Annie Decatur Danielewski (born March 23, 1968), also known as Poe, was one of several angsty grunge-rock female singer-songwriters to first hit the modern rock charts in the mid-1990s. Others include Alanis Morissette, Tori Amos, P J Harvey, and Liz Phair.
She is the daughter of Polish film director Tad Danielewski and his wife, Priscilla Machold, a former American actress. Poe is also the sister of author Mark Z. Danielewski. She received her nickname in childhood after wearing a costume inspired by Edgar Allan Poe to a Halloween party where she dressed as the "Red Death" from Edgar Allen Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death".
She pursued her undergraduate studies at Princeton University where she organized her first band. Her first album, Hello, was released in 1995. Her debut single, "Angry Johnny", got much radio and MTV airplay.
As an artist who tours small clubs continuously, she was unable to produce a second album until 2000's Haunted. She wrote, recorded and mixed the album entirely in her own home on her personal computer; this was noted on a number of technology websites, particularly MSNBC’s The Site. The album dovetails with themes and concepts from her brother Mark's dark fantasy novel House of Leaves; the CD and the book were released simultaneously. Ann and Mark toured together across America at Borders Books and Music locations in support of the album and the novel. A remix of the song, "Hey Pretty", featured Mark reading a passage from the novel. It was released on one of the Haunted singles and became a radio hit.
Poe started a campaign which she referred to as the "Re-POE-Session", an attempt to gain control of her masters from her former record label, Atlantic Records, because they refused to re-release her albums although she was still under contract. Her dedicated fan base, "The Angry Psychos", supported her fight by passing a "Poe Ball" around the country to show their support. In 2004, both albums were re-released on CD by FEI/Sheridan Square Records, and in downloadable form on various online music stores.
According to statements on her official forum Poe has (or had) started work on a third album, but details are sketchy and several years have passed since the first announcement. Her most recent work includes collaborations with Rhys Fulber's solo project, Conjure One. She appears on a total of five songs between both of Conjure One's albums.
Poe's musical style is an unusual blend of folk, rock, and electronica elements backing intimate lyrical compositions. Albums with a similar feel include Beth Orton's Trailer Park and Tori Amos' To Venus and Back.
Poe appeared in the movie Gossip performing the song "My Lips are Sealed" (a cover of The Go-Go's' "Our Lips Are Sealed"), and as a CGI character, Mary Magdalene/Plague, in the PlayStation game, Apocalypse. Apocalypse also featured an alternate version of her song, "Control", later released on Haunted.
Discography
Albums
Singles
- "Trigger Happy Jack (Drive by a Go-Go)" (1995) (#27 Modern Rock hit)
- "Angry Johnny" (1995) (#7 Modern Rock hit)
- "Hello" (1996) (#13 Modern Rock, #1 Dance hit)
- "Today" (Promo 1998)
- "Rise and Shine" Charity Single (1998)
- "Control" (Promo 1998)
- "Walk the Walk" (Promo, 2000)
- "Hey Pretty" Drive-by 2001 remix (Promo, 2001) (#13 Modern Rock, #30 Adult Top 40 hit)
- "Wild" (Promo, 2001)
Unreleased/Compilation
- "Endless Dream," "One Word," and "Extraordinary Way" (as Jane) with Conjure One (2005)
- "Center of the Sun" and "Make a Wish" with Conjure One (2002)
- "My Lips are Sealed" (cover) Gossip soundtrack (1999)
- "Strange Wind" Anywhere But Here Soundtrack (1999)
- "Which Way To The Top?" (additional vocals) on Fastball's All the Pain Money Can Buy (1998)
- "I Cain't Say No" (Oklahoma Showtune cover) Welcome to Woop-Woop Soundtrack (1998)
- "A Rose Is A Rose" Lounge-a-palooza (1997)
- "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" (1996)