We recently had the opportunity to chat with the Outlaw Country Rocker Trashy Annie, who has recently released her tremendous new single, 'Sugar'.
I tend to start my interviews with a question directly about the artist’s new release. And you have one of those called 'Sugar'. But rather than ask how it’s being received, tell me about your creative process on this one because your imagery of a wedding ring at the bottom of a toilet is certainly provocative.
- Provocative is exactly what I was going for! Thanks for hanging out with me while we’re on the road. We’ve been touring heavily in support of our new album and I find myself in a lot of little roadside motels. We had just checked into our rooms after a long show, I think it was 2 in the morning, to grab showers and 3-4 hours of sleep before another big drive. My guitar player found bedbugs, my bass player actually found a bag of meth in his bed, and I walked bleary eyed and barefoot right into a pile of freshly shaven pubes on the floor of this motel. I had this immediate story pop into my head of an irritated wife walking into the bathroom in the middle of the night and experiencing the same scenario. Tired as I was, I grabbed a piece of paper and scribbled the first few lines of what would eventually become Sugar. A wedding ring at the bottom of a toilet seemed like an accurate way of portraying what we have all felt at one time or another about a relationship that has gone south. If I remember correctly, I took that photo in Bisbee, AZ, wide awake at 3 AM after a show because it was about 20 degrees outside and the heat wasn’t really working. We share rooms and so to not disturb Ryan, my drummer, I went into the bathroom and closed the door. While I sat there and shivered, there wasn’t much else to look at except that toilet until the sun came up, and my idea for the cover art was born.
Oh, I love that! You said it’s a love song for divorcees’ if I heard you right?
- Yep! With ‘Sugar’ the inspiration was definitely that ridiculous pubic hair. Our fans have been asking me when I was going to write a love song (though I think they were probably asking for a ballad, ha! Joke’s on them) but I tend to write songs based around one little thing I see in the world that is impactful to me, sometimes it’s something really cool or funny or heart breaking, but sometimes it is something gross like some stranger’s pube getting stuck between my toes, so I started writing all about a messy break-up.
So, a love song about a break-up? Do tell…
- I called upon my old relationships to craft this one. As an example, I had one relationship where I was called a “hoarder” (I grew up poor so sometimes it’s hard for me to get rid of things) so there’s a reference to that in the lyric, “you tell me I like hanging on to everything so just know, when I go, I’ll be sure to throw away the ring.”
Switching gears, you're from Austin, Texas. How’s the music scene for up and coming artists?
- There is so much competition for eyeballs - more than at any time in history! As an example, we’ve got a huge comedy scene in Austin right now. Ron White and Joe Rogan have created this incredible community and a lot of clubs that would have had live music ten years ago now host comedy nights. Many new artists and touring musicians, and the small music venues that host them, are struggling right now. Not just in Austin but all over America. And Austin surely isn’t the affordable, hippie town it was in the 80s and 90s. Fortunately, Austin has a lot of great charities like HAAM that have helped my bandmates and tons of other musicians get access to discounted medical care, hearing protection, and things that might be hard to swing on a musician’s salary but that are imperative to being successful in such a demanding industry.. Earlier this year I was honored to receive a grant from Wavemakers that I immediately put into our recording budget. Trashy Annie was chosen as one of a very limited number of Artists in Residence for 2025 by The Pershing, a private social club in East Austin that has members who are supporters of live music.
Your new album 'Let It Kill You' is set to be released on Halloween. What can we expect from your sophomore effort?
- I re-discovered music in my mid-forties. When I found it again it was all-consuming. I don’t remember exactly when but I read a poem that said, “Find the thing you love and let it kill you” and it really resonated with me. Like you said, this is our second full length album. This album should really feel like a mix tape that your BFF made for you. I’ve allowed my creativity to take me into a number of different genres and I keep discovering that I like to write in so many ways. The album includes ‘Sugar’ which really has a Nashville Country vibe. It also has ‘Big Red Bow’ where you’ll hear some Hip Hop influence.
You're actively touring North America - which songs of yours do you really enjoy playing live?
It’s only recently that we are hitting cities for the second or third time. We’re finding people are listening to our music with such regularity that they’re memorizing the words and at our shows they are singing along with us. It just fills me with joy to see and hear that when we’re on stage. The song that we often end with is called ‘Bama’ and it’s got some pretty memorable lyrics that are rated PG-13 and fan interaction has become quite common.
A few months ago I wrote that metal song called ‘MIGRAINE” that pulls its roots from Punk and Metal and it required me to bump up my exercise routine to handle the breathwork needed to perform it on stage versus in the studio because I can’t skip words. Fun tip: if you write a song that pushes you to your limits, expect to get your butt kicked when you try to perform it live while in Denver or Flagstaff!
From your Instagram and YouTube it’s clear that GLITTER is very much de rigueur at your shows. What else can fans expect when they see you for the first time?
- At a recent show I saw a 20 year old theatre kid dancing along with a retired Army Vet who rode his Harley to the show. Both of them were wearing Cat Ears. How great is that?!
Expect it to be raucous. High Energy. Yes, So Much Glitter. Some of our new merch actually says, “Glitterati” because that’s what our fans have named themselves. Trashy attire is encouraged. There will be a lot of swearing and I’m not sorry about that. When we came off the stage at Musikfest last summer our Production Assistant looked like a ghost and whispered to me, “You can’t swear at Musikfest”. I didn’t know that and we had just wrapped our set with a cover of ‘Crazy Bitch’.
I’d encourage them to come see a show - they won’t be disappointed.
This was so much fun. Thanks again for your time, Annie. What is next for Trashy Annie as we head into 2026?
- I have some exciting stuff going on this Fall! I can’t speak about the details yet but I can tell you that you will see me on this upcoming season (season 49) of Survivor on CBS, one of my all time favorite shows. It’s going to be an exciting year! We will be on some big stages in 2026 and I think we are at the start of one hell of a rocket ride.
'Sugar' is out now and can be streamed below.
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