Anne E. DeChant is an American rock singer/songwriter/guitarist based in the

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

area. Her career began with the band Odd Girl Out in the early 1990s before releasing her first solo project in 1996.

History

DeChant grew up in

Avon Lake, Ohio Avon Lake is a city in northeastern Lorain County, Ohio, United States, located on the southern shore of Lake Erie about 17 miles west of Cleveland. The population was 25,206 at the 2020 Census. It is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. Hi ...

, and graduated from

Avon Lake High School Avon Lake High School (ALHS) is a public high school located in Avon Lake, Ohio, west of Cleveland. It serves grades 9–12. It is part of the Avon Lake City School District. Academics ALHS achieved "excellent" ratings on the Ohio State Report ...

in 1983. She attended

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public research university in Oxford, Ohio. The university was founded in 1809, making it the second-oldest university in Ohio (behind Ohio University, founded in 1804) and the 10 ...

. With Alexis Antes and Victoria Fliegel, Odd Girl Out enjoyed a niche following, particularly on the college scene. The band got airplay on,Free Times article 7/11/2007
/ref> and support from, commercial radio stations in the Cleveland market, shortly before media deregulation and consolidation made the practice less common. In July 1997, Anne E. DeChant released her first solo album, with a more mainstream sound, but departing a bit from her folk roots.

Songwriting

DeChant writes her share of heart-felt songs of heartache and heartbreak. She is a story teller who draws much of her inspiration from the struggles of those she observes. Many of her most popular tracks are about social justice issues. Examples include ''Girls and Airplanes'' (

gender equality Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...

), ''Green Hand'' ( supporting troops post-war), ''Swastika'' (

Holocaust denial Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: ...

), ''25'' (imbalance in economic status), and ''Second Class Citizen'' and "What Do You Care" (prejudice and intolerance toward the gay and transgender communities), "World War III" (man-made 'progress' versus destruction of the earth). Her 2020 song "''Change''" relates the disparity in the culture wars, both economic and racial. Anne E. DeChant is the lead vocal, and plays rhythm guitar and/or ukelele on her recordings, sometimes adding electric guitar and banjo on stage in live performances.

Album discography

* ''Odd Girl Out: Live in Concert'' (1990, live CD, with Odd Girl Out) * ''Effort of the Spin'' (1996, CD) * ''Something of the Soul'' (2000, CD) * ''Live: An Evening with Anne E. DeChant'' (2001, live, CD) * ''Pop the Star'' (2004, CD) produced by Don Dixon, Cleveland * ''Girls and Airplanes'' (2006, CD) produced by Andy Ackland, San Diego * ''One Voice One Guitar'' (2007, Christmas CD) produced by Dark Tree Studios, Cleveland * ''One Voice One Guitar Vol 2'' (2008, CD) produced by Toy Box Studios, Nashville * ''Swing'' (2011, CD) produced by Bill Warner, Nashville * ''The Sun Coming In'' (2015, CD) produced by Mike Severs, Nashville, Sunny's Lab Studios, Nashville TN *''Lost in Kentucky'' (2018, CD) produced by Mike Severs and Anne E. DeChant at Sunny's Lab Studios, Nashville TN *''Every Little Everything, Greatest Hits, Vol. 1'' (2020, CD) new songs produced by Mike Severs, Nashville, Sunny's Lab Studios, Nashville TN

Awards

* ''Finalist, Kerrville Folk Festival, 2020'' *''

Cleveland Free Times The ''Cleveland Free Times'' was an alternative weekly newspaper in Cleveland, Ohio. Its first issue was published on September 30, 1992. The ''Free Times'' and '' Cleveland Scene'', a competing weekly paper, were purchased by Times-Shamrock Co ...

'': All Star Musician, 2007 * ''

Cleveland Scene The ''Cleveland Scene'' is an alternative weekly newspaper based in Cleveland, Ohio. The newspaper includes highlights of Cleveland-area arts, music, dining, and films, as well as classified advertising. The first edition of the newspaper was pub ...

'': Best Singer/Songwriter, Best Folk/Acoustic Act, Best Regional Vocalist, various years 1998-2005 * CleveScene.com: 2000 Scene Music Awards

References

External links

*
Bio

SonicBids press kit
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dechant, Anne E. Living people American folk guitarists American folk singers American rock guitarists American women rock singers American rock songwriters American women singer-songwriters American women guitarists People from Avon Lake, Ohio Year of birth missing (living people) Singer-songwriters from Ohio Guitarists from Ohio 21st-century American women