Anni Rossi

Anni Rossi, a multi-instrumentalist who studied classical viola, entered songwriting during her early twenties and drew notice alongside Joanna Newsom and other musicians with similarly timeless qualities. Her viola steered folk-classical-pop material such as "Wheelpusher," complemented by an inventive web-distributed version of Radiohead's "Creep," allowing her to gather a modest audience throughout 2007. When Too Pure named "Wheelpusher" its Single of the Month in January 2008, she toured the British Isles during the opening months of that year and signed with the veteran British imprint 4AD. She then withdrew to a studio in Illinois alongside producer Steve Albini, where the debut album Rockwell was completed in one focused session and issued in March 2009. After ending her association with the label, she finished her second album, Heavy Meadow, which appeared in mid-2010; the following spring, 3 Syllables Records brought the recording out on CD.