Despite making music in the same folksy vein as Regina Spektor and Ingrid Michaelson and growing up in Alaska, Emily Anderson isn’t a frequent visitor to the capital city.
The Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter from Fairbanks will be performing for the first time ever in Juneau Wednesday, Dec. 4, as part of a short series of concerts under the Mountainside Presents moniker. The shows share a name with a popular open mic and arts night at the Rookery Cafe.
“I’ve never performed in Juneau, and the last time I was there, I was 12,” Anderson said in a phone interview. “I really loved Juneau, and I just haven’t had a chance to go back. I am just so excited to share music with a community that I know already has such a love for the kind of music that I do.”
The excitement is matched by Mountainside organizer and singer-songwriter Marian Call.
“She’s just lovely,” Call said in a phone interview. “Sometimes she’ll improvise songs, and I’ve never seen someone do it like she does.”
Call said art supplies will be available to attendees so they can quietly create while listening to music, as is the case with the Mountainside Open Mic series.
[Mountainside Open Mic takes a break after first series]
Anderson said the Juneau show is a possibility partly because she is on her way back to the Last Frontier for the third annual Alaska Music Summit in Anchorage.
The annual gathering of Alaskan musicians is organized by Alaska Independent Musicians Initiative, a nonprofit that promotes and helps develop Alaskan musicians. This year’s summit includes presentations from the Treefort Music Festival, Seattle Office of Music and Film, Sound Diplomacy of the United Kingdom and more, according to AKIMI.
It’s a busy month for Anderson, who will also have new music coming out, which she said will be available on Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming platforms.
Anderson said since Call and Annie Bartholomew, who are a program manager and special program manager for AKIMI, live in Juneau, it made sense to squeeze a performance into her schedule.
Emily Anderson, a Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter from Fairbanks, is coming to Juneau to perform Wednesday, Dec. 4. (Courtesy Photo | Latitude 64 Photography)
“Since Marian and Annie live there, it just seems like a great opportunity,” Anderson said.
Bartholomew will also play at the upcoming Mountainside Presents show.
“I know we’re going to join forces on some songs,” Anderson said.
Despite moving to L.A. to pursue music full-time, Anderson said she still feels connected to Alaska.
“I still consider Fairbanks where my heart is,” Anderson said. “If I was going to make music my lifelong career, I needed to make myself a little uncomfortable. I was so comfortable in Fairbanks and the Alaska music scene, I could see a growth plateau happening.”
Know & Go
What: Mountainside Presents Emily Anderson with Annie Bartholomew.
When: 7-9 p.m., Dec. 4. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
Where: The Rookery Cafe, 111 Seward St.
Admission: Admission is pay as you can, but $10 donations are recommended.
• Contact reporter Ben Hohenstatt at (907)523-2243 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt
