THE SCRAPE - ISSUE 1

Annie Wilder - By Mía Keeler 

"I got extremely pissed off [that] they were teaching the grade above me how to play chopsticks... I went home with a fire under my ass and told my parents I wanted to play piano." Performing in the Portland music scene since only October of 2022, 25-year-old Annie Wilder is a force to be reckoned with. Her poetic, pointed and playful lyricism intertwined with experienced melodies on seemingly any instrument has shot her into the spotlight. In South Texas where she was raised, she fell in love with the keyboard, and she felt music become tangible. Her parents put Wilder in piano lessons for several years, and as a teenager, she picked up guitar, drums and bass, learning to sing along the way. Anything she could get her hands on, she wanted to learn how to play. While she often listened to rootsy music, outlaw country and 70's rock, her obsession was incredibly dramatic neo-classical pieces. 

Annie Wilder considered herself a terrible student as she was never inclined to learn the 'classics’. Wilder only wanted to play music that she created, and was fascinated with song writing. She reflects, "I got bored and I wanted to play shit that was fast." Thankfully her piano teacher was supportive of her creative streak and worked with Wilder to enhance her skills while still giving her guidance. At age thirteen, Annie Wilder started delving into lyricism, which was around the time she picked up guitar. Wilder claimed she was pushed to play guitar because it's too difficult to bring a piano to a campfire. She's tried, and doesn't recommend it.

One of her all-time favorite performance memories, Annie Wilder recounts how restaurant owners would allow her to play on the piano as a child. Wilder reveled in the turning heads and astonished whispers from the restaurant goers and staff. "Turns out drunk, rich folk tip really well when you're playing at a restaurant, but they tip extremely well when you're playing at a restaurant and you're eleven."