Annie Stokes

And after a decade of honing her creative crafts, she's learned a thing or two about cultivation and surrender.

Raised on the seam of urban and rural living in the foothills of the eastern Blue Ridge Mountains, Annie grew up performing for others. It wasn't until she taught herself guitar at age 21 that she finally blended her loves of storytelling and singing. From there, her budding notion that she was born to share her art with others led her on a meandering journey through the Shenandoah Valley, the evangelical towns of central Virginia, the labyrinth of damp green rooms in DC, sunbaked music festivals, and dozens of rental cars and hotels on the state highways that vein from the Carolinas to Boston. After spending her twenties trying to fit into various boxes and please certain gatekeepers, the experience of motherhood taught her how to surrender to the songs that had been inside of her all along.

Her mesmerizing lyrics and crystalline voice (described by one fan as  "Alison Krauss meets Nick Cave") eventually culminated in an EP (2014) and three albums (2015, 2017, and 2021). Her most recent LP, "The One That Gets Away", was awarded "Best Americana/Country Album" at the 2022 Wammies, Washington DC's prestigious music awards ceremony. Annie's music combines traditional country and folk song structure with modern lyrical sensibilities, and her live shows invite audiences into a front-porch conversation about life with biting commentaries about parenthood, heartbreak, and hope. 

Her fifth studio project, "Wild Rose EP" -- cowritten and produced with Grammy member Austin Bello -- was released in March 2023. It has been highlighted in numerous publications (see press highlights) and will be featured on season six of The Martha Bassett Show.

She co-writes with her husband, bass player Will Berger. When they aren't making music, they are raising two girls and lots of hell in Virginia.