Band of the Week: Star Anna
By Gwendolyn Elliott December 13, 2016
With so much happening in Seattle’s bustling music scene these days, how do you even know where to start? Allow the highly trained culture curators of Seattlemag.com to help with Band of the Week. This week, we catch up with sultry singer/songwriter Star Anna, whose haunting, noir country-tinged vocals have been called “the real deal” by none other than Duff McKagan. Star Anna plays Charles Smith’s 1st Annual Georgetown Holiday Bash at Jet City this Friday, with bands from her Mike McCready-owned and operated label, HockeyTalkter Records.
In three sentences, tell us the story of your band: I was a drummer in a punk band in high school. Heard Elliott Smith for the first time when I was 16 and picked up the guitar. This next phase involves much less guitar and much more singing.
What have you been working on these days? My main focuses right now are recording a new album and preparing for a tribute show for one of my favorite artists, David Bowie. I’ll be performing the entire Bowie album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust with a band and orchestra at the Neptune Theater, January 8th. I’m recording the majority of the new album in L.A. with my keyboard player, Ty Bailie. There will be a lot of keyboard sounds, some marching band drums and zero acoustic guitar. Release date undecided, we’re just taking our time with it and enjoying the process.
What does being an artist/musician/band in Seattle mean to you? There is a huge sense of community among Seattle artists that I cherish. I grew up in Ellensburg, and moved to Seattle in my early 20s for music, so being welcomed and embraced by that community has really meant a lot to me.
What BIG question should we ask, and what’s the answer? Q. Who’s your celebrity crush? A. William Petersen (Manhunter, CSI, To Live and Die in L.A.)
What’s next? Next up is the first-annual Georgetown Holiday Bash on December 16 at Charles Smith Wines Jet City followed by my Bowie show, new album, music videos, songs for films, mentoring young girls interested in music and maybe this year I finally form my trash rock band, The Soft Offs.
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