I did my annual July birthday gig at Lenny’s in Westbrook ME on July 11, 2004… there’s a fun & wacky tradition there that all staff must attempt to flip their birthday cake in the air & catch it before they eat any of it… if it hits the floor, no cake. This was my first attempt at cake flipping & I nailed it! Funny how a simple little success of that sort can make you feel so proud.
In April ’24 we recorded this episode of “Adroit Artist” for Mt Blue TV at my nephew Walt’s beautiful home at the base of Saddleback Mtn. in Rangeley ME. BIG Thanks to the folks from Mt Blue TV for making the trek from Farmington to create this one hour show showcasing some of my fave songs & for allowing me to time travel through my long career in answer to your interview questions… I enjoyed the ride all the way through! This episode premiered on MT Blue TV on June 8, 2024.
One morning in April I woke hearing my late Mom repeat the words she said to me more than 22 years ago on 9/11… “Don’t let what these people are doing change the beautiful person that you are.” I had been trying to write a song for weeks expressing the angst & anger I felt about what was happening in our country. I knew when I heard those words again where my song needed to go. I try never to write completely depressing songs… I always try to shine some light, even when tackling difficult subjects. I debuted this song at a very cool venue called Cadenza in Freeport ME on May 5th 2023. I invited the audience to sing & they did… a standing ovation suggested I hit the mark with these people. Maybe it will hit the mark with you. Thanks to Mark Abraham for editing the Facebook livestream from that night’s performance.
Recorded at the Camden ME Opera House on June 11, 2021, this was one of my first concerts after LIVE music became an option when pandemic mandates began to loosen. It was a night of celebration & joyous interaction between myself & the audience. The LIVE in house acoustics are so crisp & vibrant in this venue. This capture is from the livestream shared that night… not as fab as the house sound, but damn good nonetheless. A night to remember for sure!
A close friend of mine has been living with the challenges of multiple myeloma for a number of years. He has lost much of his mobility & has had to discontinue many outdoor activities that he once pursued with passion. He has been a real inspiration to his friends & family while dealing with this invasive cancer (along with an adrenal insufficiency diagnosis) & we all want to honor his wishes when it’s time to say good bye. This song is my way of celebrating his life while also honoring his wish to die with dignity at a time of his own choosing. We live in Maine, where the “Death with Dignity” Act was legalized in September 2019. My friend is comforted in knowing that all is in place for him to exit when he feels it’s time to go.
A LIVESTREAM Celebration of Anni’s Album Release “Will It Ever Be the Same” / 9/25/20
Hosted by One Longfellow Square, Portland ME
“Woman in White” / LIVE in Concert at the Greenwood Manor Inn, Harrison ME / 9/19/20
Recorded & Edited by Lake Region TV, Bridgton ME
“Between the Rungs” / LIVE in Concert at the Greenwood Manor Inn, Harrison ME / 9/19/20
Recorded & Edited by Lake Region TV, Bridgton ME
Winner, BEST FOLK VIDEO, Music Video Portland III (Maine) January 2020
Screened at the International Environmental Film Festival, Barcelona Spain, November 2019
As we uploaded this video to my YouTube page, Greta was crossing the Atlantic on a solar powered yacht, bound for Climate Week in NYC where she was to speak before the UN on September 23rd. I wanted to welcome Greta to the States with this song of support. I hear “I’m With You Greta” as a rally cry song for her and for all those people she has inspired to add their voices to hers… mine is only one of them. Here’s the story of how and why my song was created:
I was stuck at home with a cast on, rehabbing a broken 5th metacarpal in my left hand. As a self-employed singer-songwriter, I had to cancel eight weeks of shows to stay put & mend. My guitar sat in the corner. In the March issue of Rolling Stone Magazine, I read about Sweden’s Greta Thunberg, who was recently nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. I went online to learn more about her… her Ted Talk blew me away. I was so inspired by her story that I had to write a song for her, about her, because of her. Unable to play my guitar, I attempted a one hand dabble on my old upright piano. I recorded a rough draft of the tune at a friend’s studio on April 2nd. Many lyrical & musical edits later, I brought my song to a REAL piano player & began to record the tune with other musicians. By early July, I had a finished product. We shot the video in early August just as we learned that Greta was coming to the US… divine intervention at its best.
The song was recorded & mixed at The Root Cellar in Hallowell ME by Bob Colwell; mastered by Bob Colwell & Justin Maxwell. Players: Anni Clark: lead & harmony vocals; Bob Colwell: piano, electric guitar; Scott Elliot: upright bass; Dickie Hollis: drums; Robby Coffin: acoustic & electric guitars; Lynn Deeves & Phil Divinsky: the "backing choir”.
So here’s the story behind the writing of “Will It Ever Be the Same”… I had been solo quarantining for 10 weeks due to the 2020 Covid Pandemic when I finally left home for Moosehead Lake, 3 and 1/2 hours north of me in Maine. I hadn’t seen Eric (my “other half”) for 12 weeks… his home is on the lake. (We had been playing safe, as he had been working a construction gig with many people.) We felt the time was right (& safe) for a reunion… we had 3 days together before he left for the far north on a “mental health” fishing trip he had planned weeks prior. It was the only time he could go. I was alone again on May 24th, sitting on the dock, drinking in a sweet sunset & listening to the peepers when a wave of sadness hit me & I had a complete meltdown. All those weeks of quarantining had accumulated & pulled me into a downward spiral I had sloughed off until then. I stood on wobbly legs intending to walk away from the dock, lost my balance & fell in. Icy water that time of year! I avoided hypothermia… I got myself back to the house, numb & shaking, only to discover I had injured my left leg so badly I needed emergency care. I eventually went by ambulance to a hospital 2 hours away. I got back to the lake, all stitched up, 2 days later. (Thank God Eric’s sister had been nearby! ) I had a lot of healing to do, inside & out. I picked up my guitar on May 28th & this song just POURED out of me. I wrote it in 20 minutes… or rather it wrote itself, as it often happens. All those feelings I had felt at the end of that dock came spilling out so I could hear myself admit how depressed & scared I had become. I realize I am far from the only one who may have been feeling these things. As I write this, I am hopeful I can hug people soon. MAN… we all need some hugs, don’t we?
I wrote this tune as a birthday gift for my artistic soulmate, Judi Puiia, who moved from Maine to Arizona in August 2011. Our connection is strong enough to bridge the miles. My pal Deb Whorf recorded this on my I Phone 4 on Moosehead Lake in Maine. This was Take Two. Beauty day.
This song pretty much wrote itself one warm & sunny April morning (in 2020) about 3 weeks into our lockdown here in Maine. The Coronavirus pandemic had dictated that most beaches be closed off to the public by now… but lucky me, I live near Old Orchard Beach, where the wide open stretch of sand at low tide allows us to walk for hours without coming close to others, so our beach stayed open. I was filled with gratitude for this soulful escape, hence “The Ocean is Music” poured out of me.
I was in 5th grade, 10 years old. I remember everything. Mr. Winslow told us "President Kennedy was shot in Dallas." School closed early, we walked home in silence. I knew the tidy, safe world I lived in had changed. 2 days later, I witnessed the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald on TV. I went to my room and wrote about JFK and November 22, 1963 and how Oswald was shot on November 24th. I wrote that JFK was a great president and that I would always treasure this piece of paper. I tacked it up in my room with a little yellow ribbon glued to the top left corner. Next day, I asked my Dad "If I write a letter to Jackie Kennedy, will you find the address to the White House?" I took great pains to make the letter just right. Unbeknownst to me, my Dad hand copied it, then mailed the original. I got a reply from the White House, but forgot where it went. In 2011, I opened my "treasure box"... old report cards, blue ribbons, slides, photos... I found the paper I had written to honor JFK... tack holes, yellow ribbon, sunlight faded... my Dad's copy of my letter to Jackie... the White House reply, with envelope, my address hand written with no zip code... it was the first time I realized my Dad had made a copy of my condolence letter. I framed all 3 pieces in 2012, then realized I had to write a song to honor the 50th Anniversary of JFK's assassination. I tried to preserve the feelings of the 10 year old kid.
WCSH 6 TV in Portland ME went the extra mile to help me tell this story… originally aired on the eve of the 50th Anniversary of JFK’s assassination. Big Time Kudos go to Dennis Doyle… he came to my home, made me comfy in the telling, the remembering, the singing of it… he really allowed me to revisit the 10-year-old who wrote this story.
Anni & Bob Colwell performing “I’m With You Greta” LIVE on News Center Maine WCSH TV
June 2013... After a T Storm & a double rainbow, it just felt right to segue from one song to the next... keep the momentum going. I was close to the end of my set & feeling like part of something extraordinary & powerful... I think everyone there felt it. Can't wait to go back...
"under the song tree" is Lynn Deeves, Dan Merrill & Anni Clark, a trio of Maine songwriters. “I Need Your Love” was cowritten by all 3. After a 10 year hiatus, we performed at the UU Church in Brunswick in the “Concerts for a Cause” Series. The entire night was special… but Belinda Merrill (Dan’s wife) caught this one on her iPhone… thanks Belinda! We felt a need to share this song in the aftermath of too many devastating floods, earthquakes, wildfires… storms of many kinds.
Recorded at The Theatre in The Wood, Intervale NH, on April 28, 2019 at Jonathan Sarty’s “Cold River Radio Show.” I had broken my 5th metacarpal while cross country skiing. I was so disappointed that I couldn’t do my whole set, as playing the guitar was out of the question. I did the next best thing… I sang this one tune a cappella and promised to come back in 2020 with my guitars! Fabulous venue, fabulous audience.
A 9/8/20 livestream announcing the soon-to-be-released album “Will It Ever Be the Same”
"Songs for a Sunday" Weekly Series from April 5 to May 17 2020
(Livestreams during the Covid Pandemic)