Melissa Ferrick

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Melissa Ferrick
Melissa Ferrick in 2006. (Photo by Michelle Ramer)
Background information
Born	September 21, 1970 (1970-09-21) (age 37)
Origin	Massachusetts, U.S.
Genre(s)	Folk-Rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Guitar, bass guitar, vocals, percussion, trumpet
Years active	1991 - Present
Label(s)	Atlantic (1992–1995) What Are Records? (1997–2000) Right On Records (2000–present)
Website	www.melissaferrick.com www.myspace.com/melissaferrick

Melissa Ferrick is an American singer-songwriter born in 1970 and raised in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Her father was a public school teacher who managed several free-jazz bands on the side. As a child, Ferrick would often accompany her father to clubs on Boston's North Shore to watch the bands play^[1]. She began taking classical violin lessons at the age of 5, and then moved on to the piano. In elementary and junior high school, she learned the trumpet and bass. Altogether, she received twelve years of formal music training, including two years each at the Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory of Music. Ferrick taught herself to play the acoustic guitar at Berklee, and dropped out after two years to pursue her music career.

Contents 1 Music 2 Personal life 3 Discography 3.1 Albums 3.2 Videos 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Music

Ferrick began her career singing and playing in coffeehouses in the East Village, New York.^[2] She received a great deal of publicity in 1991 when she replaced, at the last minute, the opening act for the singer Morrissey on tour. Largely as a result of her standout performances with Morrissey, she was signed to a recording contract with Atlantic Records and released her first studio album Massive Blur in 1993.

Ferrick's relationship with Atlantic was rocky. She was dropped when her first two albums did not meet the producers' financial expectations. Nonetheless, Willing To Wait, her second album with Atlantic, is still highly praised by her fans.

A few years later, in 1996, she -- in her words -- "bottomed out", drinking and "taking a bunch of pills"^[3]. After sobering up, she returned to music, signing with the indie label What Are Records?, which gave her a much greater degree of creative freedom but limited marketing and financial support. Ferrick released 3 records on the What Are Records? label.

In 2000, Ferrick founded her own record label, Right On Records, in a move reminiscent of fellow "folk rocker" Ani DiFranco's choice to release under Righteous Babe Records. A few of Ferrick's more recent songs refer to the sometimes constraining nature of being signed with a major label. The first studio album released on her own label was Valentine Heartache. Since her departure from Atlantic, the rise in her popularity has been driven by her fan-base, by reviews in the independent and alternative press, and by word-of-mouth.

In The Eyes of Strangers, released in October 2006, was the sixth album released on her own label. Ferrick partially financed the recording costs for In The Eyes of Strangers with digital downloads of acoustic versions of select songs which fans could purchase directly via her website^[4]. In September 2007, she released Live at Union Hall, a live album recorded in Brooklyn, New York. Following her latest live album, she announced her intention of releasing future studio material as singles to be released one at a time digitally prior to compiling into full-fledged albums.^[5]

Ferrick's songs are confessional, with emotionally charged content that explores love, relationships, career and social issues. Her vocal delivery has been described as "passionate" and "powerful."^[6] During live performances, she mostly accompanies herself on a Collings OM3 SB acoustic guitar, which she often plays with rapid fingerpicking and complicated riffs. She has also experimented with a range of accompaniments, including, in particular, brass instruments. She is famous for her excellent guitar play, even if critics do not always approve of her songwriting skills.

Melissa Ferrick on stage is claimed to be a totally different experience to listening to her studio albums. Her rigorous touring schedule generally includes more than 150 shows per year^[7]. Her typical performance style is intense and energetic, with her close rapport with her audience evident in her extensive between-song banter. She plays solo gigs in small to medium-sized clubs and numerous festivals, as well as larger venues accompanied by a band. In 2007, she performed at the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival, and opened for Indigo Girls and Ani Difranco.

Her musical inspirations include Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, Earth Wind and Fire, The Beatles, Tori Amos, Coldplay, Radiohead, Dave Matthews, Ani DiFranco.^[8]

[edit] Personal life

Melissa Ferrick is openly gay^[9], and some of her lyrics deal with lesbian themes. Her album Everything I Need was named 1999 Album of the Year by the Gay and Lesbian American Music Association, and she has received glowing reviews in the queer publication The Advocate. In interviews and articles she speaks openly not only about her sexuality, but also about her love life, and her personal life in general^[10].

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

• 1993 - Massive Blur
• 1995 - Willing to Wait
• 1996 - Made of Honor
• 1997 - +1 (Live)
• 1998 - Everything I Need
• 2000 - Freedom
• 2001 - Skinnier, Faster, Live at the B.P.C. (Live)
• 2001 - Valentine Heartache
• 2002 - Listen Hard
• 2003 - 70 People at 7000 Feet (Live)
• 2004 - The Other Side
• 2006 - In the Eyes of Strangers
• 2007 - Live at Union Hall (Live)

[edit] Videos

• 2006 - Decade

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Official Website
• Melissa Ferrick's entry at the All Music Guide.