Anne Erin Clark, aka St. Vincent
Anne Erin Clark (b. 9/28/82,) 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.
The current members of her live band, The Down and Out Downtown Band, are:
Justin Meldal-Johnsen – bass guitar, keyboards, vocals, music director
Jason Falkner – guitar, vocals
Mark Guiliana – drums
Rachel Eckroth – keyboards
Stevvi Alexander – vocals
Nayanna Holley – vocals
Danielle Withers – vocals
Early Life:
Clark was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Sharon Christine and Richard “Rick” Clark. Her mother is a social worker and administrator for a nonprofit organization, and her stepfather works in corporate tax administration. Her parents divorced when she was 3, and when she was 7, she moved with her mother and two older sisters to Dallas, Texas. She has said that a 23andMe DNA test revealed her ancestry to be 80% Irish and 20% Ashkenazi Jewish, via one of her grandmothers. Clark was raised Catholic and Unitarian Universalist. Clark has four brothers and four sisters from her parents’ blended families.
Musical Beginnings:
As a child, Clark was fond of Ritchie Valens and the movie La Bamba. When she was five, her mother gave her a red plastic guitar from a Target store for Christmas. She began playing her first real guitar at age 12 and worked some of her teenage years as a roadie for her aunt and uncle, the guitar-vocal jazz duo Tuck & Patti. In 2001, she graduated from Lake Highlands High School, where she participated in theater and the school’s jazz band. She attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, studying with professor Lauren Passarelli. She left after three years.
Allmusic’s Heather Phares’ biography of St. Vincent includes:
In 2004, [after] Clark left Berklee, [she] joined the extra-large Baroque pop group the Polyphonic Spree as a guitarist and a singer; as well as performed with Glenn Branca’s 100 Guitar Orchestra. In 2006, she joined the backing band of like-minded pop composer Sufjan Stevens. She recorded a three-song EP to sell at her shows with Stevens, on which she adopted the name St. Vincent (inspired by the New York hospital where poet Dylan Thomas died as well as her great-grandmother’s middle name).
Discography:
|
Studio albums |
7 |
|---|---|
|
Music videos |
15 |
|
EPs |
4 |
|
Singles |
22 |
|
Remixes |
3 |
Filmography : 15 music videos
Some things to share:
Clark has notably played a 1967 Harmony Bobkat, 1960’s Silvertone 1488, 1979 Hagström Super Swede, and Fender Deluxe Nashville Telecaster. In recent years, she has primarily played her signature Ernie Ball Music Man St. Vincent guitar. In addition to guitar, Clark also plays bass, piano, organ, and theremin.
The album Daddy’s Home was in part inspired by her father’s release from prison.
Official website: here
It was this performance on Colbert last year that put St. Vincent on my radar:
And this wonderful bonus video, where she breaks it on down:
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Didn’t know her music at all, I can see how you could be hooked on “Down”.
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:) Me too.
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I like her unique style even though it’s not an artist that I’ve followed very much.
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She’s new to me also, Glyn, and I also like her style.
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Another great choice. She’s very talented, can shred.
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:) Graham, it doesn’t surprise me you know her.
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I liked what Joan Jett said…and that is true. She sounds really good! I like the live video.
Thanks for the short on her…that was really cool.
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Happy to hear I hit the trifecta with you on this post :)
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The Hat Trick I think it’s called also! Yes it was really good.
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Ah! Thanks, Max :)
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Tuck and Patti!–that’s good lineage. She sounds great on that live video. I took an album of hers out of the library I liked a lot although I don’t remember what it was. Which is to say I’m not that familiar with her music, but I have positive feelings about it. (K)
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Tuck and Patti are new to me, but I’ll take your word for it. I agree on the live video. She fits into that band like a hand in a glove too. I want to listen to more of her for sure.
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Check out “Takes My Breath Away” and “Mad Mad Me”–have you done Wendy Waldman?–the Tears of Joy album was a favorite. Of course I got rid of all my records, so I haven’t listened to them in a long time. But now I need to check the library…
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What a voice she has…
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This made me cry…thanks for the link.
This is such a great song. Here’s Wendy Waldman. I had this album too…
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Nice and mellow, makes me think of lounging back on pillows and passing a joint around :)
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beautiful! Thanks for leading me to these. Why did you get rid of all of your records??
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No space and nothing to play them on. The library has no Tuck and Patti, nor Wendy Waldman. I’ll have to visit discogs one of these days soon…
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Sorry to hear library doesn’t have them. I added Wendy W to a future year’s WMM. One thing I’ve noticed about discogs is that many times if you buy 1 CD from a vendor, if you buy more from that vendor, the shipping amt covers all you buy from them.
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That’s a good thing to remember.
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I had never heard of St. Vincent. “Birth In Reverse” isn’t so much my cup of tea. “Down”, on the other hand, sounds more intriguing. Based on that third clip, she seems to have a likeable personality. I would have to further check her out to come to a more informed conclusion.
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Christian, thanks for giving her a listen.
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I love, love, love Annie Clark, sorry St. Vincent. She is the definition of what it is to still be a unique voice in music today.
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Well-said, Robert!
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Good stuff here!!
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YES! In a bit of synchronicity, I was *JUST NOW* watching her new video from her new album coming out in April. Sizzling!
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Ooooh… That’s good!
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such a wonderful female artist! I love <3 this music!
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She’s a blast isn’t she.
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