Bio: To call Minneapolis-based Jeremy Messersmith a musician is half-truth: He's also a storyteller, who has carefully crafted a trilogy of songs that narrate life. His forthcoming full-length, The Reluctant ... (more)
Bio: To call Minneapolis-based Jeremy Messersmith a musician is half-truth: He's also a storyteller, who has carefully crafted a trilogy of songs that narrate life. His forthcoming full-length, The Reluctant Graveyard (out May 4), contains "11 songs about death, and perhaps, unexpectedly, life," according to Messersmith, completing an album trilogy of lifelong (ahem, literary), observations.
Messersmith is offering the first track off the new album, "Violet!," for mp3 download. "Violet!" is a Colin Blunstone/Zombies-esque composition filled with the same '60s Beach Boys and Beatles-influenced chamber and classic-pop evident on his preceding album, The Silver City. Songs from that album were also featured on MTV and "Ugly Betty." Coupled with national attention from NPR and several talked-about performances with Sondre Lerche and The Watson Twins, among others, his shows started selling out in Chicago, Minneapolis and NYC.
No stranger to offering music to his fans, Messersmith is a pioneer in social media, having rapidly gained a loyal fanbase over the past few years by updating his website every Wednesday with new content, from a b-side track, show announcement, lunchtime video concert, or a song about one of his obsessions, Star Wars (Tatooine), to streaming video from the recording studio allowing for live fan feedback. Most recently, Messersmith made his previous albums, along with other content, available for download via Bandcamp.com, where fans can pay what they wish. His success in adapting to the social media world led to him being used as an example of the new and unique ways an artist can brand themselves at the multimedia portion of this year's SXSW festival, where he also played several performances.
Messersmith is currently preparing for a national tour in support of The Reluctant Graveyard, starting in May. Tour dates to be announced shortly.
With simple chord progressions and beautifully crafted melodies, his music feels reminiscent of '60s-style, Beach Boys-influenced pop." -NPR World Cafe
"The lyrics of his songs also suggest that he's a little on the glum side of things, although those dark lyrics all come supported by a musical spoonful of sugar: beautiful, catchy melodies." -KCMP 89.3 The Current
"Imagine Elliott Smith driving in a convertible, the wind flying through his hair, singing about sadness and somehow creating joy enough to forget his troubles for a while." -The Onion
"Jeremy Messersmith has that certain je ne sais quoi. His sad lyrics/happy melody coupling isn't brand-new, but it's done in a way that conjures images of a still-upright Elliott Smith performing songs intended for Brian Wilson or A.C. Newman,not a bad spot to be in, all told." -City Pages (Village Voice)
For more info, please visit:
http://jeremymessersmith.com/
http://www.myspace.com/jeremymessersmith
To request a review copy of The Reluctant Graveyard, or for any other press queries, please contact Brooke Black, 212. 619.1360, brooke@bighassle.com. (less)
