Alt-country artist, Star Anna, was born and raised in Ellensburg, Washington. After experimenting with different avenues of music, she ultimately found comfort in an acoustic guitar and her own words. She spent a few years playing coffee houses, sidewalks and campfires, building a small, but loving local fan base. In the summer of 2006, Star joined Travis, Frank and Corey to form The Laughing Dogs. In the summer of 2007, after losing their guitar player to a different calling, they were blessed with the phenomenal talents of Justin Davis. Since then the band has performed all over Seattle, Wenatchee and Yakima, opening for artists Vicci Martinez and Mark Pickerel, and playing Seattle hotspots The Tractor, The Comet and The Crocodile. Star speaks about her influences: "The one and only, biggest music hero influence for me is Tom Petty w/ and w/o The Heartbreakers, also Chris Isaak, Roy Orbison, Iggy Pop, Velvet Underground, Cat Power, Alternative Country, Neko Case, Beck, Radiohead, Oh Suzanna, Mark Dillingham, Otis Redding, Elliot Smith, Jesse Sykes, Indigo Girls, David Bowie, Elvis Costello, The Pretenders, Mark Pickerel, and my aunt Liz, for teaching me the first songs I ever learned, Free Falling and The Cure's Just Like Heaven. She's newly influenced by the likes of Vicci Martinez and Brandi Carlile for their amazing stage presence and raw, honest passion. I can't dismiss the heartache and pain that have inspired many of my songs, so thank you to those who have hurt me. Thank you even more to those who have had faith in me and encouraged me." Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.