Biography

“She has an uncanny ability to sense the direction and expression of the music and respond accordingly. This ability makes her one of the best musicians, not just bass players, but musicians, that I’ve ever played with.”

—Bryan Kimsey

While “that thing’s bigger’n she is,” Anne Luna is a true presence on stage and makes playing the bass look easy. Her playing is graceful and elegant, yet precise and hard driving, with a sweet tone that enhances and complements any group she plays with. She is equally at home playing bluegrass, country, western, and even Irish traditional music and jazz.

Anne has extensive recording and performance experience having recorded on over 20 albums with a number of distinguished musicians including Alan Munde, Kenny Maines, and Amanda Shires. Most notably, as a member of The Hard Road Trio along with her longtime musical collaborators Steve Smith and Chris Sanders, Anne released 4 critically acclaimed albums between 2012 and 2019. After over 10 years of touring, playing festivals, and teaching workshops across the country with the Trio, Anne is in higher demand than ever, playing with Acoustic Gap (Cindi Cone, Randy McSpadden, and Luna), The Southwest Bluegrass All-Stars (Bill Evans, Steve Smith, Elliott Rogers, and Luna), The Whereabouts, Hondo Coyote, The High Desert Playboys, and Mandology.

In addition to her playing, Anne is also an accomplished songwriter and vocalist. She has a clear, sparkling, soulful voice that can both cut through the mix to stand on its own and also blend smoothly with vocal work in any group. She teaches songwriting at the annual Desert Night Acoustic Songwriting Camp and her songs have been nominated for two New Mexico Music Awards.

As an accomplished and enthusiastic instructor, Anne’s energy and easy-going manner create a welcoming learning environment for students of every background and experience level. She has taught at Walker Creek Music Camp, H-Camp, Camp Bluegrass, and Desert Night Acoustic Music Camps. This year she will also be teaching at Colorado Roots Music Camp. She has been featured in both the publication and in their online lesson archive of Bluegrass Unlimited. Jason Heath featured Anne on both his Contrabass Conversations podcast and his YouTube channel (Double Bass HQ). Her own YouTube channel features an instructional series, “Bass Bites”, with an ever-growing, enthusiastic audience. Check it out for a preview of her teaching and her irresistible sunny disposition!

“Folks, I’ve been playing guitar for about 35 years and in that time, I’ve played  with a lot of bass players.  I’ve known and played with Anne Luna at jams and informal shows for at least 10 years and she is, hands-down, my favorite bass player.  She has an uncanny ability to sense the direction and expression of the music and respond accordingly.  This ability makes her one of the best musicians- not just bass players, but musicians- that I’ve ever played with. In addition to jamming and playing with Anne, I’ve had numerous opportunities to discuss music with and seek musical advice from her.  Her teaching skills are right up there with her playing skills.  When people ask me for a good bass teacher, Anne is the first person I recommend.  In short, Anne Luna gets my highest recommendation as a musician and teacher.”

-Bryan Kimsey

Luthier, writer, guitar player

“Anne Luna is an outstanding bass player who delves into the heart of the instrument. I am a mandolin player who was interested in reaching deeper into instrumentation, and I took Anne’s “Bass Class for Beginners.” She was able to show me simple techniques that I could use immediately to begin playing simple bass lines. Anne is a treasure. She clearly and concisely starts her students on a journey of bass basics. TAKE HER CLASS!!”

—Lynn McDaniel