Anne McCue
Encyclopedia
Anne McCue is an alternative country
singer-songwriter, guitarist & producer from Australia.
, an area southwest of Sydney, Australia and graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney
with a degree in Film Production and Film Studies. She is a Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist, Multi-Instrumentalist, Producer, Engineer and Video Director.
In 1988, McCue moved to Melbourne, Australia and took guitar lessons from Bruce Clarke. Answering an ad in the local press, she joined all-female rock band Girl Monstar
as lead guitarist (1988–1993). The band had two Number One hits on the Australian Independent Charts and eventually received an ARIA
nomination for best independent act.
Following her stint with Girl Monstar, she played acoustically around Melbourne, later performing in Vietnam
for a year before returning to Melbourne to record her Laughing EP
(1996). She then joined Australian female trio Eden AKA, who signed to Columbia Records
in the USA. They released a self-titled album and performed in Canada and the USA at the Lilith Fair
in 1998 and 1999.
After signing with L.A. based manager, Mike Gormley, McCue's first solo album, Amazing Ordinary Things, was released in 1999 in Canada
and Japan
, and she toured with a number of well-known musicians, including a U.S. tour with Lucinda Williams
, who would often introduce McCue as "my new favorite artist... and an amazing guitarist". Williams later included McCue on her Starbucks' 'Artist's Choice' compilation alongside Paul Westerberg
, John Coltraine, Ryan Adams, patti Griffin and Leonard Cohen
.
McCue's success on the Lucinda Williams tour prompted the release of a live album, Live: Ballad of an Outlaw Woman
, recorded at The Fillmore
in San Francisco, California
, and her first Messenger Records release, Roll.
Roll also received numerous critical accollades, with Los Angeles Weekly stating that the Australian performer had more "all-American authenticity than a dozen Martina McBride
s" and Entertainment Weekly
drawing comparisons to Lucinda Williams and Canadian alt-country singer Kathleen Edwards
. Bob Harris
from the BBC
went as far as to call it his album of the year, and she toured internationally to promote the album.
McCue released her album Koala Motel on Messenger Records in 2006. She completed an international tour to promote the album. She relocated from Los Angeles to Nashville. In August 2007, McCue was invited by Deborah Conway
to take part in the Broad Festival project, which toured major Australian cities including performing at the Sydney Opera House. With McCue and Conway were Sally Seltmann, Jade Macrae
and Abbe May – they performed their own and each other's songs.
Her song "Stupid" (ROLL) is included in the Time Life Collection, "4 Decades Of Folk Rock." She was voted Folk Artist Of 2008 by the Roots Music Association.
McCue recorded and produced her next album herself at her Flying Machine Studio. It was East of Electric, released August 2008.
The first single from her next album, Broken Promise Land, 'Don't Go To Texas' was made available on iTunes and released in November, 2009.
The new album 'Broken Promise Land' was released on May 18, 2010.
McCue produced and recorded two albums for other artists in 2009 - Tracey Bunn's "By The Wayside" and Denise DeSimone's "Pray Peace".
She also directed the videos for Amelia White's "Even Angels" and Tracey Bunn's "Shut Up And Let Me Breathe".
McCue was a finalist in the 8th Annual Independent Music Awards
for Folk/Singer-Songwriter Album.
The DVD "Live In Nashville" was released on Flying Machine in 2011.
In 2011 McCue released two cover version singles, Leonard Cohen's 'Bird On A Wire' and The Divinyls' 'Pleasure And Pain'.
She formed the band 'Yeah No Yeah' with Simon Kerr and they released their first single and video, 'Happy Alone'.
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
singer-songwriter, guitarist & producer from Australia.
Early life and education
McCue grew up in CampbelltownCampbelltown, New South Wales
Campbelltown is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campbelltown is located 51 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district and is the administrative centre for the local government area of the City of Campbelltown.- History :Campbelltown...
, an area southwest of Sydney, Australia and graduated from the University of Technology, Sydney
University of Technology, Sydney
The University of Technology Sydney is a university in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The university was founded in its current form in 1981, although its origins trace back to the 1870s. UTS is notable for its central location as the only university with its main campuses within the Sydney CBD...
with a degree in Film Production and Film Studies. She is a Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist, Multi-Instrumentalist, Producer, Engineer and Video Director.
Music career
McCue's first band was based in Sydney and was called Vertigo after the Alfred Hitchcock film.In 1988, McCue moved to Melbourne, Australia and took guitar lessons from Bruce Clarke. Answering an ad in the local press, she joined all-female rock band Girl Monstar
Girl Monstar
-Band history:Girl Monstar formed in 1988 and both of their singles "Surfin On A Wave Of Love/He's Hell" and "Joe Cool" topped the Australian Independent charts. They released their debut album in 1992 titled Monstereo Delicio. They disbanded in early 1993. During their short career, the band...
as lead guitarist (1988–1993). The band had two Number One hits on the Australian Independent Charts and eventually received an ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
nomination for best independent act.
Following her stint with Girl Monstar, she played acoustically around Melbourne, later performing in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
for a year before returning to Melbourne to record her Laughing EP
Laughing EP
Laughing was the first release by Australian alternative country musician Anne McCue. It was released in 1996. This independent release received limited airplay on the Australian airwaves via ABC's Radio National and 'Always' appeared in the Aussie indie film 'This Space Between Us' .-Track...
(1996). She then joined Australian female trio Eden AKA, who signed to Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in the USA. They released a self-titled album and performed in Canada and the USA at the Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010. It...
in 1998 and 1999.
After signing with L.A. based manager, Mike Gormley, McCue's first solo album, Amazing Ordinary Things, was released in 1999 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and she toured with a number of well-known musicians, including a U.S. tour with Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Williams
Lucinda Williams is an American rock, folk, blues and country music singer and songwriter. She recorded her first albums in 1978 and 1980 in a traditional country and blues style and received very little attention from radio, the media, or the public. In 1988, she released her self-titled album,...
, who would often introduce McCue as "my new favorite artist... and an amazing guitarist". Williams later included McCue on her Starbucks' 'Artist's Choice' compilation alongside Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg is an American musician, best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal alternative rock bands of the 1980s. He launched a solo career after the dissolution of that band...
, John Coltraine, Ryan Adams, patti Griffin and Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen
Leonard Norman Cohen, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, musician, poet and novelist. Cohen published his first book of poetry in Montreal in 1956 and his first novel in 1963. His work often explores religion, isolation, sexuality and interpersonal relationships...
.
McCue's success on the Lucinda Williams tour prompted the release of a live album, Live: Ballad of an Outlaw Woman
Live: Ballad of an Outlaw Woman
Live: Ballad of an Outlaw Woman is the second album by Australian alternative country musician Anne McCue. Recorded during an opening set for Lucinda Williams at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California, it was self-released in 2002....
, recorded at The Fillmore
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, and her first Messenger Records release, Roll.
Roll also received numerous critical accollades, with Los Angeles Weekly stating that the Australian performer had more "all-American authenticity than a dozen Martina McBride
Martina McBride
Martina McBride is an American country music singer and songwriter. McBride has been called the "Céline Dion of Country Music" for her big-voiced ballads and soprano range....
s" and Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
drawing comparisons to Lucinda Williams and Canadian alt-country singer Kathleen Edwards
Kathleen Edwards
Kathleen Edwards is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. Her 2003 debut album, Failer, contained the singles "Six O'Clock News" and "Hockey Skates".- Personal life :...
. Bob Harris
Bob Harris (radio)
Robert Brinley Joseph "Bob" Harris, OBE , known as "Whispering" Bob Harris, is British radio host who currently works for BBC Radio 2, presenting music two nights a week...
from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
went as far as to call it his album of the year, and she toured internationally to promote the album.
McCue released her album Koala Motel on Messenger Records in 2006. She completed an international tour to promote the album. She relocated from Los Angeles to Nashville. In August 2007, McCue was invited by Deborah Conway
Deborah Conway
Deborah Ann Conway, is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, and had a career as a model and actor. She was a founding member of the 1980s rock band Do-Ré-Mi with their surprise top 5 hit "Man Overboard"....
to take part in the Broad Festival project, which toured major Australian cities including performing at the Sydney Opera House. With McCue and Conway were Sally Seltmann, Jade Macrae
Jade MacRae
Jade MacRae is an Australian R&B/Soul singer and the daughter of two professional New Zealand musicians living in the UK. Her debut single "You Make Me Weak" debuted in the top 50 of the Australian singles charts in November 2004...
and Abbe May – they performed their own and each other's songs.
Her song "Stupid" (ROLL) is included in the Time Life Collection, "4 Decades Of Folk Rock." She was voted Folk Artist Of 2008 by the Roots Music Association.
McCue recorded and produced her next album herself at her Flying Machine Studio. It was East of Electric, released August 2008.
The first single from her next album, Broken Promise Land, 'Don't Go To Texas' was made available on iTunes and released in November, 2009.
The new album 'Broken Promise Land' was released on May 18, 2010.
McCue produced and recorded two albums for other artists in 2009 - Tracey Bunn's "By The Wayside" and Denise DeSimone's "Pray Peace".
She also directed the videos for Amelia White's "Even Angels" and Tracey Bunn's "Shut Up And Let Me Breathe".
McCue was a finalist in the 8th Annual Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards
The Independent Music Awards is an international program that honors top-ranked independent artists and releases in more than 50 Album, Song, Music Video and Design categories....
for Folk/Singer-Songwriter Album.
The DVD "Live In Nashville" was released on Flying Machine in 2011.
In 2011 McCue released two cover version singles, Leonard Cohen's 'Bird On A Wire' and The Divinyls' 'Pleasure And Pain'.
She formed the band 'Yeah No Yeah' with Simon Kerr and they released their first single and video, 'Happy Alone'.
Solo discography
- Laughing EPLaughing EPLaughing was the first release by Australian alternative country musician Anne McCue. It was released in 1996. This independent release received limited airplay on the Australian airwaves via ABC's Radio National and 'Always' appeared in the Aussie indie film 'This Space Between Us' .-Track...
(CD EP) - self-released - 1996 - Amazing Ordinary ThingsAmazing Ordinary ThingsAmazing Ordinary Things is the debut album by Australian alternative country musician Anne McCue. It was self-released in 2001.The album was first released on Relentless Records, Canada.-Track listing:# Motherlode # Angel Inside...
(CD) - Relentless Records - 2000 - Live: Ballad of an Outlaw WomanLive: Ballad of an Outlaw WomanLive: Ballad of an Outlaw Woman is the second album by Australian alternative country musician Anne McCue. Recorded during an opening set for Lucinda Williams at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California, it was self-released in 2002....
(CD) - Nightshade Records - 2002 - RollRoll (album)Roll is the third album by Australian alternative country musician Anne McCue. Her first album for Messenger Records, it was released to critical acclaim in 2003....
(CD) - Messenger Records - 2004 - Koala MotelKoala MotelKoala Motel is the fourth album by Australian alternative country musician Anne McCue. It was released in 2006 by Messenger Records.-Track listing:# Driving Down Alvarado # From Bakersfield To Saigon...
(CD) - Messenger Records - 2006 - East of ElectricEast of ElectricEast Of Electric is the fifth album by Nashville based Australian alternative country musician Anne McCue. It was self-released in 2008.-Track listing:#Too Late For Love#All I Need #Love's Not Passing Us By#We Are The Same#Psychadelica II...
(CD) - Flying Machine Records - 2008 - Broken Promise Land (CD) - Flying Machine Records -2010
Compilations
- Artist Choice: Lucinda Williams - (CD) - Starbucks/Hear Music 2002
- East Nashville Vol.3 - (CD) - Red Beet Records 2009
- 4 Decades Of Folk Rock(CD Box Set) - Time Life- 2007
As Guitarist/Singer
- Mexican Hatdance - Michelle Shocked 2005
- Between Days - Meryl Bainbridge 2001
- Rock'n'Roll Pony - Gina Villalobos 2005
- Miles Away - Gina Villalobos 2006
- By The Wayside - Tracey Bunn 2011
- Happy Alone - Yeah No Yeah 2011
As Producer/Engineer
- Pray PeaceDenise DeSimone 2009
- By The Wayside Tracey Bunn 2010