Pittsburgh's Brooke Annibale, Singer/songwriter is Going to Carnegie Hall!

Pittsburgh does indeed have special local musical talent, clearly displayed by Pittsburgh native musician, Brooke Annibale, who's gaining area visibility and growing fan base. Brooke is from suburbia Pittsburgh and like many other talented area musicians, dreams of becoming a well known performing artist, singer and songwriter. Brooke is indeed waking up the music world and by using the Internet and social networking, was able to enter and WIN the OurStage.com contest to appear with nationally known Hanson at the Carnegie Library Music Hall in Munhall, PA this August 20, 2010. Brooke is tremendously excited about the potential coming from this opportunity. Brooke's music has been described as "acoustic pop-rock, infused with a bit of blues". Check out her website and give her a listen.

Also, be sure to bookmark this article and check back for a Live Stream of Hanson interviewing Brooke before the concert on August 20 at 5:30 PM EST that will also feature a preview performance by both Brooke and Hanson!

Brooke has graciously taken the time from her busy touring/writing schedule to answer a few questions for Associated Content. Here is the Interview:

DL: How is the music career going currently and how did you go about trying out for the Hanson Opening?

This summer has been extremely busy! I've done some touring, performing in Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, DC, Vermont, Boston, Portland (Maine), and of course, my hometown Pittsburgh. I didn't actually "try out" for the Hanson opening gig. Hanson and Ourstage.com held a contest for the opening gigs on their current summer tour (Shout it Out Tour). Bands and artists could enter into their respective hometowns, or nearby cities (within a 300 mile radius). Then fans were asked to rank the artists, which made it less like a voting process, and more like a judging process. The top 20 was decided from 100+ entries, and then a top 10 decided from those top 20. I placed 1st at the end of these 2 rounds of judging. Then there was a final judging round, where the artists were judged by a professional panel, which I would assume was Hanson and/or their management. I was contacted a few weeks later and told that Hanson's team had selected me to open for them on August 20th and Carnegie Library Music Hall here in Pittsburgh!

DL: What area of Pittsburgh are you from and have you found you have to make connections outside of Pittsburgh to succeed as a recording artist?

BA: I'm from a suburb outside of Pittsburgh. I have been increasingly reaching outside of Pittsburgh for shows and contacting other artists. I think you have to perform in as many places as possible to grow your fan base and continue to connect with more people.

DL: Have you been able to do well as an Independent artist or have you found you needed to sign with someone to manage your career?

BA: I supposed to fully answer this question, I'd first need to define "well" and would need to sign with a management company. I feel like I've made steady progress over the past year, and that I'm doing a decent job as an independent artist. I had the opportunity to sign with an independent label back in 2007 before I released my latest album (The In Between - 2008), but decided against it, and released my album independently. I haven't had any offers for management deals, but would definitely consider one if I did. Sometimes, a management company has more connections, and frees the artist up to focus more on the music than having to do everything themselves.

DL:Are you finding that being a recording/performance artist is a full time career or do you have a "day time job" also?

BA: There is definitely enough work to do as an independent artist to consider it a full time job. I do all of my own booking and promoting, including running social networking sites and my new website (Brookeannibale.com). I also write all of my own music and, of course, perform all the shows I book. The pay, however, fluctuates! I don't have a full time job elsewhere, because I'm not sure I would ever be able to tour with a full time job. (I do volunteer part-time at my family's business, when I'm in town.)

DL:Who are your favorite artists and who has been your major influence in music?

BA: I'm not sure who has had the single most influence on my music, because I listen to so many different people! When I was a kid, I really liked the Beatles, and continue to listen to them to this day. Some other influences include: Coldplay, The Swell Season, John Mayer, Missy Higgins, Brandi Carlile, and many more.

DL:Are you working on a new album or one soon to come?

BA: I have been writing new material for the last couple of months. I hope to begin recording within the next month or two, as soon as my performance schedule slows down a bit. I'm really excited to make a new record, but I don't want to rush the process. I'm making sure I'm ready, with the right songs and the right idea about what I want the songs to sound like recorded.

DL:Do you find that social networking sites like Facebook are a necessity for today's musician?

BA: Definitely. I think musicians need to use social networking to connect with fans, promote, and spread the word about their music. There really hasn't ever been a better tool for independent musicians to create a sustainable career than the communication possible via the internet, specifically social networking and digital distribution avenues such as iTunes.

DL:I see from your Facebook page that you have spent some time in Nashville working. What jobs did you have there and what experience did you gain that only Nashville can offer?

BA: I went to college in Nashville at Belmont University and graduated with a degree in Music Business in May of 2009. I held 3 internships at 3 different places during my time there. I worked at INO Records, NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International), and Q Prime Management. I felt that these experiences gave me a well-rounded view into three aspects of the industry: Record Labels, Publishing Companies, and Artist Management. My internships gave me a bit of insight into what strategies are used to be successful in each facet of the industry. Now I'm just trying to implement that in an independent fashion!

DL:What's in the works or upcoming news and events for you?

BA: I'm opening for Hanson at Carnegie Library Music Hall in Pittsburgh on August 20th and am very excited about the opportunity to open for a band with such a long and successful career. There will be a live stream before the show (available on my website, and Hanson.net) where Hanson will interview me and we will both perform a song.

- I'm also opening for Matthew Perryman Jones and Kim Taylor at Club Cafe here in Pittsburgh on Thursday August 5th.

- A new album is definitely in my sights, but nothing is set in stone yet.

DL: Thanks for the interview and you can be sure your fans in your home town will be supporting your career! Best wishes for your continued success.