospel". www.hesawhore.com, December, 2007.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Anna Fermin squeezes trigger on new album". Country Standard Time January 2004.
- ↑ The Farmer's Wife. PBS Frontline.
- ↑ "Anna Fermin Gets Her Gun, Again". Chicago Tribune, May 25, 2007
- ↑ "Anna Fermin's Trigger Gospel", Chicago Reader, December 18, 2003.
- ↑ "Future Perfect: Pianist Terry Adams moves beyond NRBQ with a new band and forays into jazz", St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 26, 2008.
Further reading
- "American Woman: Trigger Gospel's Anna Fermin Finds Time on Her Side". Daily Herald, June 4, 1999.
- "Finger on Trigger:Country Fringe Outfit Suits Anna Fermin". Chicago Sun-Times, June 20, 1999.
- "Fermin Going Strong Down the Country Music Road". Chicago Sun-Times, December 19, 2003
- "Anna Fermin's Trigger Gospel". St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 29, 2005.
- "Anna Fermin's Trigger Gospel". Riverfront Times, December 6, 2006.
External links
- http://www.myspace.com/triggergospel Trigger Gospel MySpace page
- http://www.annaferminmusic.com/ Anna Fermin homepage
