Anne Louise Genest emerged from the Yukon’s growing crop of songwriters with two solo CDs that showcase her critically acclaimed songwriting. Her music has been used in theatre and film, and she is a songwriter, vocalist and guitar player with the Done Gone Stringband as well as with Annie Lou. Anne Louise’s comfortable stage presence makes audiences feel right at home, and her solid chops on rhythm guitar and great big vocals are a centerpiece of Annie Lou.
Anne Louise has toured nationally and internationally as a solo and ensemble performer. Through exploring old time music, she has added mandolin, fiddle, and banjo to her roster of instruments, and she composes on all of these as well as pursuing her craft of fine songwriting. Anne Louise lives in a cabin outside of Whitehorse, with no running water but lots of high speed internet.
Kim Barlow is a Juno-nominated singer-songwriter with five solo albums to her credit. She composes music for theatre and film, and plays in a variety of musical ensembles including the Glacial Erratics, the Pan Canadian Folk Ensemble, and banjo-ukulele duo Spring Breakup. A talented multi-instrumentalist, Kim is renowned for technical prowess on her instruments and her whimsical, poignant songwriting. On the banjo, she combines the complex melodic style of her background in classical guitar with traditional clawhammer technique, providing rhythm and intricate melodic groove to the Annie Lou sound.
Kim has toured Canada several times, as well as Europe and Australia. She is a fine cook and a terrible waitress.
Lindy Jones started her musical career with the ukulele in Wise, Virginia, and added the mandolin, drums, and bass fiddle when she found her home in Alaska. Jones plays bass and drums with the bands Honky Tonk Habit, Greenwood, and Kris Eli Jones. Her solid groove drives the Annie Lou bus, and her Appalachian vocal sound is evocative of Hazel Dickens. When she is not playing the bass or beating on the drums, Lindy is in high demand as a farrier, roaming the Alaskan wilderness shoeing horses and saving hooves.
Meredith Bates began her violin studies at the age of four in her hometown of Vancouver. She trained at the Vancouver Academy of Music, and graduated with distinction from Dalhousie University. Extending her talents beyond classical music to jazz, pop, bluegrass, and oldtime, Meredith has performed and recorded with hip-hop artists Buck 65, pop bands Matt Mayes and El Torpedo, The Heavy Blinkers, and The Guthries, among many others. She also performs with the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra and the Prince George Symphony Orchestra. At home in a variety of genres and styles, Meredith has recently jumped on the Annie Lou bus with bow in tow. In spite of her small feet, she walks far wherever she goes.