“When I play Philly, it feels full circle because of the people. My family will be there, my friends will be there,” homegrown indie-pop artist Anna Shoemaker tells me during a recent phone chat. The last time I spoke to the singer/songwriter, she was preparing for a few performances in her former hometown – an appearance at World Café Live for Philly Music Fest between runs opening for Joe P, which included a stop at our very own Brooklyn Bowl — and told me that every return to the 215 felt like a full circle moment. I caught up with Anna Shoemaker (off the record) this February when she opened Johnny Brenda’s for indie rockers Bay Faction just a few days before the release of her sophomore LP, Someone Should Stop Her, and she told me that there was, in fact, a big upcoming tour that was going to be announced in the very near future…
The day of Someone Should Stop Her’s release, Anna Shoemaker announced more than a month of dates supporting Aussie pop sensation Mallrat (who we last saw at metal and hardcore haven Voltage Lounge in 2019…), which will have her back in the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection this Wednesday, May 7th, at The Foundry at The Fillmore. And while Shoemaker has done some pretty major tours with Joe P and TikTok star Aidan Bissett, she tells me she’s especially excited about this jaunt, which will be something new for her: “I feel like Mallrat fans will be really cool girlies… This will be my first time touring with a female artist.”
Anna Shoemaker acknowledges that Someone Should Stop Her is, without a doubt, a breakup album, but she tells me it’s also about growing, both personally and musically: “The first album [2022’s Everything is Fine (I’m Only on Fire)] was more of a collection of songs that I had and finished during COVID… This one’s a little more intentional, a little more curated and thought through, not that the first album wasn’t thoughtful, but my first album was a little more of a diary.” When discussing some of the music that has remained a constant inspiration to her sound, Shoemaker mentions Car Seat Headrest’s Teens of Style and Mitski’s Bury Me at Makeout Creek, before recalling seeing the indie rock icon when she was able to play significantly smaller rooms: “Not to brag, but I saw her at First Unitarian Church. I saw her there when she was doing Puberty 2!” (The last time we spoke, she bragged about getting to see Mitski play a Free At Noon when Shoemaker was interning at World Café Live.)
With a few major runs under her belt, I’m curious how Anna Shoemaker has adjusted to the life of a touring musician, and she tells me it’s not necessarily what many might think: “I was just telling my boyfriend this the other day, there’s a lot of scheduling involved, so it is weirdly stable in some way.” But when I ask if she has any advice for young musicians, relating to life on the road, she says there are a few things that are very important: “I would say, if you’re considering touring, get a lot of sleep and make sure you bring good people, because you will be around them a lot… a lot [laughs].” Although there’s one thing that she admits, sadly, she hasn’t been able to do yet: “I wish I could bring my cat, my kid.”
At the time of our fall 2024 chat, Anna Shoemaker was currently in the process of moving from her recent home of New York City to Los Angeles, where she admitted she’d been spending about half of her time anyway. She tells me that she’s recently been devoting a lot of time to writing and, after this run of dates with Mallrat, she’s excited to get back to her new home and continue writing more music. And when I ask how she’s liking this new home of hers, she says it’s great and everything’s finally in place: “I love being in LA! I’m all settled in! I love my apartment, and my cat’s finally here!”
*Get your tickets here.
