Funny and melodic, Anya Marina has a gentle voice and a quick sense of humor that can charm just about anyone. However, growing up, Marina was always told to keep her mouth shut.

“”I was always told I shouldn’t sing and . . .that my voice was really bad,”” Marina said.

Fortunately she did not listen.

The first-born of Russian immigrants, Marina grew up on a mountain in rural Northern California.

“”I grew up way up in the boondocks with like three dogs and 18 cats and a perennial case of poison oak,”” Marina joked. “”There was no junior high on the mountain so I went down to the valley and realized I had no style, no friends, no social ability””

From this unusual background, it is easy to see that Marina was destined to become a songwriter.

Marina is just as much a stand-up comedian as she is a musician when on stage, but don’t let all her humor fool you. Her music, which she says has been influenced by everything from Russian folk music to The Beatles, has substance.

“”I try and not write about flowers and clouds,”” she said.

In a song called “”Sociopath,”” Marina sings of how she is “”pathologically addicted to what we call a dick-head.”” Hmmm, can you relate?

Surprisingly, Marina is not an old pro at the singer-songwriter thing. She has only been writing and performing since she moved to San Diego, which was three years ago. There, she joined a community of talented musicians who have embraced her with open arms.

“”When I moved to San Diego, I met up with a group of really cool people”” Marina said. “”One of them was Steve Poltz, who was like, ‘you’re really good — you need to keep playing.’ So I did, and here I am almost three years later, and I’ve written a ton of songs.””

Surely Marina has a long and wonderful career ahead of her. However, this songstress has no interest in becoming a rock star.

“”I actually don’t like that side of it at all,”” she admitted. “”I’d love to have a good little indie career. I’d love to be able to eventually play theaters.””

Marina is currently working on an album, but for now you can check her out online at: http://www.mp3.com/anyamarina

Proving again that the best things often exist in our own backyard, Marina is a gem of the San Diego music scene. Anyone with musical taste should visit her Web site for information about upcoming shows. She will surely turn you into a fan with her self-described style of “”smart, indie-sounding pop.””