“An interviewer asked Chris Pureka to sum up her music as a haiku. I will: Folky sorrowful songs of loneliness and hurt, longing to reunite. Her tunes have the grave Appalachian flavor of Neil Young and Gillian Welch; her guitar playing is subdued but quietly virtuosic. And her voice can be a desolate whisper or a bitter accusation. There’s no comfort, for her, in the clarity of her observations.”
– John Pareles, THE NEW YORK TIMES

On August 15th, 2023, Ferrick released Black Dress, their first single in eight years, via the venerable Kill Rock Stars Records. This release coincides with the 30th anniversary of Ferrick's critically acclaimed major label debut, Massive Blur. Ferrick is celebrating the new release and her 30th Anniversary by touring a retrospective show titled, Throughlines. In other big news, Melissa has started a management company, Drive Music Agency (D.M.A.), where she represents Brennan Wedl and Joh Chase. 
     Melissa Ferrick is regarded in the industry and by their peers as one of the most prolific, generous, and hardworking people in the business. After opening for Morrissey in the U.S. and UK, Ferrick signed with Atlantic Records at the age of 21 and released her debut and sophomore albums with them. Between 1996 and 1999, Melissa released three albums with the Colorado-based indie label W.A.R. Records. In 2000, Melissa launched the nationally distributed independent record label Right On Records. Ferrick put out two critically acclaimed albums with NY-based label MPress Records between 2011 and 2013. She's released seventeen albums over the last twenty-five years and has won numerous awards for songwriting, production, and performance. Melissa has shared the stage with countless acts, some of which include Morrissey, Joan Armatrading, Weezer, Tegan and Sara, Mark Cohen, Paul Westerberg, Bob Dylan, John Hiatt, Ani DiFranco, k.d. Lang, Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, and many others. 
     Besides her work in the music industry, Ferrick is a Professor of the Practice at Northeastern University in the Music Department. Melissa teaches courses in the music business, songwriting, creative entrepreneurship, demo recording and production, live performance, and the psychology of creativity. From 2013 – to 2019, Melissa was an Associate Professor of Songwriting at Berklee College of Music. She holds an Ed.M from Harvard University.   

*Melissa is the named plaintiff of the class action lawsuit Ferrick v. Spotify for willful copyright infringement.  

An internationally recognized performing songwriter, Melissa won numerous awards and honors some of which include:
2016    #3: Song of the Year, “Stars Outnumber our Hearts”—Boston Herald, 
2015    #20 “Top 50 Indie Women in Music”—Non-Hollywood
2014    Alt-Country Album of the Year Independent Music Award - Fan Vote.

Signed to Atlantic Records in 1992 at the age of 21, after opening up for Morrissey in the US and UK, they released their debut and sophomore albums on Atlantic to critical acclaim before moving on to Independent label W.A.R. Records between 1996 and 1999. In 2000, Ferrick founded the nationally distributed independent record label Right On Records. Regarded in the industry and by peers as one of the most prolific and hardworking artists in the business, Ferrick still tours regularly playing throughout North America. They have shared the stage with Morrissey, Joan Armatrading, Weezer, Tegan and Sara, Mark Cohen, Paul Westerberg, Dar Williams, Bob Dylan, John Hiatt, Ani DiFranco, k.d.Lang, Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, and many others.

                                            Extended Bio:
Melissa grew up in Ipswich, MA during the 70s, playing the violin and going to jazz clubs on the North Shore with her father, who managed local bands. In elementary school, she learned to play trumpet and bass guitar, which led the way to songwriting in high school.  At 16, Melissa was accepted into the New England Conservatory (N.E.C.) Youth Orchestra and Wind Ensemble as a trumpet player, allowing her to tour with the N.E.C. Extension Division, which traveled to perform in California and China. She was accepted to Berklee College of Music on songwriting and trumpet scholarships and chose to continue her music education there from 1988-1990.  After two years playing in Boston's local rock club scene, Melissa left school and moved to New York City.  In July of 1991, Melissa's phone rang and she was asked to open that night for Morrissey in Boston on his “Kill Uncle” tour.  She was invited to finish the U.S. dates with Morrissey and to continue to the U.K. as his opening act.  When she returned to the States, at 20 years old, she was offered deals with three major labels. 
Melissa signed with Atlantic Records, and in 1993 she released her debut album, "Massive Blur."  After her sophomore effort, "Willing to Wait," was released in 1995, Melissa was dropped by Atlantic Records.  She regrouped and released three albums on Boulder, CO-based W.A.R.? Records. In 2000, Ferrick founded her label, Right On Records, and released a string of Albums and EPs. In 2010, before almost going bankrupt, Ferrick put her label on hold and signed with NY-based MPress Records. Melissa released two albums with MPress, 2011's "Still Right Here" and 2013's "The Truth Is.” Still Right Here debuted on Billboard’s Heat-Seekers Album Charts, won an 8th annual International Acoustic Music Award (IAMA), and garnered two Independent Music Award (IMA) nominations. The title track’s music video premiered on the launch of Huffington Post’s Gay site and won two RightOut TV awards. Ferrick was also a featured music honoree in OUT Magazine’s OUT100 – focusing on artists who make an impact on the community.  2013's "The Truth Is" won the 2014 Independent Music Award for Alt-Country Album of the Year Fan Vote. Ferrick is an eight-time Boston Music Award winner.

2 girls singing in a terrible storm, 1 guitar in a tiny town, insane soul sisters making dirty folk-rock tied up in a bow for you.

Shore (2014) was written for two reasons. The first was to express loss, longing, hope, and love through music when such feelings could not be voiced in words. The second was to build a sonic link between the land-locked Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts and Gray's Atlantic Ocean home. Each movement is named after a certain coastal location that holds particular significance. At times deeply haunting and at times wholly happy, Shore is a story of self through sound and sail and wind and wave.

String Quartet No. I "Shore" 
by Anderson Gray

I. Napatree Point
Block Island Sound
41°18'22"N 71°53'06"W

II. Red Hook Channel
Mouth of the Hudson
40°40'14"N 74°01'28"W 

III. Sheepscot Bay
Gulf of Maine
43°46'35"N 69°41'30"W

IV. Race Point
Cape Cod Bay
42°04'31"N 70°14'03"W

V. Sippican Harbor
Buzzard's Bay
41°42'28"N 70°45'49"W

Recorded on February 5th, 2014 by the Wistaria String Quartet: Sarah Briggs (violin), Kaila Graef (violin), Delores Thayer (viola) and Rebecca Hartka (cello).

© 2014 Anderson Gray

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