Annie Hardy

Last updated

Annie Hardy
Annie Hardy, 2022.jpg
Hardy performing in 2022
Background information
Birth nameAnnie Summer Hardy [1]
Born (1981-06-05) June 5, 1981 (age 43)
San Clemente, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
  • actress
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
  • keyboards [2]
Years active2003–present
Labels

Annie Summer Hardy (born June 5, 1981) [3] [4] is an American musician. She is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter of the indie rock band Giant Drag, which she formed in 2003. After releasing their debut EP, Lemona (2004), the band was briefly signed to Kickball Records, a subsidiary of Interscope, who distributed their debut album, Hearts and Unicorns (2005). Their second album, Waking Up Is Hard to Do (2013), was independently released through the band's own label, Full Psycho Records.

Contents

Hardy was voted one of NME's "50 Coolest People," and has received major news coverage in NME, [5] Spin, [6] [7] MTV News [8] and Rolling Stone , [9] among others. She started her own record label October 2012 launching Full Psycho Records, TV & Crafts in a soft launch via her YouTube channel. [10] She is known for her quick-witted stage persona and retorts to insults. [11] Hardy released her first solo album, Rules, in 2017.

In addition to music, Hardy has also occasionally worked as an actress; she appeared in Spike Jonze's short film I'm Here (2010), and later starred as a semi-fictionalized version of herself in the 2021 horror film Dashcam .

Early life

Hardy was born in San Clemente, California, [12] to Molly, a part-time playwright and director, [13] and James Kent Hardy. [14] Her mother is a Catholic of Irish descent, and her father is of Jewish ancestry. [15] [16] Hardy has stated that she discovered her father's Jewish ancestry through a DNA test; her paternal grandmother was ethnically Ashkenazi Jewish, but religiously a born-again Christian. [16] Hardy also stated she has small amounts of Punjabi Indian, Sardinian, and Italian ancestry. [16]

Hardy was raised in Orange County, and began taking guitar lessons at age nine. [2] In the tenth grade, Hardy went to a boarding school in Ojai of which she says: "There was nothing to do there. I was acting there and I was in the choir." [13] It was there that she met another girl who also had a guitar. According to Hardy, "Her dad was teaching her Beatles songs. So we learned how to play together. I learned a lot by studying piano books that had chord charts. I bought some rock books. Around then I learned how to play and sing at the same time." [13]

After high school, Hardy did extra work for money and pursued a musical career. In 1999, she moved to Los Angeles. At some point, Hardy worked as a DJ at Beauty Bar. Hardy continued looking for band members and was involved in many potential bands, including Mein Coif, with friends Mike Felix (now drummer of Toys That Kill) and Max Humphrey (bassist of The Adored).

Career

Giant Drag

Hardy (left) performing in Giant Drag at South by Southwest, 2006 Giant Drag.jpg
Hardy (left) performing in Giant Drag at South by Southwest, 2006

In May 2003, Hardy and Micah Calabrese formed Giant Drag. Hardy's mother, who had worked with Calabrese at an internet company, had initially attempted to get Hardy and Calabrese to meet, but the two eventually met through mutual friends who began dating. [17] [18] They began recording music together, including covers of Journey's "Who's Crying Now" and the Beach Boys' "God Only Knows."

According to Hardy, "One day I said, 'Hey dude, you know all my songs. Why don't you be my drummer?' He agreed." [13] The two considered hiring a bassist to join the group, but instead, Calabrese began performing bass using a synthesizer with one hand, while drumming with the other. [18] Performing both roles limited Calabrese's drumming performance, but soon became a stylistic element of the duo's music. [18] [19] Giant Drag's first show was on June 4, 2003, at the Scene in Los Angeles, one month after they decided to be a band.

On January 25, 2005, Giant Drag released the EP Lemona on Wichita Recordings. This was followed on September 13, 2005, by their first full-length release, Hearts and Unicorns , on Kickball Records.

In 2007, Giant Drag covered Madonna's "Oh Father" for a charity/tribute Madonna album that benefited AIDS assistance efforts in Africa, titled Through the Wilderness . [20]

The Swan Song EP was released on February 16, 2010. [21] [22] Also in 2010, Giant Drag's cover of "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak was used in a commercial for Nip/Tuck on the FX Network. [23] [24] Giant Drag originals have been featured on television shows including The L-Word, Jericho and the movie A Love Song for Bobby Long starring Scarlett Johansson and John Travolta.

In 2013, the band released their second studio album, Waking Up Is Hard to Do . [25] Commenting on the album, Hardy said: "On Hearts and Unicorns everything was a complete mystery to me. I put zero thought into writing songs – I was like, "oh, this is just how they come out. They're beamed to me from a spaceship and they come out finished and then I add a cat solo". Now I'm aware that I have some control over the situation and I put a little more thought into if I was a listener how I'd like to hear it, I guess." [26] The same year, Hardy began recording material under the projects PnP (short for "party and play") and Annie Hardy and the Psychos, both featuring her friend and bandmate Monica Barciki. [26]

In 2020, while Hardy was quarantined for COVID-19 restrictions in London prior to shooting the horror film Dashcam , in which she starred, she recorded material for Giant Drag's studio album at The Libertines' recording studio, The Albion Rooms, alongside another secret project. [27] The material was recorded with Jamie Reynolds, formerly of the English rock group Klaxons. [27] Commenting on the recording, Hardy stated: "I think I was an idiot savant before, or just an idiot – I'm not sure. I could write songs but I wasn't really invested. I was always really sedated, taking a lot of pills and whatnot. Now I'm very present and I know what I'm doing for the first time." [27] In 2021, the band independently issued the EPs Lemona and Swan Song as a joint release on vinyl for the first time. [28]

In June 2022, Giant Drag, featuring Hardy and drummer Collin Deatherage, released the track "Devil Inside", which had previously been recorded for their EP Band Car; the track was featured as a promotional single for Dashcam. [29]

Film and television

In February 2010, she made her screen debut I'm Here , a short film directed by Spike Jonze. [30] In October 2011, she made a musical appearance on the 2011 Halloween episode of Pretty Little Liars . In 2017, Hardy appeared as herself in a supporting role in The Icarus Line Must Die , a semi-fictionalized biographical film about Joe Cardamone, the singer of the band The Icarus Line. [31]

In 2021, Hardy starred in the lead role in Rob Savage's Blumhouse-produced computer screen horror film Dashcam . [32] Hardy portrays a semi-fictionalized version of herself in the film, starring as a musician who livestreams herself during a nighttime road trip in England, where she encounters a series of terrifying events. [33] [34] The project was developed by Savage, an acquaintance of Hardy's; he proposed the idea based on a series of livestream videos Hardy had uploaded to YouTube while driving in Los Angeles, titled Band Car, in which she works out song ideas before the viewers. [35] The film received mixed reviews from critics. [36]

Collaborations

Hardy provided guest vocals on the song "Pink Cellphone" from the 2006 Deftones album Saturday Night Wrist . [37] On April 26, 2007, Hardy performed the song "Just Like Honey" onstage with The Jesus and Mary Chain for their reunion show the day before Coachella. [38]

Hardy contributed vocals to The Icarus Line's 2010 record Wildlife and performed a number of the band's live appearances on organ. She also appeared at the debut live performance of Crosses (featuring Deftones singer and guitarist Chino Moreno) in Pomona, California, performing the Giant Drag track "Swan Song". [39]

Other works

Hardy frequently co-hosted the Get The Fuck Up (GTFU) radio show with Jeremy Weiss and Aaron Farley, beginning in 2009. [40]

Hardy released her debut solo album, Rules, on April 7, 2017. [12] [41]

Influences

Hardy has named various rock and punk bands as influences, including The Beatles, Babes in Toyland, Hole, The Misfits, the Descendents, and Danzig. [42]

Personal life

In December 2008, Hardy revealed that she had been diagnosed with fibromyalgia. [43] She was prescribed the opioid drug Norco to treat her pain, which resulted in a decade-long addiction to the substance. [44] Hardy stated that at one point, she was taking approximately 60 tablets of the drug per day. [44] After several rehabilitation stints, she recovered and became sober from the drug. [44] She commented that, after reaching sobriety, she realized that her "pain levels were nowhere near as bad as I thought they were. When you are taking that much painkiller you have no grasp of what your natural pain levels are." [44] Hardy attributed her muscle pain and fibromyalgia diagnosis to performing with a Gretsch guitar that was too heavy for her body to support: "I didn't realize that through all the touring and sitting in fucked-up chairs and the most painful part of getting onstage every night, was that my guitar was so fucking heavy. I never explored that aspect. I'm pretty small and now I have a Dan Armstrong guitar that is 5 pounds and it sounds rad and it looks cool – and it doesn't hurt at all. It seems dumb in retrospect." [44]

In 2022, Hardy openly discussed her codependent addiction to Adderall that she developed with a "controlling, manipulative" boyfriend following the release of Giant Drag's second album, Waking Up Is Hard to Do (2013). [45] Hardy's Adderall abuse eventually progressed to an addiction to methamphetamine. [45] After separating from this boyfriend, Hardy subsequently began an "intense, tempestuous" relationship with Robert Paulson, a rapper known by his stage name Cadalack Ron. [12] In early March 2015, Hardy and Paulson gave birth to a son named Silvio. [12] Silvio died at the age of 17 days of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). [12] Paulson subsequently died of a drug overdose in January 2016. [12]

Hardy has described herself as a "begrudging Christian." [46]

Discography

Giant Drag

Solo

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2010 I'm Here AnnieShort film [30]
2017 The Icarus Line Must Die Annie [31]
2022 Dashcam Annie [33]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Vincent (musician)</span> American musician (born 1982)

Anne Erin Clark, known professionally as St. Vincent, is an American musician and singer. Her guitar playing has been praised for its melodic style and use of distortion, and she has been listed among the best guitarists of the 21st century by multiple publications. Rolling Stone named Clark the 26th-greatest guitarist of all time in 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annie (singer)</span> Norwegian singer, songwriter, record producer and DJ

Anne Lilia Berge Strand, known professionally as Annie, is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, record producer and DJ. She began her recording career in 1999 with the underground hit single "The Greatest Hit" and gained international acclaim, particularly from music bloggers, for her debut album Anniemal (2004).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schuyler Fisk</span> American actress and singer-songwriter

Schuyler Elizabeth Fisk is an American actress and singer-songwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic Monkeys</span> English rock band

Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley; bassist and co-founder Andy Nicholson left the band in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elastica</span> British rock band

Elastica were an English rock band formed in London in 1992 by guitarist/singer Justine Frischmann and drummer Justin Welch after their departure from Suede. The band was stylistically influenced by punk rock, post-punk and new wave music. The band's members changed several times, with Frischmann and Welch being the only members who remained in Elastica from its formation to its dissolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Giant Drag</span> American indie rock band

Giant Drag is an American indie rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2003 by singer and guitarist Annie Hardy and drummer and keyboardist Micah Calabrese. After releasing their debut EP, Lemona in 2004, the band released their debut studio album, Hearts and Unicorns (2005) through Kickball Records, a subsidiary of Interscope.

<i>Lemona</i> (EP) 2004 EP by Giant Drag

Lemona is the debut EP by the American indie rock band Giant Drag. It was first released in June 2004 by the independent Los Angeles–based label Leftwing Recordings, before receiving a wider repressing in the United Kingdom through Wichita Recordings.

<i>Hearts and Unicorns</i> 2005 studio album by Giant Drag

Hearts and Unicorns is the debut studio album by the American indie rock band Giant Drag. It was released September 13, 2005 in the United States and February 27, 2006 in the United Kingdom by Kickball Records. It was the second release by the band after their debut EP Lemona, released in 2004.

Ann Robie Bandes, better known as Little Annie, Annie Anxiety or Annie Anxiety Bandez, is an American singer, painter, poet, writer, performing and recording artist, pastor, and stage actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Marling</span> British folk singer-songwriter (born 1990)

Laura Beatrice Marling is an English folk singer-songwriter. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards and was nominated for the same award at the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 Brit Awards.

<i>Through the Wilderness</i> 2007 compilation album by Various artists

Through the Wilderness is a tribute album with contributions from a variety of artists dedicated to American singer Madonna. It was released on November 27, 2007, by Los Angeles-based Manimal Vinyl Records. According to label head Paul Beahan, the idea for the album was conceived by him in a dream. He enlisted multiple artists to work on the project, including Giant Drag, Lavender Diamond, Winter Flowers and Chapin Sisters. Although he's not a fan of Madonna, Beahan wanted to see how her songs would sound when covered by different musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Glass</span> Canadian singer and songwriter

Margaret Osborn, known professionally as Alice Glass, is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She is the co-founder and former frontwoman of the electronic band Crystal Castles. In 2014, she embarked on a solo career. She released her eponymous debut EP in 2017. Her solo debut album, Prey//IV, was released in February 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence Welch</span> English singer and songwriter (born 1986)

Florence Leontine Mary Welch is an English singer and songwriter. She is the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of the indie rock band Florence and the Machine. The band's debut studio album, Lungs (2009), topped the UK Albums Chart and won the Brit Award for Best British Album. Their next four albums also achieved chart success. In 2018, Welch released a book titled Useless Magic, a collection of lyrics and poems written by her, along with illustrations.

Par Avion is a SPIN.com pick band currently consisting of singer/guitarist/composer Paul Avion, bassist/composer Zachary Ginder, keyboardist/composer Zandro Urbiztondo and drummer Andrew Rivera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Self Esteem (musician)</span> English singer-songwriter (born 1986)

Rebecca Lucy Taylor, also known by her stage name Self Esteem, is a British musician, songwriter and actress. First known as one half of the band Slow Club, she launched a solo career as Self Esteem with the single "Your Wife" in 2017, followed by the albums Compliments Please in 2019 and Prioritise Pleasure in 2021. A multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, songwriter and theatre composer, she is winner of the 2021 BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year Award and Prioritise Pleasure was nominated for the 2022 Mercury Prize. From September 2023 to March 2024 she performed the lead role of Sally Bowles in the West End production of Cabaret.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Jungle Giants</span> Australian indie pop band

The Jungle Giants are an Australian indie rock band from Brisbane, Queensland, who formed in 2011.

<i>Waking Up Is Hard to Do</i> 2013 studio album by Giant Drag

Waking Up Is Hard to Do is the second studio album by the American indie rock band Giant Drag, released on March 5, 2013 on Full Psycho Records, the band's own label. It is the band's first full-length release of original material since Hearts and Unicorns (2005) and was released as a digital download on Giant Drag's Bandcamp music store.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolf Alice</span> British alternative rock band

Wolf Alice are an English rock band from London, England. Formed in 2010 as an acoustic duo comprising singer Ellie Rowsell and guitarist Joff Oddie, Wolf Alice have also featured bassist Theo Ellis and drummer Joel Amey since 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rina Sawayama</span> Japanese singer (born 1990)

Rina Sawayama is a Japanese singer, actress and model based in the United Kingdom. Born in Niigata, Japan, she immigrated to London with her parents at the age of five. In 2017, she self-released her debut extended play, Rina. After signing to Dirty Hit in 2020, she released her debut studio album, Sawayama, to critical acclaim. Her second studio album, Hold the Girl, was released on 16 September 2022. Known for her musical versatility, Sawayama has also modelled for fashion campaigns, and made her film acting debut in the action film John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).

<i>Dashcam</i> (horror film) 2021 film by Rob Savage

Dashcam is a 2021 horror film directed by Rob Savage and written by Savage, Gemma Hurley, and Jed Shepherd. The film stars Annie Hardy, Amer Chadha-Patel, and Angela Enahoro. It follows Hardy as a semi-fictionalized version of herself who leaves Los Angeles to visit a friend in London during the COVID-19 pandemic, only to find herself in a series of nightmarish events after agreeing to give a strange elderly woman a ride in her friend's car.

References

  1. "BATTLE CRY". ASCAP. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Osei-Owusu, Del (February 22, 2024). "Tea, Biscuits and a Chat with Annie Hardy". Fresh on the Net. Archived from the original on November 16, 2024.
  3. "Annie Hardy". Apple Music . Apple Inc. Archived from the original on November 16, 2024.
  4. "The Resurrection of Giant Drag – in conversation with Annie Hardy". Write Wyattuk. January 29, 2020. Archived from the original on December 9, 2023.
  5. "Annie Hardy". NME . Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
  6. "Giant Drag Splits in Two". Spin . December 1, 2006. Archived from the original on October 27, 2023.
  7. "Breaking Out: Giant Drag". Spin . October 2, 2005. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022.
  8. Perez, Rodrigo (December 2, 2005). "Harry Potter Hearts Giant Drag". MTV . Archived from the original on January 2, 2006. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  9. "Music News: Latest and Breaking Music News". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on April 5, 2006. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  10. "Full Psycho Records". Full Psycho Records. Archived from the original on October 5, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  11. Sullivan, Kate (December 1, 2005). "Kitty Litter". LA Weekly . Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Moreland, James (January 2017). "Drag Slayer" (PDF). LA Weekly . Vol. 39, no. 10. p. 37. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 16, 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Giant Drag Interview". Portable Infinite. December 5, 2005. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022.
  14. "Annie Hardy on The Steebee Weebee Show" (Interview). Interviewed by Steven Lee. October 5, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2022 via YouTube.
  15. Quarantine & Conspiracy: Resting Bitch Podcast #38. Resting Bitch Podcast. Interviewed by Ali Macofsky. March 18, 2020. Event occurs at 50:45. Retrieved October 11, 2022 via YouTube. I'm Irish, and I'm also Jewish as well.
  16. 1 2 3 "Waiting for the Miracle! The Annie Hardy Episode". Little Bit of Synergy (Podcast). March 27, 2021. Event occurs at 01:38:00–01:43:00 approx. Archived from the original on December 9, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  17. Carpenter, Susan (October 16, 2005). "From the odd couple, music to break up by". Los Angeles Times . p. E43 via Newspapers.com.
  18. 1 2 3 "Giant Drag Interview – Part 1". Redemption TV. 2007. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  19. Goldman, Eric (July 5, 2006). "Giant Drag Interview". IGN . Archived from the original on October 10, 2022.
  20. "Giant Drag pay tribute to Madonna". NME . February 13, 2007. Archived from the original on October 11, 2022.
  21. Breihan, Tom (February 2, 2010). "New Release: Giant Drag: Swan Song EP | News". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on February 15, 2017.
  22. "Giant Drag Return with 'Swan Song' EP in February". Sentimentalist Magazine. January 2, 2010. Archived from the original on October 12, 2013. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  23. "Giant Drag: From a major label to auctioning hair". Los Angeles Times . February 2, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  24. "Nip/Tuck : Season 5 Promo". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
  25. "Waking Up Is Hard to Do by Giant Drag". Apple Music . Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  26. 1 2 Wood, Marie (July 5, 2013). "you-can-give-up-or-you-can-rise-up-and-tell-everyone-to-eat-a-dick"-dis-meets-giant-drag ""You can give up or you can rise up and tell everyone to eat dick" – DiS meets Giant Drag". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on October 11, 2022.
  27. 1 2 3 Trendell, Andrew (November 4, 2020). "Giant Drag just finished their first album in seven years with Klaxons' Jamie Reynolds at The Libertines' Albion Rooms studio". NME . Archived from the original on October 10, 2022.
  28. Bardhan, Ashley (June 9, 2021). "Album of the Day: Giant Drag, "Lemona" and "Swan Song"". Bandcamp . Archived from the original on October 10, 2022.
  29. Bronson, Kevin (June 9, 2022). "Stream: Giant Drag, 'Devil Inside'". Buzz Bands LA. Archived from the original on October 10, 2022.
  30. 1 2 "I'm Here". TV Guide . Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  31. 1 2 "The Icarus Line Must Die". Rotten Tomatoes . Archived from the original on October 11, 2022.
  32. Felperin, Leslie (June 1, 2022). "Dashcam review – Maga-loving social media monster leads pandemic horror". The Guardian . Archived from the original on October 9, 2022.
  33. 1 2 Miska, Brad (August 4, 2021). "TIFF's Midnight Madness 2021 Brings the Chaos With 'Titane', 'You Are Not My Mother', Several Others! [Images]". Bloody Disgusting . Archived from the original on October 9, 2022.
  34. Verhoeven, Beatrice (February 10, 2022). "Rob Savage's Dashcam Acquired by Momentum Pictures". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on October 9, 2022.
  35. Nemiroff, Perri (September 16, 2021). "'DASHCAM' Director Defends His Controversial Casting Choice". Collider . Archived from the original on October 10, 2022.
  36. "Dashcam". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved October 9, 2022.
  37. "The Deftones announce US dates". NME . October 5, 2006. Archived from the original on November 16, 2006.
  38. "Jesus And Mary Chain Reunited, Disinterested". Stereogum . April 2, 2007. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022.
  39. "††† (Crosses) Cover Giant Drag With Annie Hardy At Debut Live Show, More Quality Footage Available (Updated)". The PRP. February 2, 2012. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  40. "Giant Drag New Video "Stuff To Live For" + New EP On The Way". A Good Day For Airplay <<. August 2, 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  41. Heller, Jason (March 30, 2017). "Stream The Giant Drag Alum's Heart-Rending New Album". NPR . Archived from the original on October 9, 2022.
  42. "The Sounds That Shaped Me: Annie Hardy". The Bear Writes Words. November 20, 2013. Archived from the original on October 9, 2022.
  43. "Giant Drag frontwoman Annie Hardy suffering from chronic muscle disorder". NME . December 8, 2008. Archived from the original on December 9, 2008.
  44. 1 2 3 4 5 Freeman, John (April 3, 2013). "Fast-Forwarding From Slow-Motion: An Interview With Giant Drag". The Quietus . Archived from the original on October 9, 2022.
  45. 1 2 Keith, Mike, and "Russian" Danny (March 16, 2022). "Booty Bumping, Drilling, and Gooning with Annie Hardy". It's All Bad (Podcast). Event occurs at approx. 01:21:00–01:35:00. Retrieved October 16, 2022.{{cite podcast}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  46. Hardy, Annie (July 4, 2020). "The World is Ending". Medium . Archived from the original on January 12, 2024.