Author: Annie

I'm a singer-songwriter and (armchair) traveling musician. Music is my passion and has been ever since I started playing and studying classical guitar music when I was ten years old. Today, I sing and play the guitar to perform my own original music. I'm an independent musician and I love the immediacy of a live performance, whether that's a studio recording or my musical postcards filmed around the globe. Besides hosting a music podcast, I'm also reading around the world in 18 Sleuths. I combine reading crime fiction with other forms of virtual traveling, often done from the comfort of my armchair.

Musical Postcard from Portugal

Posted on 3 January 20213 September 2022 by Annie

I started learning Portuguese because of Fado. When I first visited Lisbon in the early 2000s, I was immediately charmed by the city, the culture, and the people. I hadn’t heard anything about Fado until I found myself one evening in a Fado house for dinner. A whole new world of listening opened up for…

How to Open Your Ears to Post-Colonial Fado

Posted on 29 December 20204 September 2022 by Annie

I love fado because of the passion that’s audible in the singer’s voice; because of the skillful (portuguese) guitar accompaniments that often become second vocals; because of the rubato, the free flowing, almost irregular use of tempo and pauses; because of the way fado is performed, up-close and personal; I love fado because it speaks…

Listening to Portugal

Posted on 18 December 20203 September 2022 by Annie

My first attempt at making Pastéis de Nata, the portuguese egg custard pastry! They didn’t turn out the way I wanted and only faintly tasted like the original – but they were delicious in their own way! I’ll try a different recipe and if I get a better result, I’ll share it. Below you’ll also…

Uma Casa Portuguesa

Posted on 15 December 20203 September 2022 by Annie

On my very first cab ride from Lisbon airport to downtown, I heard Amália sing of the city at night on the cab driver’s radio. It felt like a movie scene and it’s something I’ll never forget. I know Fado is an intense musical genre and not everyone’s cup of chá (🤓). It’s the perfect…

Four Corpses at the World Expo

Posted on 9 December 20203 September 2022 by Annie

Have you ever been to a World Fair (World Expo)? I’ve been to one (I think I was ten?), but I don’t really remember much – except for the long car ride with my parents, and feeling overwhelmed 🙈🙉🙊 In Francisco José Viegas’s “Um Crime na Exposição” (1998) three corpses are discovered on the Expo…