It’s almost that time of year again, where thousands upon thousands of black t-shirt and jorts wearing music fans will descend upon Gainesville, FL in hopes of seeing their favorite bands and drinking just enough to not remember seeing anything all. While there are hundreds of well-known names on the Fest schedule this year, we wanted to showcase a handful of the bands who are heading down to Florida and playing for the very first time. So keep reading, check out all the bands in this series, and get to know some really great under the radar talent!
Next on the list is Indie Folk/Pop artist Sweet Anne Marie. The Philadelphia born northeast Pennsylvania based singer/songwriter draws influences from artists such as Joni Mitchell, Phoebe Bridgers, Brian Fallon, among others. Sweet Anne Marie will be playing on Sunday, October 30th at the Civic Media Center at 4:20PM.
She released her newest album entitled Parking Lots, Bars, and Falling Stars back in July of this year. You can stream it in full below!
Interview
How long have you been playing music?
I’ve been singing my whole life and playing guitar since I was 14 but I started playing open mics at a local coffee shop in 2019. That same year got booked at the coffee shop for my first real gig.
Have you attended Fest before?
No, I haven’t attended Fest before! During a tour with Condition Oakland in 2021 we played in Gainsville at what used to be the Fox Lounge but I’m super excited to experience The Fest!
What are you stoked for during Fest weekend?
I’m really excited for Anti Flag‘s set, I’ve been a fan of them since I was high school and never got the chance to see them. I’m also stoked to see my friends who are also playing Fest, like Tim Holehouse and Jacob Danielson-Moore who’ve I’ve played some cool shows with in the past year.
What’s your very best tour story?
On the same tour in 2021 we got a last minute show at a birthday party at a bar in Plattsburgh, NY. It ended up being so fun and everyone at the show was super cool, they bought us drinks all night and bought a bunch of merch. we made a few hundred dollars in tips and a guy in a dinosaur costume tried to sell us acid after the show.
Let’s say you’re booking the lineup of a festival that represents you as an artist. What would the top 5 headliners be?
Counting Crows
Gaslight Anthem
Phoebe Bridgers
Stevie Nicks
Bruce Springsteen
What does the band have coming up? What can we all look forward to from you?
I just released a new album in July 2022 and recently finished a few east coast tours but be on the look out for new music and shows in 2023!
Very cool. Ann and her husband are great musicians and friends.