Indie-folk singer-songwriter, Jacy James Anderson, recently released his debut album, “Blackout Poetry.”
Anderson, a 2012 Honokaa High School graduate, describes the album as songs of hope and hurt that walk the high-wire of the human condition.
As a longtime member of the Honokaa High Jazz and Ensemble Band and the 2011 Grammy Award-winning class, Anderson credits his teacher, Gary Washburn, as his inspiration for pursuing a career in music. During his high school days, Anderson performed professionally at venues across Hawaii island with his reggae-rock group, Nonami, and classic rock group, Evolution.
After high school, he moved to Boston where he attended Berklee College of Music. Anderson graduated with a dual major in songwriting and professional music with a focus on performance, and contemporary writing and production with a minor in creative writing.
The album’s title, “Blackout Poetry,” is a nod to Anderson’s struggle with anxiety. In 2017, he was diagnosed with panic disorder, a condition he says “crippled his creativity and joy of life for over a year.” Since his diagnosis, Anderson has gained the knowledge necessary to coexist with his condition allowing him to keep his attacks manageable and infrequent.
Anderson describes “Blackout Poetry” as a “meditation on what it means to sit with hope, hurt, and anxiety in the modern-day.” From the beginning lines of “Hollow” to the final notes on “The Wave of Panic,” Anderson asks listeners to “Look inward on their humanity, how we treat ourselves and the world around us.”
Outside of his solo work, Anderson has performed with artists such as Laney Jones and the Spirits, Monica Rizzio, and has opened for well-known artists including Lake Street Dive, Brad Paisley, and Lady Antebellum. Anderson is also the lead guitarist for the Denver-based, indie-folk/neo-rock outfit The Dollhouse Thieves.
“Blackout Poetry” was recorded at The Blasting Room in Anderson’s hometown of Fort Collins, Colorado, and released Oct. 23.
Blackout Poetry is available on all digital platforms and on CD or vinyl at www.jacyjamesanderson.com.