Artists
Melissa Ferrick: "electricity scattered"
Other musicians have taken a brief vacation to the music scene, this powerhouse has been on the scene, seen the scene and created the scene for over a decade. Despite being pigeonholed under various one-word categories, Ferrick truly embodies the spirit of the Independent Artist. See Why.
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Melissa Ferrick Like Wagner, Melissa Ferrick “write(s) music with an exclamation point!” It can be found in the energy bordering on spontaneous combustion at a live show, the string breaking frenzy of the guitar strum and the emotional vomiting of her lyrics. She seems to be living a life where music is a compulsion and not merely a choice. Why else would a person who once tasted the Big Apple Arena continue touring over a decade later? What else but obsession to “sing (her) truth” drives an artist to create her own record label rather than risk artistic integrity? What else but an incessant need to challenge herself prompts an artist to create an album in it’s entirety as with some of her discography? This is the spirit of independent music. It is this very urgency to publicly purge her internal demons that leaves a complex trail that can easily be overlooked. Her musical style leaves plenty of room for the “grab a beer and grab a friend social crowd” as well as the “shhh, it’s about the music crowd.” A listener can get caught up in the overt energy and sexuality exuded at a live show, as well as appreciates the subtle complexity of her musicianship. It is this very duality that makes her live shows so enjoyable. One can appreciate the “Rock Star” who works the stage through confident self expression and also can recognize the artist’s internal need for affirmation voiced by Bruce Springsteen when he said, “Music was my way of keeping people from looking through and around me.” The listener can respond to the iconic status of Ferrick and cal also respond to the universal message found in great art. Whatever position the listener is in, anyone can see that this artist is openly and honestly willing to scatter and mend for them (and more importantly herself) for years to come. Perhaps this is the very source of her mystery and her appeal. |
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Posted on 2008-11-12
