New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ In Music We Trust) Prior to recording and releasing Go To Hell, Star Anna recorded The Sky Is Falling, before putting it on the shelf and starting work on what would become Go To Hell. Now, following the release of Go To Hell, and in support of her upcoming West Coast tour with Heather Reid from The Murmers, Star Anna is releasing The Sky Is Falling as a digital-only album.
"Star Anna is an American original. She sings from a place of beauty that takes me to a higher place," says
Pearl Jam's Mike McCready.
Guns 'n' Roses/Velvet Revolver's Duff McKagan says, "She is the real deal. She will be a talent that we can all say that we saw her when. Guaranteed."
"The Sky Is Falling is an album about getting sober," comments Star Anna. "It's about letting go and moving forward. It's not a Laughing Dogs record and it's not quite a solo record either. Though the Laughing Dogs do appear on a few songs, Justin Davis on all of the songs, the album also includes some outside help from the likes of Will Moore, Ty Bailie, Mark Pickerel, Barb Hunter, and Johnny Sangster (who also helped produce the record).
"Though these songs were recorded before Go To Hell, the album seemed too tender and self-reflective to come out on the heels of my band breaking up. It didn't feel like it would make the same heavy impact as a solo album, as Go To Hell would. Now that the dust has settled from the road bumps of the last few years, I feel ready to put The Sky Is Falling out into the world."
Tour dates (all with Heather Reid):
6/04/14 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR
6/05/14 - Tractor Tavern - Seattle, WA
6/06/14 - The Bartlett - Spokane, WA
60/7/14 - The Bouquet - Boise, ID
6/08/14 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT
6/09/14 - The Walnut Room - Denver, CO
6/11/14 - The Western - Scottsdale, AZ
6/12/14 - Soda Bar - San Diego, CA
6/13/14 - Backstage Bar & Billiards - Las Vegas, NV
6/14/14 -
Room 5 - Los Angeles, CA
6/15/14 - Hotel Utah - San Francisco, CA
She is also still touring on and supporting Go To Hell, which is available digitally, on CD, and vinyl via Seattle, WA-based indie
Spark &
Shine Records.
A dark, haunting collection of songs that capture the essence of betrayal, regret, and hope, Go To Hell delivers melodic, soaring folk-rock with an Americana heart, best described as Americana-soul, and it will penetrate right to your core.
Seattle, Washington, by way of Ellensburg, Star Anna's Go To Hell, comprised of ten tracks, was a hard record for her to make. Her personal life was in upheaval as the record was being made; yet Star Anna persevered and came out better for it.
"There were a lot of battles going on at the time this record was being made and a lot of betrayals that I was dealing with that had been woven into my personal life as well as the life of this record," recalls Star. "We decided to keep moving forward and make this record. The title speaks for itself."
From the fiery opener, "For Anyone," a keyboard-drenched soulful number that seeps melody, but also packs a punch with its deep, rich groove, through the heartbreaking, folk-pop of "Mean Kind of Love," to album closer, "Smoke Signals," a gritty punk rock number, Star Anna doesn't give in, letting the emotions fly as she deals with everything life had thrown at her.
Go To Hell is purely cathartic for Star Anna.
Along with cohorts - co-producer Ty Bailie (keyboards/organ/piano), Julian McDonough (drums), Jacques Willis (vibraphones), Will Moore (bass), and Jeff Fielder (guitars) - Star Anna went into the studio with only a few completed songs, and the others just rough ideas, and made a record.
That freedom helped Star stretch herself as a songwriter and vocalist. She didn't play guitar on the record, she just sang, giving her a chance to focus on her voice.
"I was surprised by how I was able to push myself vocally," she says proudly. "When the guys would say, 'Ok, that was good, but go do it again and just let loose,' I'd think, 'well, fine, fuck you. I thought that was great. You'll see. I just can't do better.' But, somehow I was always able to pull it out."
She continues, "It was nice to be able to focus on just the vocals and let the rest of the guys worry about the music."
Two big firsts for Star on Go To Hell is the inclusion of covers, including Tom Waits' "Come On Up to The House," and co-writing with someone that wasn't in the band, her friend Shane Tutmarc, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter.
The song "Let Me Be," which was co-written with Tutmarc, has some of the album's most significant lyrics for Star.
"It was written after the first recording session in Portland, where we recorded three songs that were meant to be demos. They were the inspiration for the rest of the album," she recalls. "It was co-written by a friend in Nashville who did not know the back story of the song and was just going off the first verse and chorus. He managed to capture the idea perfectly. The line, 'I'm a new man looking sideways in the dark' feels most significant to me, as it describes being stripped down to nothing. You have the freedom to become whatever you want because there is nothing left. It's a heartbreaking place to be, but it opens up your world to rebuild."
For all she went through to make this record, Star came out stronger, with a better direction of where not only she wanted her music to be, but also where she needed to be.
"[The album is about] balance. There is a lot of anger and loss, but there is also the other side of that. When something happens that strips you down to the bone, you can choose to only focus on the anger or you can also look around at the people who are still there, who are still trustworthy, loving and truly kind."
That is what Go To Hell is all about. Telling off your past demons and poisoned relationships and forging ahead, picking yourself up and showing the world you're stronger than that. Now, with a handful of songs, and a new record, Star will hit stages across the country and offer up some cathartic tunes that will help, revitalize, and inspire others, just as they did for her.
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