Returning to the stage: Rochester native and Nashville recording artist Debbie Anthony
Recording in Nashville is a dream for every up-and-coming country artist. To make it happen, though, you need the right connections, a good team, and a decent chunk of time. Most of all, you need to write good music.
Local singer Debbie Anthony recently found herself among the select few who check all of those boxes — and this August, she will bring the finished product back home, and play in front of a live crowd once again.
Anthony will headline week four of Riverside Concerts’ Car Park Concerts series, set for Wednesday, August 5 in the 125 Live parking lot. Anthony rose to local prominence quite quickly, after playing a handful of shows across the city’s venues and releasing her record More To Be Said in October 2019.
We talked with Debbie about her original plans for 2020 and the future of her music career — plus, we get a behind-the-scenes of her experience recording in the Music City.
What were your plans for summer 2020 pre-quarantine? How have things changed?
Who would’ve ever predicted what 2020 had in store for us?! For me, it started out music-wise busier than ever, with performances in Nashville, Wisconsin, Minneapolis area, and local gigs such as Five West. I’ll never forget the night of my last gig in 2020 before the pandemic… it was at 318 Cafe in the Minneapolis area. After the performance I remember hearing that the NBA canceled their season, and that started the chain of events leading to cancellation of everything — including live music.
All of my gigs in the spring were canceled, but I was hoping that summer would be back to normal! When I got the email about opening for Down by the Riverside for country night, I felt that huge burst of optimism! I held onto that bit of good news until it too was canceled — as was my performance at the Steele County Fair. So, change of plans...we ended up going on vacation to our Michigan condo, which we hadn’t been able to do in years because of my music!
In the absence of shows, what have you worked on musically? Have you recorded or written any new music, or tried your hand at streaming shows?
I’ve been looking for new ways to promote my album “More To Be Said” online. I’ve also been searching for new songs to record a new EP with my producer in Nashville. During this time, I was really hoping to stream shows, but due to the strict quarantine, I couldn’t bring in musicians to accompany me.
I did my first livestream show on Saturday for Back to the Bash, an online music festival. Drew and PJ Medin — the festival’s organizers — accompanied me. It was so much fun, and so incredibly amazing to be back performing! I’m definitely hooked...and would LOVE to do more live streaming this year!
What’s exciting about the drive-in format, and playing shows in a new way? Will your show be any different?
The drive-in format brings me back to my childhood — watching movies on a big screen! Who would’ve ever thought that concerts would be next?! It is a brilliant idea, and that’s what creative people do: they think of new ideas to adapt to current situations. Not being able to perform since March has created this hole in my life, and I am SO grateful for this opportunity to be back on stage with an amazing band (Johnathan Moeller on acoustic guitar, Drew Medin on electric guitar, Blake Bonde on bass guitar, and Pete Wangen on drums).
My show will be the same, with the exception of more social distancing on stage! I’m always energized by people in the audience — and this will be no different.
Tell us about your experience recording in Nashville. What was it like to record your music, in the world center of country music?
Recording in Nashville was, hands down, the most exhilarating experience in my professional life.
My Nashville producer, Gena Johnson, grew up in Mankato. She is incredibly talented and has engineered & produced for some of the biggest names in country & Americana music (i.e. John Prine, Brandi Carlile, Kacey Musgraves, Chris Stapleton), but you would never know it...she is the most personable person one could ever hope to meet! She made each step of the recording process fun and as easy as possible by choosing a beautiful setting in Nashville for recording (MOXE studio — a peaceful wooded retreat) and selecting A-lister musicians that she knew were a good match for me.
We spent two days preparing for the recording with Nashville keyboardist, Mike Webb, who tours with Hank Williams Jr. Mike and I instantly became friends. He has played for me in all five of my acoustic videos, plus at my album release party in Nashville. I stayed at one of the suites in the studio, which really helped me relax and be inspired. We would begin each day around noon by sitting together, and I would share a little bit about what the song meant to me so that they could get a sense of the spirit and message behind each song. Then we would listen through the song only one time — other than Mike, none of the other musicians had ever heard any of the music before. We were all in separate rooms during the recording, and I was next to my producer, who would direct me while recording the songs. It was so mind-blowing to have these talented musicians following my vocal lead during the recordings!
I admit I was a little nervous, but I knew that I wasn’t there to ‘wow’ anyone — I was just there to be me and record the songs that meant something to me. After four days, the project was completed! I learned so much from my producer, who is a phenomenal singer. I can still hear her coaching when I’m on stage! I cannot wait to get back in the recording studio.
Why is it important to support artists and musicians through tough times like this?
Artists and musicians like to create, they like to perform, they like to entertain and connect with audiences. They have a passion and gift they want to share with people...and to be supported in this tough time means absolutely everything! I really look forward to having some fun, bringing some light into these trying times, and getting a chance to perform with the extremely talented musicians on stage with me!
Free tickets for Debbie Anthony’s show on August 4 are available now. Reserve your spot in the parking lot by calling Riverside Concerts at (507) 328-2200.
