Anna Jordan Huff is an American multi-media artist, composer, producer and actress best known by her stage name Anna Oxygen. After starting her music career as a member of the Space Ballerinas, a
synthpop group then based in
Olympia, she recorded her debut solo album ''
All Your Faded Things'' (2003) with producer
Justin Trosper
Justin Trosper is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, born in Olympia, Washington. He fronted the post-hardcore band Unwound from 1991 to 2002. He has also been a member of bands such as Replikants, The Young Ginns, and Worst ...
,
before releasing her second album ''
This Is an Exercise'' (2006) on the
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but was originally know ...
label.
Her albums have featured guest vocalists such as
Beth Ditto
Mary Beth Patterson (born February 19, 1981), known by her stage name Beth Ditto, is an American singer and songwriter most notable for her work with the indie rock band Gossip. Her voice has been compared to Etta James, Janis Joplin and T ...
and
Mirah
Mirah (born Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn) is an American musician and songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York. After getting her start in the music scene of Olympia, Washington in the late 1990s, she released a number of well-received solo albums on K ...
.
Currently based in Ithaca, New York, Huff has appeared as a guest artist on recordings by groups such as
The Microphones
The Microphones are an American indie folk, indie rock, and experimental project from Olympia, Washington. The project was founded in 1996 and ended in 2003, with a short reunion following in 2007 and revivals in 2019 and 2020. Across every ite ...
.
Huff is also a member of
Cloud Eye Control, a performance art group, and is a member of the
psychedelic folk
Psychedelic folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelic music, psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of contemporary folk music, folk, but adds musical el ...
group Day/Moon.
Her feature film debut as an actress was the 2005 film ''
Police Beat'',
and she has written for a number of film soundtracks, including the three films
''This World Made Itself'', ''Myth and Infrastructure,'' and ''Dreaming of Lucid Living'', animated by Miwa Matreyek, and numerous short films by animator Maureen Selwood.
Performance career
Space Ballerinas (1990s–2001)
Huff began her musical career in the late 1990s with the novelty
synthpop group the Space Ballerinas, based in
Olympia. She handled vocals and keyboards, as well as helping write their original material.
Making their debut as a trio at Ladyfest Olympia, the group released two EPs on Yoyo Records entitled "Diamonds" and "If Goth Was Pink" and opened a show for
Peaches
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...
before disbanding in 2001.
Also around this time she contributed to albums by local artists such as
The Blow
The Blow is an American electro pop band, comprising Khaela Maricich and Melissa Dyne. Maricich and Dyne write, compose, produce and perform all the music. It was formed as a solo project by Maricich in 2002, and she was joined by Jona Bechtol ...
,
Phil Elverum
Philip Whitman Elverum (; born May 23, 1978) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and visual artist, best known for his musical projects The Microphones and Mount Eerie. Based in Anacortes, Washington, in the mid-2000s he began ...
,
Mirah
Mirah (born Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn) is an American musician and songwriter based in Brooklyn, New York. After getting her start in the music scene of Olympia, Washington in the late 1990s, she released a number of well-received solo albums on K ...
, and
Karl Blau
Karl Blau is an American indie rock and country vocalist, producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but originally from Anacortes, Washington. A member of the Knw-Yr-Own/K Records collective, he is know ...
.
Solo material, acting (2002–2007)
![annaoxygen1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Annaoxygen1.jpg)
Huff's solo career started in 2002 after she moved from Olympia to
Seattle
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
.
She then recorded ''
All Your Faded Things'' with producer
Justin Trosper
Justin Trosper is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, born in Olympia, Washington. He fronted the post-hardcore band Unwound from 1991 to 2002. He has also been a member of bands such as Replikants, The Young Ginns, and Worst ...
, which was released on Cold Crush Records (an affiliate of
Dim Mak Records
Dim Mak Records is an independent, Los Angeles-based record label, events company, and lifestyle brand founded by Steve Aoki in 1996. The label has released music under the genres of punk, indie rock, hardcore, hip hop, and electronic dance ...
founded by
Derek Fudesco
Pretty Girls Make Graves was a post-punk band formed in Seattle in 2001, named after The Smiths' song of the same name (which itself was named after a quote from Jack Kerouac's ''The Dharma Bums''). Andrea Zollo and Derek Fudesco had played to ...
of
Murder City Devils
The Murder City Devils is an American garage rock band formed in 1996.
History
The band's original lineup, consisting of Spencer Moody, Dann Gallucci, Derek Fudesco, Coady Willis, and Nate Manny, formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1996. Gabe Ker ...
and
Steve Aoki) in 2003.
MacKenzie Wilson of
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
termed the album
synthpop and commented on the "minimalist approach" of the production, stating "she adds a bit of sauce to the new-millennium electroclash stage and celebrates the delicious design of classic new wave."
Huff's feature film debut as an actress was in the 2005 film ''
Police Beat'', an American crime film written by
Charles Mudede of ''
The Stranger''.
After releasing the single "45 Meet Jennifer", Huff released her second album ''
This Is an Exercise'' on the
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but was originally know ...
label on February 21, 2006.
As Anna Oxygen, she composed the album herself, handling primary vocals and sequencing. It featured guest artists such as Kitty Jensen and
Mirah Yom Tov Zeitlyn as vocalists. Portland artist
Jona Bechtolt
Jona Bechtolt (born December 2, 1980) is an electronic musician and multimedia artist based in Portland, Oregon, United States, best known for his band YΔCHT. He is a former member of The Badger King, Dirty Projectors, and The Blow. YΔCHT bega ...
helped Huff with the cover art.
With mostly original music, the album also includes a cover of "
Willow's Song" by American composer
Paul Giovanni The album was met with a largely positive reception.
The ''
Phoenix New Times
''Phoenix New Times'' is a free digital and print media company based in Phoenix, Arizona. ''New Times'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue ...
'' wrote that Huff's vocal stylings were "a perfect contrast to the rhythmically ebullient programmed synths and beats supporting them - backdrops coursing, playful, robotic, and pop basic."
In 2007, as Anna Oxygen she released a single on the "Play, Kids Compilation" on
Desoto Records.
Cloud Eye Control (2007–present)
![Allison Wolfe, Anna Oxygen & Jen Smith 2011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ec/Allison_Wolfe%2C_Anna_Oxygen_%26_Jen_Smith_2011.jpg)
While attending
CalArts
The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a private art university in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for students of both ...
in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
as a graduate student in 2007, Huff formed Cloud Eye Control with fellow students Miwa Matreyek and Chi-wang Yang. Cloud-Eye Control is an experimental theater group, with Huff handling composition, co-creation and serving as a primary performer.
In 2009 the group completed and performed the multimedia performance art piece entitled ''Under Polaris,'' first performed in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...
and hosted by the Portland Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA).
''Under Polaris'' sold out a five-day run at
REDCAT in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, and was featured at the 2009 National Performers Network conference in
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the state' ...
. In 2010 the show traveled to the Exit Festival in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, and the Fusebox Festival in
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
.
The ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' called the show "retro-futuristic" and "a transcendently spectacular piece of theater."
Huff,
Flying Lotus
Steven Ellison (born October 7, 1983), known by his stage name Flying Lotus or sometimes FlyLo, is an American record producer, DJ, filmmaker and rapper from Los Angeles. He is also the founder of the record label Brainfeeder.
Flying Lotus ha ...
, and
Eric Lindley contributed music to various animated performances by Miwa Matreyek, including
''This World Made Itself'', ''Myth and Infrastructure,'' and ''Dreaming of Lucid Living''. ''Myth and Infrastructure'' premiered at the
Global TED Conference in
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
and all three films went on to various international venues including the
2014 Sundance Film Festival
The 2014 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 16, 2014 until January 26, 2014 in Park City, Utah, United States, with screenings in Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance Resort in Utah. The festival opened with '' Whiplash'' directed by D ...
. Huff's own live performances have been exhibited in museums such as PS1
MOMA Contemporary,
The Seattle Art Museum, Hammer Museum, PICA, and the Rohsska Museet in
Gothenburg, Sweden.
Collaborations (2014–present)
Huff continues to be a member of the group Day/Moon, which is a
psychedelic folk
Psychedelic folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelic music, psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of contemporary folk music, folk, but adds musical el ...
group she founded with long-term collaborator Tamala Poljak, of the Los Angeles group
Longstocking. The group has also collaborated with Tara Jane O'Neill. Huff has worked with other artists such as
Eric Lindley,
Becky Stark,
David Scott Stone
David Scott Stone (sometimes referred to as Sir DSS and Mr. David Ascott Stone) is an American musician who has recorded and toured with artists like The Melvins, Unwound, Fantômas, The Locust, Jello Biafra, Keiji Haino, Mike Patton, Adam Jo ...
and many others in the Los Angeles scene, and was a member of the Los Angeles Ladies Choir.
She has collaborated with
Jack Black's wife
Tanya Haden
Tanya Haden Black (born October 11, 1971) is an American artist, musician, and singer. She is one of the triplet daughters of jazz bassist Charlie Haden. She is married to actor, comedian and musician Jack Black.
Career
Born in New York City, s ...
on art, music and puppet shows,
and can be seen alongside Black and
Kyle Gass
Kyle Richard Gass (born July 14, 1960) is an American musician, comedian and actor best known for co-founding—and being a member of—Tenacious D, a Grammy-winning comedy band. He also co-founded the bands Trainwreck and the Kyle Gass Band, ...
of
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "ten ...
, promoting their Festival Supreme in a series of shorts directed by
Liam Lynch.
Discography
With Space Ballerinas
*2001: ''Diamonds'' EP (YoYo Records)
*2001: ''If Goth Were Pink'' EP (YoYo Records)
Solo material
Albums
Singles
Guest appearances
See also
*
Music of Olympia
*
List of California Institute of the Arts people
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
Further reading
Website of Miwa Matreyek– contains several videos of performance art pieces which Anna Oxygen is involved
;Discographies
Anna Oxygenat
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
Anna Huffat
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
Anna Oxygen/Anna Huffat
Discogs
Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...
;Filmographies
Anna Huffat
IMDb
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oxygen, Anna
American women singer-songwriters
American women pop singers
Synth-pop singers
Evergreen State College alumni
Kill Rock Stars
Living people
Musicians from Olympia, Washington
Year of birth missing (living people)
Singer-songwriters from Washington (state)
American women in electronic music
21st-century American women