Anna Waronker

Anna Jeanette Waronker (born July 10, 1972) is a singer/songwriter, best known as the former frontwoman of That Dog. She is the daughter of producer Lenny Waronker and actress/musician Donna Loren, the sister of session drummer Joey Waronker and married to Steven Shane McDonald of Redd Kross.

That Dog (1991-1997)

Waronker was born in Los Angeles, California. After growing up in a very music-oriented home, Waronker formed the band that would become That Dog after graduating from high school. That Dog released three albums. That Dog toured with such acts as Beck, Weezer, and Blur. That Dog consisted of Waronker on lead vocals and guitar, Petra Haden on violin, Rachel Haden on bass, and Tony Maxwell on drums. Waronker separated from That Dog when they announced their breakup in 1997 after their third album Retreat from the Sun, which had originally been intended as her first solo record.

Other Work

During the time she was with That Dog, Waronker and bandmate Petra backed up Beck on a number of demos and b-sides. Waronker has also "produced" her husband Steve McDonald, on several projects, including his revision of the White Stripes album Redd Blood Cells and is in Ze Malibu Kids with him and their niece.

Waronker has contributed much music to films and television, including Josie and the Pussycats, and the television series Clueless (1996-1999), where she collaborated with Charlotte Caffey (the Go-Go's). With her husband, she produced Imperial Teen's third album On. Five of Waronker's songs were featured on the television series Dawson's Creek.

Waronker recorded a cover version of the song "Catch" by The Cure specifically for the Songs For Summer compilation album, a memorial for Summer Brannin. The song was not included on the album upon its release, but was made available later on the record's promotional site.

Waronker founded her own record company, "Five Foot Two Records," with her sister-in-law Charlotte Caffey, on which she released her first solo record in 2002, titled Anna By Anna Waronker.

In the early 2000s Waronker played several solo shows and a few other shows with the short-lived Ze Malibu Kids.

Waronker is also heard in the song No Soul by the band Say Anything.

Recent activity

Waronker is in the process of releasing a follow up record, which she claims will be "darker/heavier" than her first album. The tentative title for the album is California Fade. On January 18, 2006 Waronker joined MySpace, allowing people to preview some of her new songs. The songs "How Am I Doing" and "Beautiful Life" were released for purchase on iTunes.

Waronker recently provided the score as well as the song "Beautiful Life" for a short film (co-written and directed by Mary Wigmore and Gwyneth Paltrow) called Dealbreaker as well as doing some of the original score for a film called Freshman Orientation. Dealbreaker premiered at The Sundance Film Festival in January 2006.

Waronker played Joan Jett in the film What We Do Is Secret written and directed by Rodger Grossman. In 2005, she contributed to the UNICEF benefit song, "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?". In 2007, Waronker appeared on Say Anything's "In Defense of the Genre", where she performed guest vocals on the track "No Soul". In late April 2007, Waronker's song "How Am I Doing?" was played at the end of a Grey's Anatomy episode, which was entitled "Desire". A sample of her song "I Don't Wanna" was played in the 2008 Movie The Haunting of Molly Hartley.

In October of 2008, her work with Charlotte Caffey came to the stage at the Hayworth Theatre; as "Lovelace, A Rock Opera" debuted and performances have been extended twice - currently thru Feb. 2009.

Partial discography

That Dog

• That Dog (1994)
• Totally Crushed Out! (1995)
• Retreat From The Sun (1997)

Ze Malibu Kids

• Sound It Out (2002)

Solo Work

• Anna (2002)
• California Fade (TBA)

External links

• Anna Waronker Official Site
• Anna's MySpace Page
• Dawsons Creek Song Listing
• that dog Tablature
• Anna Waronker Tablature at Ultimate-Guitar