BY NATASIA LANGFELDER
Lesbian.com

Melissa Ferrick is a singer/songwriter who hit the music scene hard in the 90’s after opening for Morrissey. Ferrick found early commercial success and won over a large fanbase. The loyalty of her fans allowed her to move successfully to indie labels and eventually start her own label, Rock on Records. Ferrick has been an out lesbian throughout her entire career, often speaking candidly about her love life in interviews and in her lyrics. She’s also performed with many queer rock/folk ladies, including Tegan & Sara, k.d. Lang, The Indigo Girls and Ani DiFranco, to name a few.

Ferrick has released 12 studio albums and now she’s back with another- her eponymous album was release on July 31st, and the vinyl is set to be released this month. Ferrick, who is known for her rigorous tour schedule, is already back on the road promoting her album. But luckily, we got to sit down with her for a few moments to discuss her latest musical outing.

Melissa, how did you discover music was your passion and how did you decide to pursue it as a full-time career? 

I’ve been studying music since I was 5 (first on violin) and so it feels a lot like music chose me. There was a time in 1996, after Atlantic Records had dropped me, that I did make a decision to do this music thing. I was 26 and it felt like a really big and real commitment to my innermost self at the time. Probably more so than being 20 and getting signed to a major label.

This record was completely a solo effort- why did you decide to go that route? 

The songs and the budget demanded it. My fans partially funded this album and the overwhelming response was to have me record it myself at home. My fans generally tend to prefer me on my own, without filter and without a lot of production. So since this group of songs was more subtle and personal, I agreed that the recording process should be as well.

How did you motivate yourself? 

Ha, deadlines….deadlines …deadlines. I have always worked well under pressure, I find it energizing I really like having goal’s set this helps me A. Get there and B. Keeps me focused on the way.

This record has been discussed as a ‘new beginning.’ How does Melissa Ferrick (the album) represent a new beginning for you? 

It’s a starting over putting records out independently on my own label; it’s back to basics in the recording process, no click tracks, old school 16 track machine, and analog outboard gear. One takes on everything. It’s a real performance record. That is how I got started and what I excel at – performance, the immediate, the moment and the moving on from that.

What is the tone of Melissa Ferrick? What themes run through it and what message do you want your fans to take away from it? 

The tone is immediacy, introspection and a peace with where I am. The theme that runs through it is probably “coming to understanding.” As far as a message I want people to take form it? Hmm, I’m not sure, I don’t really think too much about what other people should take from things, I leave that to them.

You’ve been in the music industry for a long time and have toured with amazing artists, such as Ani DiFranco, Tegan & Sara, k.d. Lang and the Indigo Girls, tell me your craziest “tour story.”

Having diner with k.d.Lang was pretty awesome and watching her run a sound check was literally one of the most mesmerizing things I’ve ever seen musically. She is a pro. She is in her own league. I believe k.d.Lang is one of the greatest singers alive and will stand the test of time to be revealed as one of the “Great’s.” It was a complete honor to stand on stage before her.

What’s the best thing a fan has ever mailed/thrown on stage at you? 

When I started on the Morrissey tour when I was 20, his fan’s would throw flowers onto the stage at him, as the tour continued and his fan’s started cheering me on I would occasionally get thrown a flower and this certainly made me feel loved and appreciated. It’s usually preferred if the flowers are thrown near me though not AT me

What advice would you give to aspiring singer-songwriters? 

Give it your all for five years. If more people are coming to see you play after five years than in the first two years and you’re still enjoying the performances then go for a another five years. This is job, take it seriously but enjoy your responsibilities. Show up on time, play our heart out, be kind to the folks you meet, and don’t complain on stage. This job takes effort, tenacity, and guts – it’s not for the weary.

For more Melissa visit www.melissaferrick.com

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BY CANDY PARKER

For those who aren’t lucky enough to live in one of the cities on Melissa Ferrick’s summer tour list, the singer/songwriter has announced a fantastic opportunity for you to catch her live show without even leaving your house. (And you won’t have to risk running into your ex either!)

Ferrick will be performing a live pop-up concert on June 2 at 7:00pm ET hosted by Wizeo. Proceeds from the performance will benefit Oxfam America, a global organization working to right the wrongs of poverty, hunger and injustice.

Wizeo is a new video-chat-for-a-cause platform which allows fans to connect with authors, performers and other notables (aka “Wizzes”) in a unique online experience. Wizzes team with nonprofits and donations made by participants go to support those worthy organizations around the world.

Ferrick’s show will be a pay-what-you-want event and will feature both a musical performance component as well as a Q&A segment which will allow fans to interact with the singer in real time. Ferrick is excited to have the opportunity to support OxaFam America and engage her fans in this new and creative way.

“I feel really good about supporting an organization that fights to end poverty, and I’m honored to be a part of the launch of Wizeo (a platform) that allows me to connect with my fans for such a great purpose,” said Ferrick.

Ferrick’s summer tour schedule includes the following stops:

June 6 – Annapolis, Maryland
June 7 – Ardmore, Pennsylvania
June 8 – Brooklyn, New York
June 14 – Trenton, New Jersey
June 20 – Buffalo, New York
June 21 – Ann Arbor, Michigan
June 22 – Chicago, Illinois
June 23 – Cleveland, Ohio
August 8 – Hart, Michigan
August 30 – Ogunquit, Maine
September 12 – Alexandria, Virginia
September 13 – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Stay up to date with Ferrick’s schedule by visiting her website and for information on other upcoming Wizeo productions, check their website or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

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BY CANDY PARKER

My introduction to Melissa Ferrick came in 1996 when a friend sent me a mix tape that included a cover version of Roberta Flack’s “Feel Like Makin’ Love.” I had no idea who sang the tune (the mix tape didn’t come with liner notes), but I knew I was gripped by the artist’s passionate tone and hard-driving guitar accompaniment. So captivated was I by this mystery artist, I must have hit play-rewind-play-rewind-play-rewind dozens of times in the weeks after I received that tape.

It took days of begging to get my friend to reveal that the track was from a 1995 CD called “Spirit of ’73: Rock for Choice,” a production that brought together 14 female artists from the 90s to record covers of hit singles by female singers of the 70s with proceeds benefiting the Rock for Choice Organization. With that info in hand, it wasn’t difficult to learn that the singer with whom I’d become obsessed was Melissa Ferrick.

In the ensuing 18 years, I’ve been fortunate enough to see Ferrick perform live numerous times in a variety of locations. In the 90s I once saw her in a setting so intimate that I was able to pull a stool up directly in front of the stage and literally rest my foot barely inches from her mic stand. Subsequently, I’ve made a point of catching Ferrick’s D.C.-area performances anywhere and everywhere I can — from the rowdy 9:30 Club downtown to the more relaxed suburban-based Jammin’ Java to the acoustically near-perfect Birchmere. My only regret in having so religiously attended Ferrick’s shows over the years is that, despite my many pleas, I have yet to hear her sing “Feel Like Makin’ Love” live. If ever I do, I’ll die happy.

Meanwhile, I have been fortunate enough to interview her a couple of times and she has done me the honor once again for this week’s Fast 5.

1. If you could be anywhere else in the world right now, where would you want to be and what would you be doing there?

Somewhere warm at some amazing recording studio making a record — not necessarily even my music — producing or co-writing anything that would demand me spending 12 hours of the day in a perfectly controlled environment with fresh coffee all day while being able to walk outside to “get a breath of fresh air” in a T-shirt and jeans.

2. What’s the last book you read?

Don’t read much, but it was Anne Lamott’s “Rosie.”

3. If you could host a dinner party and invite any five people — past or present — to attend who would be on that guest list?

I’m going with an “alive,” all-women dinner party and my choices are: Amy Poehler, Chelsea Handler, Francis Mcdermott, Jennifer Lawrence and Tina Fey.

4. Beach or mountains?

Beach

5. What are you most looking forward to in 2014?

Making a new record, learning new ways to balance my life and participating more in the friendships I have.

Keep up with Melissa on Facebook, Twitter and be sure to visit her website.

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Melissa Ferrick sits down for a One On One session at City Winery New York on April 6, 2014. The singer/songwriter performs “I Don’t Want You to Change,” “Home” and “Time to Leave” in this mini-set.

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Melissa Ferrick performs the title track from her 1998 CD “Everything I Need” at a 2010 performance in Tampa.

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We launched our lesbian playlist series with “passion.” Now it’s time to move on to the opposite end of the spectrum with our essential “break-up” playlist. These five tunes serve as the perfect soundtrack for getting from” angry” to “over it.”

Be sure to tell us your favorite break-up songs in the “Leave a Reply” section below!

“Untouchable Face” — Ani DiFranco

We’re hopping into our way back machine for this one, heading to 1996 when DiFranco made this the first cut on her “Dilate” CD. The lyrics are most certainly NSFW, but when the woman you want now wants someone else, well, it’s not always pretty now is it?

“Creep” — Brandi Carlile

Carlile’s cover of this Radiohead classic is pure you-think-you’re-too-good-for-me gold. “You’re so %#$*! special. I wish I was special.” Crank it up, sing along and let go of that anger.

“Some Kinda Nerve” — Melissa Ferrick

This tune is off Ferrick’s “Freedom” release and offers the ideal retort to the former lover now experiencing second thoughts. “You’ve got some kind of nerve/coming back here for more/like i’m just going drop everything i’m doing/so you can humiliate me a little more.” And that’s just the first couple of lines.

“Gravity” — Sara Bareilles

So you’re past the anger stage and just begging the universe to help you let go and move on. Put Bareilles on repeat and feel the weight being lifted every time she hits that high note near the end. The song is even better than the Oscar-nominated film of the same name and definitely more healing after a painful break-up.

“Heal Me” — Melissa Etheridge

Congratulations! You made it. You realized that a broken heart doesn’t mean the world has ended. Etheridge had that same epiphany in this song from “Skin,” arguably one of her best CDs.

The post Lesbian break-up playlist: 5 songs to get you from ‘angry’ to ‘over it’ first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY CANDY PARKER

If you’re like me, your iPod is loaded with playlists for every occasion. From heart-pumping work-out tunes to upbeat party tracks to mellow make-out melodies, music provides the soundtrack for our lesbian lives.

Lesbian.com is here with our own “Lesbian Playlist” series to make sure your iPod is lesbian-approved and lesbian-certified. We’ve pulled together mini-playlist suggestions for every mood or situation and we’ll be sharing them with you over the next several weeks.

From those syrupy, sentimental songs that are just right for holding hands as you road-trip it for a weekend getaway to those let’s-get-this-party-started anthems,  we’ll share five of our favorites — and ask you to share yours, too.

We kick off the series with these bass-heavy, raspy-voiced tracks that set the mood during the can’t-get-enough-of-each-other-phase of a relationship. Welcome to our “Passion Playlist.”

Be sure to use the “Leave a Reply” section below to share your favorites with us!

“Drive” – Melissa Ferrick

Ferrick‘s most well-known tune — written on a dare and inspired by Janet Jackson’s music — has been turning women on and turning women out since it first appeared on her LP “Freedom” in 2000.

“Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover” – Sophie B. Hawkins

You may want to make sure you have a fan nearby before watching this 1995 version with Melissa Etheridge on VH1’s “Duets.”

“Like The Way I Do” – Melissa Etheridge

This lesbian anthem anchored Etheridge‘s self-titled debut LP and remains one of the most recognizable opening guitar riffs in lesbian music. This tune could arguably belong on a “Break-up Playlist,” too — just depends on your relationship perspective.

“Constant Craving” – k.d. lang

The title of k.d. lang‘s 1992 Grammy-winning song pretty much says it all, no?

“Possession” – Sarah McLachlan

Though not a lesbian, McLachlan inspired many a girl-on-girl make out session with her 1993 “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” release which included this obsessed fan-inspired track.

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Melissa Ferrick’s new video for “Home” is a sexy sweet love song about home of her new album “the truth is.”

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Melissa Ferrick performs “Will You be the One” live at the Coach House, San Juan Capistrano, CA.

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