Many concert goers were treated to the edgy and heart-piercing vocals of West Seattle's Star Anna of the band Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs when she performed locally at Hiawatha Park Thursday, Sept. 1. The band then performed at a slightly larger venue the following Saturday and Sunday playing Alpine Valley, Wisconsin in the Pearl Jam PJ20 Concert line-up. They were joined by Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready who was struck by the power of her voice when they first met and has helped launch the band's career.

Star Anna spoke to the West Seattle Herald by phone just a couple of hours before heading off to Yakima, then San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tucson, Denver, and beyond, for a big American tour. Her set will include songs from her band's latest CD release, 'Alone In This Together'.

"The tour starts at 2:00 today because that's when we're going to hit the road," said Star Anna, who may have been doing a bit of last-minute packing as she was talking to us. "The last tour was a little shorter. I figure if you're going to go out there and do it you might as well go out there and do it as many nights as you can," she said with determination in her voice. "The van will be cozy. We all brought headphones."

"The reality of touring," she began, "We're so well-received in Seattle, so supported and loved. And then you kind of step out of that and you go back down to the bottom which is humbling, and cool. You have to work hard again to make people want to come out to see you in a town where they've never heard of you before. One cool way to do that is to get booked with local bands from the area where you're playing. At least people will come out to see them. Then our job is a little easier. We just have to have them stay for us. And this time we have a publicist which helps a lot."

Asked where the source of her passion comes from she replied, "Honestly I don't know, and I don't want to know. It's funny. One of my favorite things about Tom Petty is, well, everything, but in the book Conversations With Tom Petty, at one point he talks about hoping he never figures out where (his passion) comes from because if he does he is afraid it will disappear."

Another mystery is that, despite the anger and urgency she conveys in certain songs, she said she had a good up-bringing in rural Ellensburg, Wa.

"I think I was really lucky in my childhood," she recalled. "We moved (from town) out into the country kind of early on so I got to spend my childhood running around in the backfields and being a wild child and having adventures. I think I had a pretty good childhood."

Later in life she got her own pad on the farm.

She said pridefully, "I've lived in a variety of things, a 12-foot trailer, then moved up to a school bus, and eventually graduated into a 35-foot trailer which I loved so much. It's still on the property with chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, parakeets, cockatiels, rabbits, dogs, cats, and one rat. The country will always be a part of me. I grew up visiting the city a lot. I think I've got a mix of both in me, but I think I definitely carry it with me still."

Mike McCready connection

"We met through a mutual circle of musicians and friends and Mike does a lot of charity work," she said. "It was a benefit, Hootenany for Haiti where we really made the connection."

A Hootenanny For Haiti was presented Feb. 28, 2010, at Showbox at the Market to benefit Haiti. Performing were of course Mike McCready and Star Anna, as well as Duff McKagan, Kim Virant, Kristen Ward, Kim Warnick, Mark Pickerel, Chris Friel, Gary Westlake, Justin Davis, Ty Bailie, West Seattle's Jeff Rouse.

"(Mike) saw us do that Otis Redding Song 'That's How Strong My Love Is' and he wanted to know when we were putting out our next record and we weren't really in a place to be able to do that, and he just kind of stepped in and has been helping us ever since."

McCready joined Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs on stage both days of the PJ20 concert in Wisconsin.

"It was awesome," she said. "The first day we waited for a storm and right about 12:15(pm) the rain hit hard and we and the other opening bands had to cut our sets in half. So the first day we only played 15 minutes but Mike showed up for that, and he sat in the next day, too. The next day was much better."

She acknowledged becoming starstruck in the presence of Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam.

She explained, "I did get to watch them perform side stage which was probably the most amazing thing I'd ever seen."

So what is it about West Seattle that anchors Star Anna here? She loves the water front, and another local offering.

"I think one of my favorite things to do is eat breakfast at Easy Street," she said. "That's hard to beat."

West Seattle rocker Jeff Rouse

Jeff Rouse plays bass for Duff McKagan's band Loaded. Previously, Rouse was a member of a number of Seattle based groups such as Vendetta Red and Sirens Sister while he also has his own solo project titled To the Glorious Lonely. He happens to be a fan of Star Anna and the Laughing Dogs.

"I met Star a few years ago and immediately knew she was going to be someone that would be around for a long time," he said. "Now, what was once a somewhat shy singer/guitar player has turned into an engaging front-woman who is not afraid to let the audience into her soul. Even more, although Star (like most singers) seems to get the majority of the attention, her band is absolutely stellar. Justin Davis is a world class guitar player, Travis (Yost) and Keith (Ash) perfectly compliment each other as any great rhythm section should and Ty Bailie....c'mon! there is no better keyboard player in this town!"