If April showers bring May flowers then Star Anna’s storm of a set on the final day of April will bloom many a garden in Seattle this spring.
The set not only showcased Star Anna’s amazing vocals but also put the spotlight on her band, the Laughing Dogs. The 75-minute performance featured about a half dozen new songs from her yet-to-be-released third album, many of which relied equally on Star’s singing and songwriting and the remarkable musicianship of the Laughing Dogs.
Star Anna sings with enough passion and pain in her voice to make it sound like she’s lived several rough lifetimes, which is a mark of great country singer. However, a great country singer can only go so far without a solid backing band and it seems like Star and the Laughing Dogs figured that out with the new songs they let loose at the Tractor. They feel like a natural progression for Star’s sound and the show felt like a notable step in what is shaping up to be quite a notable career for this young songstress.
During her earlier years she was shy and bashful, seemingly working to finder herself as a performer. Her voice was present but she was often overpowered by the band. By the time she released her second album, last year’s The Only Thing That Matters, a nice balance between vocals and band was discovered. The new songs appear to continue this trend of having a more band-oriented approach making the instruments of the Laughing Dogs as important as the instrument that is Star Anna’s voice. From the songs performed at the Tractor it looks like guitarist Justin Davis will be playing a bigger role in the band, which isn’t a bad thing. Check the video of the new track “Wolves In Disguise” to see Davis do his thing.
The sold-out headlining show at the Tractor was filled with an interesting crowd that spanned generations. It was a mix of balding men with ponytails in their 50s, dot-com moneymakers in their 40s, hipsters in skinny jeans and horn-rimmed glasses in their 30s and young girls in cowboy boots and Western shirts in their 20s. The mixed crowd speaks not only to the timelessness of Western music but also the draw of Star Anna. Not only was it great to see Star pack a rather sizable venue in Seattle, it was great to see a country show attract such a diverse crowd. It was a refreshingly eclectic bunch for a Seattle crowd.
Locals Hurricane Chaser was one of two opening bands. Unfortunately I arrived at the Tractor a bit late so I missed most of their set and I missed all of the set from the other opener Legendary Oaks. The Hurricane Chaser songs I caught were mostly slow burners except for the secon-to-last song of the set which featured a jam-filled bridge that set the stage perfectly for the Laughing Dogs. Of note was Hurricane Chaser’s congenial stage presence. At one point the band’s singer,Brad Zeffren, offered free music to members of the crowd who took out their cell phones and friended the band on Facebook. More bands should take a note from Hurricane Chaser’s book and embrace and utilize social media in this manner.
Star Anna photo by Jason Tang.
