ISSUE #41 MMUSICMAG.COM INDIEINDIE SCENE SCENE Stacie Huckeba ANNE MCCUE Moving in unpredictable directions keeps her musical passion alive

ANNE MCCUE HAS ESTABLISHED A a pre-rock album. After I embraced the idea, I fi rst release in fi ve years. “I just got to 25-year career as a singer-songwriter who wrote more songs.” the point where I thought, ‘This is such leaves a lasting impression in every genre Although the album represents a hard work,’” she says. she embraces, from rock and blues to dramatic departure for McCue, who’s “Then the bottom fell out of the music pop and Americana. For her latest album, known for her ace guitar skills, musical business, and I had to think about making it Blue Sky Thinkin’, McCue changes change-ups are very much in her work on a fi nancial level. So I took a break. I direction again with a decidedly vintage wheelhouse. “My records are all kind had to re-establish the connection with my sound of the swing era that’s inspired by of different,” says McCue. “The last two need to play music. I needed to rediscover artists like Django Reinhardt, Billie Holiday, were very different from each other. and revive my passion.” Hoagy Carmichael and Cab Calloway. Broken Promise Land (2010) was my tribute When she did recover her passion, “I used to love that kind of music as to electric rock guitar, and the previous McCue tapped her former producer, a kid,” she says. “I’d listen to this box set album, East of Electric (2008), was a Dusty Wakeman. “Dusty and I had called The Swing Years that Reader’s tribute to folk-rock and was totally acoustic. success with two albums [2004’s Roll and Digest put out in the ’60s. We had it in our “So in that sense, it sort of makes 2006’s Koala Motel], and we work well house growing up.” sense to go to a different era. I did go back a together. We discuss everything, and I Playing music of the 1930s and long way, but it represents the music I really trust him completely.” ’40s was not the record the Australian love. It’s the infl uences of my infl uences.” McCue also has high praise for her transplant set out to make. “I was planning McCue grew up in a Sydney suburb band from her L.A. days. “I’m glad I didn’t on making a swampy blues album, so before graduating college with a degree know at fi rst I was going to do this kind of I took the songs to L.A. to record with in fi lm production. She turned to music, music because I probably would have gone my band early last year,” says McCue, fi nding early success with the all-girl with another group of musicians,” she says. who had a hand in writing all but the one band Girl Monstar, scoring a pair of “But these guys helped me realize why I cover on the album. No. 1 hits on the Australian Independent love that music so much. They’re essentially “The tracks were all over the place charts before signing to a record label rock musicians, but they totally blew me stylistically, but the thing that I noticed with another all-female act, Eden AKA. away. No matter what song I presented, was how six of the songs fi t together Relocating to L.A. led to her fi rst solo they got into the groove. with that old-time swinging blues feel, album in 1999. “They had a blast reinventing this music and the other six didn’t. It was really McCue, who now makes her home every day—and ultimately the key was to be making me feel edgy—didn’t feel right. in Nashville, has released seven studio passionate and engaged with the music.” So from that point on, I set out to make albums, but Blue Sky Thinkin’ is her –Lee Zimmerman

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