"Unknown Legend" Rides Again

Chris Manahl, MTV Editorial

To look at Anny Celsi and hear her sing, is to dream of riding off with her on a Harley in a whirlwind of romance and road dust. Anny, lead singer and songwriter for Annyland, has that composite look of savvy toughness and beautiful sweetness that is a uniquely American creation. It's a look that somehow simultaneously says, yes, maybe she did beat her last few cheating scum boyfriends about the head and shoulders with a heavy gauge drive-chain, but that doesn’t mean she couldn’t be a tender lover and doting mother.

It’s a look that has, for some reason, always been a vital part of rock. Sheryl Crow, Liz Phair and Veruca Salt are only some of the female singer/songwriters who have turned that jaded-but-hopeful look into solid record sales.

So it’s no surprise that the music of Annyland reflects that popular dichotomy. Celsi’s come-hither voice and bluesy songs like "Undercover of the Rain" and "Drag the River" are played and sung with the life-affirming energy of the world’s best pop songs. No doubt, that’s why Music Connection recently named Annyland one of L.A.’s hottest unsigned bands.

But more than any of the female musicians who are currently filling up the Billboard charts, Anny performs her music with what can only be described as profound joy, On stage, she matches her Chrissie Hynde black leather pants with a knowing, enrapturing smile. She becomes the vision Neil Young saw when he sang about the Unknown Legend – riding a Harley-Davidson and "looking for a magic kiss."