Syd Straw is an actress/producer/singer/songwriter who’s worked with nearly everyone, including Emmylou Harris, Rickie Lee Jones, Wilco, Golden Palominos, and Los Lobos. She tries to love everyone, especially dogs. New band: Bitchface.

Straw is an enormously gifted vocalist and songwriter who has her own distinct musical vision. She first made a name for herself as part of the Golden Palominos, a band led by Anton Fier that enjoyed a cult following in the 1980s. Her Capricorn Records debut, War and Peace, was released in 1996, and since then, her unique blend of folk-rock and blues-rock has found a home with Triple A (adult album alternative) radio stations and their audiences around the country. Straw released Surprise in 1990 to good reviews. That recording chronicled Straw’s emergence as a songwriter; she had thought of herself primarily as a song interpreter before that. On Surprise, Straw was joined by Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), John Doe (X), Ry Cooder, Daniel Lanois, Don Was, Richard Thompson, and Marshall Crenshaw.