Annie and the Beekeepers

Annie and the Beekeepers

Annie and the Beekeepers is a folk and country-influenced group formed at Berklee College of Music in December 2006. The line-up includes Annie Lynch, Mat Davidson, Alexandra Spalding and Ken Woodward. Lynch is the principal singer and songwriter and plays self-taught guitar; Woodward plays acoustic bass and also sometimes plays a snare drum at the same time; Spalding contributes vocals and cello, and Davidson is part of the group’s later line-up.

Style and background

The group’s sound draws on country and bluegrass, but also includes a wider range of instruments and textures, including Dixie clarinet and cello. The members come from different parts of the United States and met after arriving at Berklee with varied musical backgrounds. Lynch comes from Cape Cod, Woodward from Charlottesville, and Spalding grew up in Northern California playing cello in orchestras. Lynch meets Woodward through attempts to learn bluegrass, and Spalding joins after Lynch sees her in a Berklee Joni Mitchell ensemble.

Recording and releases

The band first records in Ken Woodward’s basement apartment with producer Frank Charlton. Although that session is not released, it leads to the formation of the group. In 2007 the band records its self-titled debut album, Annie Lynch and the Beekeepers, with producer Jack Gauthier at his lakeside studio. Lynch and Woodward co-write “The Bee Song” for the record. The album appears in January 2008 and receives regular play on WERS Emerson Radio and WUMB Boston Radio.

The group later records the Squid Hell Sessions EP after Adrian Olsen invites them to use studio time at Squid Hell in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Additional recording takes place at Garth Stevenson’s home studio in Brooklyn, with production help from Stevenson, Olsen and Kyle Vandekerkhoff. The EP is completed in winter 2009.

Performances and recognition

Annie and the Beekeepers play the Boston Folk Festival in 2008 and appear at CMJ and South by Southwest in 2009. Their songs draw on the work of Joni Mitchell, Gillian Welch, Bob Dylan and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The band builds a reputation for unusual instrumentation, layered harmonies, collaborative songwriting and live performances.

Name

The group takes its name from concern over the disappearance of bee colonies, which is widely discussed when the band begins playing in Boston’s living rooms, basements, coffeehouses and clubs. The bee also functions as a symbol of work and community, ideas the band connects to its music and role in the local scene.