You know Anya’s music, right? The Asheville resident and SW Virginia native was formerly in Tellico, and Dehlia Low before that, and won the Merlefest Chris Austin Songwriting Contest and was a finalist in the Hazel Dickens songwriting competition in 2019 for her song “Ballad of Zona Abston,” and was runner-up in the International Acoustic Music Awards in 2022 for “Hills of Swannanoa.” Well the name of her latest album is about as far from Southern Appalachia as you can get: Oceania comes from an area of the Pacific Ocean that is the only geographical region in the world that encompasses more water than land. Anya has found it to be a metaphor for aspects of her own life lately: “The state of being lost, and the prospect of finding the shore, is so remote and improbable that is truly tests the heart and spirit.” Get to know these new songs of hers, on this album that includes John Doyle, Mick McAuley, Billy Cardine, River Guerguerian and others. Her upcoming area shows include Citizen Vinyl in Asheville on the 27th (with The Billy Sea & Mary Lucey), and the Albino Skunk Festival on May 11th.
Tuesday 4/23: Anya Hinkle – Oceania
