 |
 |
 |
 |
|
| |
|
Melissa Ferrick
by Amy Steele
|
 |
|
|
|
photo
credit Ross Pelton
|
|
| |
|
"It's a we thing, not an I thing. It's the first word of the
constitution. It's universal."
-Melissa Ferrick
Freedom is defined many ways for singer/songwriter Melissa Ferrick.
The most obvious being the title of her fifth album. She also produced
and co-wrote the songs for this album with the help of her friend
and former band mate, bassist Marika Tjelios. And finally, freedom
is the independence of expression that has made the critics, fans
and superstar icon Morrissey stand up and take notice.
Ferrick earned a scholarship to Berkeley College of Music in the
mid-eighties. Soon after, she bought a guitar and began composing
her own songs. Then in 1995, at the age of 20, Ferrick rather boldly
handed Morrissey her demo tape. He liked it so much (especially
a song at the end of the tape called "Hello Dad") that he asked
her to complete his tour as the opening act.
After a short time on a major (Atlantic Records), Ferrick signed
with Colorado based indie, WAR (aka What Are Records) and found
a home there. In 1998, Ferrick broke out with the album "Everything
I Need" selling 10,000 copies. This landed her a slot at the Boston
Lilith Fair. She won Best Folk Rock Band at the 1999 Boston Music
Awards and her album was nominated for Album of the Year by the
1999 Gay and Lesbian American Music Association (GLAMA). But Ferrick
insists that an earlier album "Plus One" remains the fan favorite.
 "Why?"
Ferrick pondered from her home in Massachusetts. "It was live and
there was no ego involved." On "Freedom" a relatively
low-budget ($5000) independent release, Ferrick was forced to resort
back to basics. On a major label, she recalled, the focus was to
sell units rather than to make the type of album she wanted. Success
was measured by monetary instead of artistic value.
"It's simple, not produced. This makes the record real. It's two
musicians making a record with everything they've got. Less production
works with the more heartfelt style of music I do. I'm happy with
the progression. Voice and guitar are at the center. Just stay out
of the way of the song, that's the way it is."
On W.A.R. Records, money is not an issue and she can focus on the
sound and feeling she wants to evoke through her music. Having invested
so little money to produce and record this album, Ferrick knows
that she can sell enough copies to be successful.
"This album has sold 2,000 records in one week which is a huge success.
It's unbelievable. It is harder to get distribution but there are
hard core people working at the label. They are really involved.
They care not just about me personally but about music. It's a we
thing, not an I thing. It's the first word of the constitution.
It's universal."
Ferrick's songs are self-referential, exploring love and relationships:
trying to keep it together with "Hold On" (Tell me I'm the one you've
been waiting for/ all your life), the bitter spite of "Some Kinda
Nerve" (Makes me think you know/ that you never even knew me/ makes
me understand/ that the whole time it was you/ just using me), and
the resigned, start all over again nature of "Then So It Is" (I
drive myself crazy/crazy in a constant spin/that one day soon ya
know/ I'm going to get my life/I'm gonna get my life/ back together
again).
"I write about me and my life. I'm a self-obsessed writer working
life out through my music and my art. It's a vehicle for me to learn
about myself. Words come out and it happens fast, like a 5-10 minute
free-write. I'll learn from those lyrics. It'll predict the future.
Sometimes there's a deeper part of myself that I'm not willing to
admit to until later."
When Ferrick writes she draws material from her own very personal
experiences such as her former three-and-a-half year relationship
in which she said she was on the road a majority of the time and
so self-focused that she only spent about eight months with her
girlfriend. "It's good to get out all emotions: sad, bitter and
fuck you, I hate you, you hurt me." She now tries to involve her
friends in her musical life as much as possible. "I sacrifice friendships
and lovers for what I do." Although, she has few regrets she spent
all of her twenties (the past ten years) on the road touring.
"Is it worth it, are you happy? I don't want to do the small shows
ten months a year when I get older but I want to continue to make
records. It's a blast. Being on stage, that's what I live for. I
bitch and moan the most but also love it the most. There's a natural
babyness reaction. There's trying to find I've never felt discriminated
against about sex or sexuality. If I were aware of it, I would be
so enraged. I'm out. I'm here. I'm playing my music."
Ferrick feels like a role model to young girls who are confused
about their own identity like she was as a youth growing up. "As
a teenager, I didn't know where I fit in or who I was. I was Irish-Catholic
and thought I would get kicked out. I have these 15-year-olds coming
out, coming to my shows. They are confused and don't know what they
like or who they like but they want time. They don't have to be
anything. And I'm the resting block."
See Melissa Ferrick on Tour:
May 1 Nashville
May 4 Providence
May 5 Syracuse
May 6 Albany
May 8 Northampton
May 12/13 New York City
May 18 Boston
May 27/28 Provincetown
On tour in June with Tim Finn. In August at the 25th Anniversary
of the Michigan Women's Festival. |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
_________________________________
For
updated tour dates and more information, check out the official
Melissa Ferrick site:
http://www.war.com/ferrick/ |
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
_________________________________
Melissa Ferrick is one of several artists featured in "For
The Love Of Rock." Read an exclusive
interview with independent filmmakers Wendy Tumminello and Lynda
Allen and watch a sneak preview of the movie featuring Melissa Ferrick. |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
