Vocalist and guitarist, Anne Moniz, is one of London’s most prolific musicians. Chosen by London music fans to be a member of the Forest City London Music Awards Fantasy Band twice (2021 and 2022), Anne continues to be one of the city’s busiest and in-demand musicians. These days, she is making music as the lead vocalist for the nine-piece Tell It To Sweeney, and as a duo with her companion and accompanist Daniel Oniszeczko.
The Beat Magazine 2025 caught up with Anne in between gigs. What follows is an edited Q&A profile.
Q. Where were you born? How old are you? How long have you lived in London?
I was born right here in London, Ontario, at St. Joseph’s Hospital. I am old enough to know better. I have lived in London for most of my life, other than some stints in Woodstock and Toronto, Ontario.
(Pictured: Anne Moniz, Age 5)
Q. Was yours a musical home? Did you have any professional training, or are you self-taught? A bit of both? Could you tell me about your early musical endeavours as a child and teenager?
My parents’ record collection was impressive. Classical, Latin, and flamenco, prog rock, and disco. My love for music is well-earned. My mother played piano and sang, and my father played a bit of guitar. They both drew, painted, and wrote poetry. They are both very creative people and were always hugely supportive of my interests as I grew up. I was very lucky. I took guitar lessons from Greigg Fraser for a few years out of the downstairs of Matt’s Music on Wellington Road. I sang in the choir all through school. I have a working knowledge of musical theory. It can open up a lot of doors both compositionally and professionally, but I didn’t like learning it. I naturally possess an excellent ear, and I have had some good teachers who encouraged and facilitated that.
When I was about eleven or twelve, my parents brought me to folk open stages where I met the late and great Dennis Humble, as well as Steve Brown. I performed at Harrington Music Fest when I was about twelve, which was a very big honour. The folk community around here is exceptionally welcoming and kind. As a teen, I very much got into a lot of terrible trouble. When I was eighteen or nineteen, I was in a horror punk band with Toronto-based artist Nyssa Komorowski called The Cha Chas, and we performed around town. We had a room at The ‘Wick and spent a lot of time there.
Q. Do you remember the moment when you decided that music was going to be a big part of your life? How long have you been playing music professionally? Do you consider yourself a full-time or part-time musician?
It was sitting a little too close to the TV one night, absolutely glued to watching Bonnie Raitt perform live on some show when I was six. One of my parents asked if I wanted to do that and I said Yes. I have been playing music ever since. I have always made some money doing it, so it depends on your definition of professionally. At the rate I am playing music nowadays, I would not be able to sustain myself whatsoever in terms of income. Though I do consider myself a full-time musician, in that I am always being a musician, I definitely prefer doing things at my own pace and am really picky about the things I put out and participate in. It’s too personal for me to flog staunchly as a business, as some others are capable of doing. It just feels disingenuous for some reason when I try to do it.
Q. Other than vocals, do you play any other instruments?
I play guitar and some bass. I have a working ability on piano, and actually also Celtic harp. I took some lessons with Roger Muma when I was young as well. He taught Jennifer White, who is a touring Canadian harpist. In school band, I played clarinet, and I am actually taking it up again now in my spare time.
Q. What have your musical influences been over the years?
I have a penchant for old punk rock, Misfits, and The Stooges. Eighties goth rock like Bauhaus, and Sisters of Mercy. Of course, all the famous songwriters, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and John Fogerty, to name but a few. I’ll listen to anything. Lately, I have been really into Turkish psychedelic bands like Şatellites and Altin Gün. My favourite album and guilty pleasure is the 1997 club hits compilation Pure Energy Vol. 4, featuring the track “Let Me Clear My Throat” by DJ Kool. If anybody is reading this and has a physical copy they want to part with, please let me know!
Q. Tell me about the various groups and musicians you have played with since you started playing professionally. Who are you currently playing with?
I’ve played in many bands over the years. Of course, there is The Cha Chas, which I mentioned earlier. We had songs like “Zombie Mambo”, “My Boyfriend’s Dead” (parodying of course “My Boyfriend’s Back”, sung originally by The Angels in 1963), and “Vampire Man”. All love songs. We were rather cheeky. I had a brief career as the lead vocalist for The Carnies many years ago while Jaime Short was living elsewhere (RIP). I got told way too often that I have too nice a voice for punk rock, and at the time, I did not take that as a compliment.
After that, I was in a rock band called Wonderjunk. We were very LOUD. We got to open for Spookey Ruben at Bovine Sex Club back in like 2009, which is a bit of a blurry memory. After that, I was in an indie band called High School Sweetheart with Jessica Vanden Boomen. We won a contest through FM96 to record a couple of songs at EMAC Recording Studios, and we were guests on air. She was my best friend. We broke up because we got into a heated argument about me prioritizing school over the band (I could definitely not do both at once).
After I graduated, I played bass for Leanne Mayer’s band Hollow Romance for a bit. I tried to make a go at a full-band rock version of some of my original music, which was Nimway. It had a lot of promise and was gaining traction. We were asked to play at the Demics anniversary showcase at Call The Office, which was my personal favourite highlight. My marriage completely dissolved in 2020, and sadly so did the band.
Nick Elie and I were also the rhythm section for the live, psychedelic, improvisational band Prism Tape Philosophy, led by Howie Kittelson. That man can tell a story and is the finest radio show host I have ever heard. I played rhythm guitar and sang backup for Mad Moxxis for a few years, and we did some really good songs and music videos together. I left after we had a hiatus. I was doing too much stuff and had to reprioritize. Nicole is still a good friend. I sing backups now for Thames Rivieras, which is Pete Dekokker’s baby. Everybody sings. I call it a “punk rock opera” act, which Pete gets a kick out of, but you have to hear it. We actually have a new album coming out soon.
I am the lead vocalist for nu-swing band Tell It To Sweeney, which is a nine-piece funk, disco, jazz-infused wild child. That band saved my life after Nimway fell apart. I get to be a red-hot mama and sashay around the stage, shaking my butt and yelling at people. It’s a lot of fun, and people love it, which is the best part. We have played Northern Lights Festival in Sudbury, Elora Riverfest, and lots of other cool gigs.
And I am playing folk music again with my companion and accompanist, Daniel Oniszeczko, as Anne Moniz. I am on my signature twelve-string acoustic, and he has written some excellent basslines to my songs. I write sad music, but there is definitely a place for it. I have had people walk out of my shows in tears, and many people come up and thank me for the catharsis my music has brought them. I am hoping to finally record it soon, but I am being very picky about things.
Daniel and I also have an instrumental project we call Photoplay. It is a mix of classical- almost klezmer-sounding- assorted film soundtrack music. That is the best way I can describe it. It is so involved technically that we haven’t done much with it, but we would love to get it recorded as well. Many of the bands I discussed have music out for distribution, so please check them out online if you are curious.
Q. Tell me a little bit about any recordings you have made in your career.
I have made it onto a lot of local DIY and indie recordings over the years, as well as studio recordings. High School Sweetheart has a debut self-titled EP from 2012, and a subsequent full-length called There I Was. Nimway has a 2017 self-titled EP still in distribution. I am sitting on a full-length, but I can’t bring myself to release it. I was not in a great place when it was recorded. In 2019, Hyper Squirrel Productions released a nu-metal concept album called DreamWake that features different musicians and vocalists from around the world, including me.
I am featured on Westminster Park’s 2020 album Dark Night, Nearly Dawn on guitar and vocals. They are one of my favourite London bands. Mad Moxxis has music still in distribution. We only ever released singles, most notably “Bad Karma” in 2022. That is a good song. Thames Rivieras released a full-length debut in 2022 called Whatnot Jive, and we have another one on the way.
Tell It To Sweeney released two singles earlier this year: “Hurts My Neck”, which has an accompanying, very DIY music video on YouTube, which was a lot of fun to make. Also, “Behind The Veil” features a voice clip from Boris Karloff. I wrote to his daughter, Sara, and negotiated permissions, and it was a really wonderful experience. I don’t know what compelled me to reach out like that, as I am usually quite shy, but I had to have it. We played a show recently, and people knew the words to our 2020 single “The Countess”. That was the coolest thing I’ve ever experienced.
(Listen and watch Hurts My Neck https://youtu.be/49_fDZ4uxiU?si=z4ZzGeeeLVM-N7qP)
Q. What projects are you currently pursuing? Do you have any gigs coming up in the next month or two you would like our readers to know about?
Right now, I am the most serious about Tell It To Sweeney, as well as my original acoustic music. Lots of writing, solidifying, and pre-production. Getting our feet wet again, playing live. Refining the live show. Getting my groove back. Daniel and I are playing at The Richmond Tavern on October 16th as guest musicians for The Inside Outside, a cultural showcase hosted by Tami Kegley. October 24th is Great Balls of Fire, a fundraising show benefiting Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) that runs from 4pm to 1am. Both Photoplay and Tell It To Sweeney are playing at this event.
Sweeney is also playing a Hallowe’en party on November 1st at Frontier Ghost Town, an old western movie set-turned-campground in Durham County. We’ve been invited to play Come Together, their annual Labour Day weekend music festival, for the past several years, and it is always a great time. On November 28th, Daniel and I are hosting our last full night of acoustic music at Dawghouse Pub, and my friend Nyssa Komorowski from The Cha Chas is coming to open for us. You can find her stuff on Bandcamp! Other than playing a couple of private events, that is it for me in 2025.
Q. In addition to your musical endeavours, are you involved with any other arts organizations or activities in the London community?
I am not! Truthfully, at this point in my life, I am spending a lot of my time cultivating solitude and personal reflection. The last few years have brought many changes that I am still negotiating. I am rewiring my brain, rewriting my story, creating some peace. It is at the same time relaxing and hugely uncomfortable. I always answer my messages, though, so please say hello sometime. I love to share a laugh.
Q. Is there anything else you think our readers should know about Anne Moniz the musician and Anne Moniz the individual?
I graduated from the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART) in 2015 and have a few production credits (one of those is Leanne Mayer’s debut EP, 2018’s “Bittersweet Remedy”, coproduced with Michael Marucci). I am really into yoga, cats, cartoons, food, plants and flowers, cemeteries, tin toy robots, espresso, and I speak French.
For more information about Anne Moniz and Tell It To Sweeney, visit https://www.remproductionscanada.com/
Follow Tell It Sweeney on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/tellittosweeneyband
Follow Tell It Sweeney on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/tellittosweeney/
Follow Tell It To Sweeney on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@tellittosweeney
Photo Credits:
Anne Moniz. Photo by Billy Sastard.
Prism Tape Philosophy performing at The Richmond Tavern, 2021. Left to right: Howie Kittelson, Kevan Carmen, Nicholas Elie, Anne Moniz, Shane Wilcox, Brent Jones. Photo by Vera Kittelson.
Thames Rivieras performing at Palasad Socialbowl, London, ON, 2024. Left to right: Pete Dekokker, Anne Moniz. Photo by What Wave Dave.
Tell It To Sweeney performing at Polish Hall, Brantford, ON, 2024. Left to right: Me, Kyle Gagné, Matthew Greeson, Mitch Brolese, Ryan McNevin. Photographer Unknown.
Anne Moniz and Daniel Oniszeczko performing at The Richmond Tavern, 2025. Photo by Billy Sastard.
Nimway performing at Rum Runners, London, ON, 2019. Anne Moniz. Photo by Jason Roorda.
Tell It To Sweeney performing at Rib Fest, 2025. As you look left to right: Mitch Brolese, Matthew Greeson, Anne Moniz, Kyle Gagné. Photo taken by Bob Klein.
The Beat Magazine 2025 