Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Brobst.
Annie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Columbus, Ohio and moved to the North Shore area of Massachusetts in 2007 just after I graduated, chasing a boyfriend I had in college. That ended shortly after my move, right around the time I was offered a full-time teaching position in Salem, MA. I started to take interest in singing in bands, and was part of a few cover bands while I was teaching; teacher by day, singer by night. Along the way, I met my acoustic guitarist and cowriter, Rodger Hagopian, who encouraged me to write my own songs. Rodger and I co-wrote my debut EP Ghost, and soon after created “The Annie Brobst Band”. Having a band under my own name gained traction quickly. After just short of 2 years of shows, an EP, and a more original direction, we started earning regional nominations and eventually a number of awards that truly put our name on the map. And most importantly, we were building a real, amazingly supportive and dedicated fan base – The ABB Army, as they’ve been dubbed. This also pushed me to step away from my teaching job and pursue music full-time. As difficult as that decision was, balancing both was becoming unmanageable. Now we’ve arrived at roughly 3 years in the scene under my own name, we’re about to release my first full album entitled “My First Rodeo”, the ABB Army is bigger than ever, and I’m New England Music Awards’ Female Performer of the Year across all genres and New England Country Music’s Local Female Artist of the Year for the second consecutive year. The growth is overwhelming to think about and summarize in one paragraph like this. I’m not sure how it all happened so quickly, but I know we have a very long way to go. I’m confident that we haven’t peaked or plateaued yet, which means I’ll continue to push forward until that day comes!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The quick synopsis I gave you of my journey obviously left those parts out, hah. I imagine it’s never smooth for anyone in my position.
Some of my obstacles being far away from my hometown, family, and friends, are first. Then comes the struggle I had with my cover bands when I decided to start writing and releasing my own songs. At one point I was told to take my original songs off of iTunes and other outlets because it confused our “fans”. Friends in a band should never try to force your hand in that way and stifle any creativity happening on the side, they should be doing the opposite actually. But now I know. Then there was being the “yes girl” in the scene to help get my “Annie Brobst” name out there, while trying to balance a full-time teaching job. I think I literally went crazy that year due to lack of sleep. Typical weekdays were teaching 8-4pm, coaching high school sports 4-7pm, showering in the school bathroom and running off to a show, only to arrive at home after midnight with adrenaline pumping and the inability to fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. It was rough. Then quitting my teaching job was rougher. I don’t think my bosses at the time fully believed in me or the decision I was making, which was heartbreaking in itself. But I had to weigh the options. In the music scene, marketability is finite and limited. Teaching was something that I felt I could always go back to, if that’s where my path led. ….Then we arrive at the obstacles of my full-time career as a musician today. A dramatic and public breakup last year was life-changing. My boyfriend at the time was very intertwined with the business side of my career, so the breakup resulted in malicious attempts to sabotage some scheduled events and my relationship with some higher-ups in the industry. I lay low, wrote songs when I couldn’t publicly respond to the chaos, and waited it out until things calmed down. Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise, because this led to a lot of the inspiration for my new album, with songwriting help from Rodger again and my electric guitarist, Ryan Dupont. Some of the other struggles I face nowadays have a more positive ring or are “good problems to have”. We’re getting requests everyday for top quality gigs in the area, I have no weekends off through the end of September, and very few weekdays left to squeeze in new opportunities. I’m often working from my first sip of coffee to my last sip of wine daily on booking, contracting, marketing, songwriting, recording, touring, planning for the future, and so much more. But it finally feels REALLY good. I do love this job, as much of a roller coaster as it can be.
This was emotional even trying to recap and remember the struggles I’ve had to overcome as I’ve been trying to develop my career. I didn’t even include the death of my mother and other personal circumstances that came along the way at various times.
These obstacles have shaped my music, my journey, and just me as a person. You can hear more about them in songs like Ghost, Paper Weight, Change of Heart, Best Worst Idea, and many others on my first EP and my full album due out June 2, 2018.
Annie Brobst – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I’m a pop/country singer, songwriter, and performer. My act can be presented as a duo, trio, or full band; or in digital form through your stereo (or Bluetooth now).
When you come to see us at a show, my goal is to wow you. In acoustic duo form, this may mean cover song choice, emotional song performances, songwriting in our original tunes, or even jaw-dropping guitar performances by either Rodger Hagopian or Ryan Dupont. In trio form, this will mean tasteful and seasoned rhythm and percussion coming from Dave Sardella on cajon, jembe, bongos, shakers, tambourine, and more. This will also mean crazy guitar loops and killer acoustic solos coming from Ryan Dupont, and then hopefully dance-worthy and/or smooth emotional vocal performances coming from me. Sometimes the trio means dueling acoustics from Ryan and Rodger, which is also a very cool variation. The full band is pure energy. From everyone. Everyone in the band is a showman and we love to have fun. We jump out in the crowd, our bassist Matt Ezyk enjoys line dancing as we’ve recently learned, we make people sing along, the ABB Army has line dances to almost every tune (especially our original songs), and it’s just a really great time!
As the “founder” of all of this, I’m proud of our (still-growing) full package. I’ve tried really hard to leave no stone unturned. My daily checklist is marketing (social media), product (original songs), live performances, caliber of gigs, a full schedule, cultivating the fans, and acknowledging recognitions and big organizations supporting us. It’s never just one of those; it always has to be all of those. I’m most proud of the growth in each of those areas.
I touched on it a bit above in moments, but what sets me (and us) apart? The desire to be different. When I first entered the scene, the mentality was what do we need and how can we get it? Like a CD, videos, more gigs, etc. Now it’s what do we need, how can we get it, and how can we do it like no one else has done it. You’ll hopefully see that in our gig calendar, our creative promotions, our upcoming album, and an upcoming music video release.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
To be better than you’ve ever been. To compete with yourself and win. That’s at the top of the list.
But it does come in other more measurable forms as well. Like something as simple as playing a venue for the first time and being invited back for another show. Or coming home after a show to see that you’ve gotten 20 new likes on social media from the people in the crowd that night. Or seeing people post about and share our original music when we release it. Feeling validated by our fans is a big player in feeling like you’re succeeding in this business. I can create as much music as I want, but if no one is listening or no one likes it that would bother me. I don’t do it FOR them, but if I don’t pay attention to their reactions, this might not be a lifelong career for me and can quickly turn into a hobby.
Another “marker”, when organizations recognize your success in the form of awards or nominations. Again, this doesn’t drive me or define me, as I hope you’ve learned through the rest of this interview, but I’m so thankful for these recognitions. Someone is watching and listening and is choosing us, and that feels really good.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.AnnieBrobstMusic.com
- Email: anniebrobstmusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/anniebrobst
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/anniebrobstmusic
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/anniebrobst
- Other: www.ABBtickets.com
Image Credit:
Lisa Czech, Patrick Crean, Tina West
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
