Vinyl Record: Anna Kramer & the Lost Cause, I Can't Take It

Anna Kramer is the pride of Atlanta's rock, country and singer/songwriter scene. Her energetic swagger sways from exuberant chops to bittersweet melancholy with each new number. Together with drummer Adam Renshaw and bass player Shannon Mulvaney, Kramer's rollicking jangle and twang are cut from a cloth that bears the colors of the British invasion rather than heartfelt Americana. As such, the songs on her '08 release, The Rustic Contemporary Sounds of... have more in common with the Stones and the Beatles than the Boss and Bocephus.

— CHAD RADFORD

I liked the punk rock scene when I was growing up, but I listened through my brother. I liked the Stones and was obsessed with guitar sounds. Sticky Fingers was my first tape. I was definitely obsessed with that, and of course Exile on Main Street. Ron Woods' guitar sound was an influence on me, and the songwriting that you hear in the more country sounding Stones songs really influenced me. But Mick Jagger was a little over the top. I never envisioned myself as a lead singer, but later when I started writing songs it came to a point where I said 'Oh, I'm a songwriter now.' But it was gradual.

The Beatles were a big one too, but I was also listening to a lot of '80s shit like Duran Duran and I don't know where that can be placed. I don't think that my songs were influenced by Simon Le Bon or anything like that. The Stones, the Beatles, and Led Zeppelin were a stronger influence. I loved the Ramones too. My whole family listened to the Ramones, and there were times when we would all be in the car listening to "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" on the way to dinner. That influenced me on a simpler basis, even though it's not simple at all. You might think it is, but it isn't. The vibe was just so energetic.

I was really into Some Girls by the Stones, too. You have songs like "Far Away Eyed" mixed with some super rockers and I have always liked the combination of those two things. That's what I loved about Led Zeppelin. When I was thinking about doing an actual record I remembered how they combined styles. Led Zeppelin III is a good thing to keep in mind when making a record. It reminds me that I can do whatever I want to and whatever I'm feeling. I don't have to wait for my acoustic album or anything like that. That's why I like the Lost Cause. They can really rock it out, and do the softer hits too. Shannon can bust out the stand-up bass, and Adam can really twinkle toe those drums like no one's business.

"I Can't Take It" just kind of came out of me. It's a pretty straight-up rocker and I didn't have to think about it, really. I played it on the first album and I have had different people play it live. You can have fun playing it and not worry about the changes. If you don't quite know where to go with it you can always fake it. It's nice when a song flows like that and you can capture a feeling in a song; the initial feeling that you had when you wanted to write it in the first place. You can work for ten years on a song, because you are ever-changing, and you can have your epics. Those don't come quickly. But it is nice when a song just kind of comes out in one precious nugget.