She Grew Up Before Our Eyes on Stage – Ann Wade Album Release

Written by John Face

January 29, 2024

Photos by John Face

Hearing Colors artwork via Ann Wade Music

On February 2, 2024, Ann Wade will have her album release party. It will be held at the Albion Malleable Brewing Company, 420 South Superior in Albion MI, starting at 7:00 P.M. Her album, Hearing Colors, will be available for purchase along with other merchandise she has. Ann will perform songs from her album; of course, she would like a large group of people to show up and support her. But, there is more to Ann Wade than an album.

A senior in high school, Ann has been performing on stages around the region for years. If you live in Albion and regularly attend music concerts and festivals, you most likely saw Ann perform at least once. She scores and writes, and performs her music. Ann plays multiple instruments, such as the ukulele, guitar, and saxophone, to name a few. She is the first saxophone in the Symphonic Band, section leader in the marching band, second trumpet in the youth brass band in Battle Creek, and president of her high school’s two choirs. As you can see, her musical interests are everything from classical to rock and roll.

Learning to Perform

She is undoubtedly talented, and when you sit down and talk to her like I had the opportunity to do, you find out she loves making and performing music as well. Stirling Books and Brew, located in downtown Albion, has hosted music in Albion since their opening several years ago. Ann helped host a Song Writers Open Mic after Aly Garland, who started it, went to college.

It helped her, as she stated, “getting me more comfortable as a solo performer.” She enjoyed the feedback from other artists who would show up. It would be one of her earliest performances at Stirling that I saw Ann perform all by herself. She had run into me and wanted to invite me to see her perform. Of course, she was wonderful. Every time I have watched her over the last six years, every show has been better than the previous one.

Her first public performance was at “Men Who Cook” a few years ago, an event fundraiser to benefit Citizens to Beautify Albion. This group is responsible for most of the flowers along our streets—their next event is February 11 at the First Baptist Church. Find the information on Facebook.

Ann Wade

Artistic Family

“Music is a big deal in my family,” she said. “I grew up with a musician for a Dad, and I was constantly trying to play guitar since I was little.” She said she never really learned to play it until 2019. Her Dad, Ben, has been a musician and performed in several bands, including the early version of The War and Treaty, a local Albion group that has moved on to the big leagues.

Her singing publicly started when she would sing in church. Singing so much that Pastor Lori would have to gently nudge her along so they could get to the sermon. She recalls some of her earliest performances were because of her Dad, who was playing for Good Thang Goin, and as she said, “any show they would let me I would get up, and my Dad play guitar and I would sing Cherry Blossom by Jack White.”

This artistic bloodline is not just in her and Ben’s blood. Her mother, Jenny, owns and operates the Yellow Bird Chocolate Shop next to the Secretary of State in Albion is a musician and singer. Ann’s brother Aiden is a talented artist and cartoonist and sister Aurelia has music and an artistic side.

It is her family and the support they gave her growing up that has made this experience in music fun. “I have a large family, and having them all show up for me, cheering me on, has made this all easier,” she said.

Hearing Colors

My question was, explain your album cover name, Hearing Colors. “I have this funny little thing called synesthesia,” she said, “I essentially process sounds as colors.” Don’t worry, readers; I will save you time. Synesthesia is when your brain routes sensory information through unrelated senses, simultaneously causing you to experience more than one sense, like tasting words or linking colors to numbers, letters, etc.

She explains that when she met her partner, Thomas, she couldn’t explain what she was feeling about him. She tried to write him a song but couldn’t find any words. She had the melody that was buzzing in her head. It was when she got to the studio and asked to record the song, which she did in one take. That is when she realized she was hearing colors. The song is how she perceives the feeling of love.

A New Career?

Ann won her recording session by winning Walk the Beat Albion in 2022—quite an accomplishment for someone so young. Her new album consists of 6 songs, which she will perform at the album release party on Friday night. In the studio with her recording were her Dad Ben on guitar, mom Jenny Risner/Wade on backup vocals, Ronnie Coach Parker on bass, Herman Doc McCall on drums, and Jim Stuart on trumpet.

She will be heading off to school in the fall to attend Grand Rapids Community College for a degree in recording technology. She told me that while in the studio, she became fascinated with the recording studio and the audio engineering. She feels this may be something that she would like to pursue as a career. I asked about her music. ”I will always write and perform music” she said. 

Come and support a local artist Friday night. I will be there. I will be supporting the young lady whom I have watched grow up on stage and turn into a woman before my eyes. The young girl who sang happy birthday to me when she was 11 and now I get to see her release an album.