In normal times, Lake Effect features a variety of in-studio performances from local musicians and artists. But of course, these are not normal times and many artists have been struggling during the coronavirus pandemic. Most live events have been canceled and recording music in isolation presents lots of challenges for Milwaukee musicians like Andii Heath, who performs under the mononym Andii.
She has been using this time as a way to reconnect with her community through volunteering while working on some future projects. But she admits this has been a difficult and disappointing time, which has effectively put her career on hold for a bit.
"I tried to look at it practically, but it was definitely a bummer to watch, I mean, pretty much the entire summer all of the shows that we had scheduled just kind of dry up," says Andii.
This summer, she had planned to promote her latest album, What I'm Good At, and had just assembled her tour band when the coronavirus pandemic put everything on hold. It would have been her first opportunity to connect with people who had listened to the album and her song of the same name.
The album explores different themes and moments in Andii's life. She explains that her song "Spoon-Fed Women" reflects on a time in her life when she was a bit more naive.
Likewise, Andii's song "Angry Woman" is a look at a time where she was a bit "crusty," as she terms it. The song explores how anger impacted her life and her relationships.
