WELCOME
Hi! Welcome to my site. I feel fortunate to be able to share some music with you and to be able to keep in touch this way. You can post messages for me on the forum board. Check in from time to time for updates on shows, news, and other rambling thoughts.
Much love, and thanks,
Sara
BIOGRAPHY
Sara Melson grew up in a small town in Indiana, the daughter of two college professors, in a house with books covering every wall from floor to ceiling. Her parents also had an impressive record collection. Sara spent hours after school memorizing every word and note of classics by the Beatles, Stones, Dylan, The Band, Bowie, Neil Young, Simon and Garfunkel, the Velvet Underground, Carole King, and Van Morrison. Classically trained on the piano, she taught herself to play the guitar, and began to wed her own words and poems from her journals with melodies to form her first songs.
Sara was accepted to Harvard, and while there as a scholarship student, worked as a dishwasher in the school cafeteria by day and as a waitress in a local Cambridge bar by night. It was also during these years that the Brit-pop influence of the Verve, Blur, and Oasis, as well as Americana-based songwriters such as Ryan Adams, Lucinda Williams, and Jeff Tweedy began to shape her sound and songwriting.
After graduation, Sara moved to Los Angeles, where while perfecting her songs and forming several band incarnations, she worked teaching music to kids, teaching yoga, and acting in various film and television projects. Meanwhile she obsessively demo'd and reworked her songs and gigged around LA, where she shared the stage with Silversun Pickups, Inara George, Ben Lee, Jill Sobule, Neil Halstead, and BRMC, among others, and performed as guest vocalist with Mojave 3 on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic with Nic Harcourt. An opening spot for Juliana Hatfield at renowned local club Spaceland led to an acoustic tour of Japan, where she promoted her self-released Five Song EP. The EP was selected by Launch.com/Yahoo as a "Top Ten Pick" in its Cool as Folk Radiocast, along with Beck, Damien Rice, and Sondre Lerche. Tracks have aired on Indie 103.1, XM Satellite Radio, and KCRW, and have been featured in the ABC television show Men In Trees, the Viacom teen hit South Of Nowhere, and in the independent films Spectres and Safe Harbour.
Sara then turned to focus her efforts on recording her self-produced debut full length, Dirty Mind. The day after she finished mixing the record, she accompanied a friend to a party at Nettwerk Records, where she met CEO Terry McBride. The first topic of conversation that the two bonded over was yoga; from there, Terry asked to hear Sara's CD. He passed it along to his partner at the label, and Sara was signed shortly thereafter.
Sara performs both with and without a band, and has been called "a female Jeff Tweedy." Her timeless songs blur the boundaries between rock, folk, and pop; her soulful voice is at once tender and strong, lyrics introspective, honest, witty and precise. Dirty Mind was featured on iTunes What's Hot, climbing the iTunes pop chart within two days of its release, and the album's first track was featured in its entirety in the climactic final scene of a recent two-part episode of Grey's Anatomy. Her songs are about love and lust, growth and change, and are filled with faith in a better future, both personal and global. Despite harsh realities, Sara's idealism and optimism shine through.
With Dirty Mind, Sara was a featured artist on the Myspace Music homepage, and Yahoo Music chose her as their New Buzz Artist and featured her video in their Who's Next/User's Choice promotion. Sara also caught the eyes and ears of the producers of NBC's new 20-something show Quarterlife, at one of her recent Los Angeles shows; the day they launched the new show's website, Sara was the featured artist on their homepage. She will be aired on American Airlines' Radio and featured in their in-flight magazine this fall and was also selected for the Filter Magazine Summer Compilation CD.
PRESS
Click on the following links to view Online Press from the following sites:
iTunes
Yahoo
Myspace
Quarterlife
Zorpia
Various (Brewed Fresh/Allmusic/Herohill)
REVIEWS
"Sometimes, to expose oneself at one's most fragile and vulnerable is the ultimate act of courage. And if that's the case, then Sara Melson is one of the most fearless singer-songwriters on the planet. Her quiet strength shines through in her winsome space-balladry...Sara Melson just rocks, plain and simple."
--Lyndsey Parker, Launch.com/Yahoo
"Sara Melson is a diverse artist with depth in both AAA and alt-country genres. She has the raspy voice of Kim Carnes with the lyrical sensibilities of Patty Griffin and Kasey Chambers. "Anywhere Anytime" is a perfect pop piece in the style of the Bangles, while "Fall Down" has a more alt-country feel. Melson is a natural and possesses excellent skills on both keyboards and guitar. Her chemistry with the band is extraordinary... above board in all regards. Melson has a great sense of humor, which enables her to make a strong connection with the audience, capturing the attention of all... The music is very strong and tight. An excellent songwriter and performer with a penchant for catchy songs that have a wide appeal."
--Bob Leggett, Music Connection Magazine
"Like Laura Nyro hooking up with Beggars' Banquet-era Rolling Stones...Something special."
--Steven Mirkin, Daily Variety
"Sara Melson's songs take you there via real stories, real life, and real emotion."
--Billy Zero, XM Satellite Radio
"L.A. has plenty of attractive singer-songwriters who sing perfectly delightful ballads. Sara Melson amps-up her sound with a stellar backing band and an impressive batch of self-released rockers that crush you the same way Liz Phair's visceral debut and Neko Case's bone chilling Blacklisted did."
--Keith Creighton, LiveMagazine.com
"Feel it Coming" is as good an anthem as I've heard in years. I'd be shocked if one of the Presidential campaigns doesn't jump on it as their theme song. The rest of the album is packed solid with heart, rhythm, harmonies, monster hooks and attitude...it's all killer, no filler." - Read More
--farrakhanfaucet.blogspot.com
"(Sara Melson) shows wisdom seldom seen (or heard) in much of today's music." - Read More
--mainstreamisntsobad.blogspot.com
"This LA-based singer/songwriter belts out the prettiest, most poetic and flowing tunes I have heard in a while...Listen to her now before everyone else discovers her." - Read More
--brewedfresh.blogspot.com
"Luscious voice."
--staergetaleht.blogspot.com
"Refreshing honesty...her songs stand out." - Read More
--herohill.com
"Add it to your shopping list." - Read More
--staergetaleht.blogspot.com
" 'Never Been Hurt' takes an opening Ben Folds would love and turns it into the perfect single for pop/country/Top 40 crossover success...Dirty Mind is full of such songs, and though when push comes to shove Melson tends to gravitate toward the sounds of country music, she maintains such a pop presence in her songwriting that it's almost a certainty that she'll receive radio recognition for her work. At least she'd better, if there's anything good about the music world today... A complete, aurally complex album, one worthy of repetitive listening by any self-respecting fan of well-developed alt-country music...(and) an artist with a great deal of choice as to where her career might go from here. If she leans toward country and focuses her career to that end, she could have a career to rival Kasey Chambers. If she spreads her sound further into indie-rock territory, she could take on Jenny Lewis or Sheryl Crow song for song a few years down the road. With such a bright and open future ahead, here's hoping this album gets the exposure it deserves." - Read More
--Stereosubversion.com
Hi! Welcome to my site. I feel fortunate to be able to share some music with you and to be able to keep in touch this way. You can post messages for me on the forum board. Check in from time to time for updates on shows, news, and other rambling thoughts.
Much love, and thanks,
Sara
BIOGRAPHY
Sara Melson grew up in a small town in Indiana, the daughter of two college professors, in a house with books covering every wall from floor to ceiling. Her parents also had an impressive record collection. Sara spent hours after school memorizing every word and note of classics by the Beatles, Stones, Dylan, The Band, Bowie, Neil Young, Simon and Garfunkel, the Velvet Underground, Carole King, and Van Morrison. Classically trained on the piano, she taught herself to play the guitar, and began to wed her own words and poems from her journals with melodies to form her first songs.
Sara was accepted to Harvard, and while there as a scholarship student, worked as a dishwasher in the school cafeteria by day and as a waitress in a local Cambridge bar by night. It was also during these years that the Brit-pop influence of the Verve, Blur, and Oasis, as well as Americana-based songwriters such as Ryan Adams, Lucinda Williams, and Jeff Tweedy began to shape her sound and songwriting.
After graduation, Sara moved to Los Angeles, where while perfecting her songs and forming several band incarnations, she worked teaching music to kids, teaching yoga, and acting in various film and television projects. Meanwhile she obsessively demo'd and reworked her songs and gigged around LA, where she shared the stage with Silversun Pickups, Inara George, Ben Lee, Jill Sobule, Neil Halstead, and BRMC, among others, and performed as guest vocalist with Mojave 3 on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic with Nic Harcourt. An opening spot for Juliana Hatfield at renowned local club Spaceland led to an acoustic tour of Japan, where she promoted her self-released Five Song EP. The EP was selected by Launch.com/Yahoo as a "Top Ten Pick" in its Cool as Folk Radiocast, along with Beck, Damien Rice, and Sondre Lerche. Tracks have aired on Indie 103.1, XM Satellite Radio, and KCRW, and have been featured in the ABC television show Men In Trees, the Viacom teen hit South Of Nowhere, and in the independent films Spectres and Safe Harbour.
Sara then turned to focus her efforts on recording her self-produced debut full length, Dirty Mind. The day after she finished mixing the record, she accompanied a friend to a party at Nettwerk Records, where she met CEO Terry McBride. The first topic of conversation that the two bonded over was yoga; from there, Terry asked to hear Sara's CD. He passed it along to his partner at the label, and Sara was signed shortly thereafter.
Sara performs both with and without a band, and has been called "a female Jeff Tweedy." Her timeless songs blur the boundaries between rock, folk, and pop; her soulful voice is at once tender and strong, lyrics introspective, honest, witty and precise. Dirty Mind was featured on iTunes What's Hot, climbing the iTunes pop chart within two days of its release, and the album's first track was featured in its entirety in the climactic final scene of a recent two-part episode of Grey's Anatomy. Her songs are about love and lust, growth and change, and are filled with faith in a better future, both personal and global. Despite harsh realities, Sara's idealism and optimism shine through.
With Dirty Mind, Sara was a featured artist on the Myspace Music homepage, and Yahoo Music chose her as their New Buzz Artist and featured her video in their Who's Next/User's Choice promotion. Sara also caught the eyes and ears of the producers of NBC's new 20-something show Quarterlife, at one of her recent Los Angeles shows; the day they launched the new show's website, Sara was the featured artist on their homepage. She will be aired on American Airlines' Radio and featured in their in-flight magazine this fall and was also selected for the Filter Magazine Summer Compilation CD.
PRESS
Click on the following links to view Online Press from the following sites:
iTunes
Yahoo
Myspace
Quarterlife
Zorpia
Various (Brewed Fresh/Allmusic/Herohill)
REVIEWS
"Sometimes, to expose oneself at one's most fragile and vulnerable is the ultimate act of courage. And if that's the case, then Sara Melson is one of the most fearless singer-songwriters on the planet. Her quiet strength shines through in her winsome space-balladry...Sara Melson just rocks, plain and simple."
--Lyndsey Parker, Launch.com/Yahoo
"Sara Melson is a diverse artist with depth in both AAA and alt-country genres. She has the raspy voice of Kim Carnes with the lyrical sensibilities of Patty Griffin and Kasey Chambers. "Anywhere Anytime" is a perfect pop piece in the style of the Bangles, while "Fall Down" has a more alt-country feel. Melson is a natural and possesses excellent skills on both keyboards and guitar. Her chemistry with the band is extraordinary... above board in all regards. Melson has a great sense of humor, which enables her to make a strong connection with the audience, capturing the attention of all... The music is very strong and tight. An excellent songwriter and performer with a penchant for catchy songs that have a wide appeal."
--Bob Leggett, Music Connection Magazine
"Like Laura Nyro hooking up with Beggars' Banquet-era Rolling Stones...Something special."
--Steven Mirkin, Daily Variety
"Sara Melson's songs take you there via real stories, real life, and real emotion."
--Billy Zero, XM Satellite Radio
"L.A. has plenty of attractive singer-songwriters who sing perfectly delightful ballads. Sara Melson amps-up her sound with a stellar backing band and an impressive batch of self-released rockers that crush you the same way Liz Phair's visceral debut and Neko Case's bone chilling Blacklisted did."
--Keith Creighton, LiveMagazine.com
"Feel it Coming" is as good an anthem as I've heard in years. I'd be shocked if one of the Presidential campaigns doesn't jump on it as their theme song. The rest of the album is packed solid with heart, rhythm, harmonies, monster hooks and attitude...it's all killer, no filler." - Read More
--farrakhanfaucet.blogspot.com
"(Sara Melson) shows wisdom seldom seen (or heard) in much of today's music." - Read More
--mainstreamisntsobad.blogspot.com
"This LA-based singer/songwriter belts out the prettiest, most poetic and flowing tunes I have heard in a while...Listen to her now before everyone else discovers her." - Read More
--brewedfresh.blogspot.com
"Luscious voice."
--staergetaleht.blogspot.com
"Refreshing honesty...her songs stand out." - Read More
--herohill.com
"Add it to your shopping list." - Read More
--staergetaleht.blogspot.com
" 'Never Been Hurt' takes an opening Ben Folds would love and turns it into the perfect single for pop/country/Top 40 crossover success...Dirty Mind is full of such songs, and though when push comes to shove Melson tends to gravitate toward the sounds of country music, she maintains such a pop presence in her songwriting that it's almost a certainty that she'll receive radio recognition for her work. At least she'd better, if there's anything good about the music world today... A complete, aurally complex album, one worthy of repetitive listening by any self-respecting fan of well-developed alt-country music...(and) an artist with a great deal of choice as to where her career might go from here. If she leans toward country and focuses her career to that end, she could have a career to rival Kasey Chambers. If she spreads her sound further into indie-rock territory, she could take on Jenny Lewis or Sheryl Crow song for song a few years down the road. With such a bright and open future ahead, here's hoping this album gets the exposure it deserves." - Read More
--Stereosubversion.com
