SHOW REVIEW: Anna Vaus at The Foundry

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WRITTEN BY:  Alana Beltran

PHOTOS BY:  Alana Beltran

From a ‘Girl in a Bar’ to playing with Willie Nelson, Anna Vaus from San Diego is certainly a name in the folk-pop genre to look out for. 

This Friday the 13th was anything but spooky at The Foundry as the dreamlike Anna Vaus played a hypnotizing set; opening for the powerful vocal harmony group, Trousdale, on their fall tour. Anna had the audience mesmerized by her acoustic guitar along with her bandmate, Kevin Monahan, playing finger-picking patterns that left fans in a frenzy.

The lights were dim, the stage set in a blue and orange hue as Anna began the show, playing the cover of the timeless song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by the 80’s pop band, Tears for Fears. Many artists have created their rendition of this classic piece, but Anna’s performance was one for the books. The crowd sang along in admiration with her slow-paced acoustic performance, giving the song an intimate feel and inviting listeners into a united community of love for music. 

Vaus played a wide range of tunes while having perfect control over the venue, the crowd wrapped around her skillful fingers. Switching between singles, covers, and unreleased music; new, old, and becoming fans became familiar with her discography. Even when new fans did not know the lyrics to her songs, Anna still connected with them, having audience-incorporated aspects in her set. 

Anna expressed to the growing crowd that she has a specific portion that she connects with in her song ‘Girl in a Bar.’ Starting at 5, she counted down as she told the audience to scream “Emotional Bridge!” in unison with her as she went into what truly was an emotional bridge, making for teary-eyed spectators.

During one of her final songs in her hour-long set, Anna gave us a taste of some projects she’s working on. Her newest single, “Halloween on Christmas,” is to be released on no other spooky day other than October 31st. Vaus is on a roll, previously releasing her latest single, “Probably Shouldn’t” at the beginning of October and now another single at the end of the month.

Could Vaus be teasing fans with a new album? Her last full album was released in 2022, titled Younger Version of Myself, a twenty-one-minute album with seven tracks about notes to your younger self from your future self.

As a new fan of Anna Vaus, I cannot wait to see what this alternative folk-pop artist is going to put out next. Her voice and style are unquestionably a force to be reckoned with.

Check out Anna Vaus’s over-the-phone interview with Alana and Brenna