Jeremy Messersmith
Encyclopedia
Jeremy Messersmith is an indie pop musician based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
, and grew up in the Tri-Cities
area of Washington. He moved to Minneapolis in 1999 to attend North Central University
. Jeremy is also an avid gamer and has been known to play such titles as Star Wars Galaxies, Everquest, World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Starcraft 2, and Warcraft 3. His brother has been quoted as saying, "I have never witnessed such horribly amateur skill when it comes to the world of gaming, although he does try."
? That subdued, magical sound lives once more on Jeremy Messersmith’s The Alcatraz Kid, but this time with a 21st-century twist. Messersmith lulls with his gentle voice and overdubbed harmonies, easing the shock of his sometimes-harsh lyrics.
Quirky? Certainly. Will you like it? No doubt."
The title "The Alcatraz Kid" was inspired by a man who used the name to prank-call where Messersmith worked.
Messersmith followed up with his second album, The Silver City, produced by Grammy Award winner Dan Wilson
of Semisonic
and Trip Shakespeare
. The production and sonic landscapes capture a range of pop songs ranging from the electronically inspired "Miracles" to love songs like "Love You To Pieces."
Messersmith has toured extensively in support of the album and played with the likes of Kaiser Cartel, Joan As Policewoman, Civil Wars, Joseph Arthur, Lost In The Trees, Trampled By Turtles, Eisley, Dan Wilson, Sondre Lerche, The Meat Puppets and Solid Gold. The Silver City was recognized in a press poll as the second-best album in the Twin Cities in 2008, losing out only to the rising star of hip hop act, Atmosphere
. Messersmith has been featured on NPR
, NPR's Car Talk, Paste Magazine, iTunes
, NY Times, New York Magazine, The Wall Street Journal
, Wired Magazine, BoingBoing, USA Today
, My Old Kentucky Blog, Yahoo Landing Page, World Cafe Live on WXPN
, Independent Film Channel
, MTV
's The Real World, NBC
's Chuck, ABC
's Ugly Betty and Showtime's The United States of Tara
.
In 2009, Messersmith began updating his official website every Wednesday. Updates include (but are not limited to):
(* Search for it on Youtube.com)
In February 2009, Messersmith began a Twitter
account, username jmessersmith. He tweeted extensively during his 2010 tour.
In 2010, Messersmith's Reluctant Graveyard was named one of the Top 10 Albums of 2010 by NPR
, Top 25 Videos of 2010 by Paste Magazine, and also won the Star Tribune
's Critics Poll for Best Local Artist. His video for the Star Wars
themed Tatooine went viral, with Jeremy receiving national press in several publications.
The Alcatraz Kid, 2006
The Silver City, 2008
The Reluctant Graveyard, 2010
Singles
Tatooine, 2010
Biography
Jeremy Messersmith was born in CharlestonCharleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, and grew up in the Tri-Cities
Tri-Cities, Washington
The Tri-Cities is a mid-sized metropolitan area in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, consisting of three neighboring cities: Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland. The cities are located at the confluence of the Yakima, Snake, and Columbia rivers in the semi-arid region of...
area of Washington. He moved to Minneapolis in 1999 to attend North Central University
North Central University
North Central University is a coeducational, undergraduate, primarily residential college owned and operated by 11 Assemblies of God districts of the upper Midwest. It is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA...
. Jeremy is also an avid gamer and has been known to play such titles as Star Wars Galaxies, Everquest, World of Warcraft, Starcraft, Starcraft 2, and Warcraft 3. His brother has been quoted as saying, "I have never witnessed such horribly amateur skill when it comes to the world of gaming, although he does try."
Music career
His first album, The Alcatraz Kid, quickly garnered the attention of the local media, resulting in Messersmith being named the "premier under-30 songwriter in the Twin Cities" by City Pages. The Alcatraz Kid also received the attention of Performing Songwriter Magazine, a national publication that stated, "Remember the way you felt the first time you heard the amazing harmonies of Simon and GarfunkelSimon and Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel are an American duo consisting of singer-songwriter Paul Simon and singer Art Garfunkel. They formed the group Tom & Jerry in 1957 and had their first success with the minor hit "Hey, Schoolgirl". As Simon & Garfunkel, the duo rose to fame in 1965, largely on the strength of the...
? That subdued, magical sound lives once more on Jeremy Messersmith’s The Alcatraz Kid, but this time with a 21st-century twist. Messersmith lulls with his gentle voice and overdubbed harmonies, easing the shock of his sometimes-harsh lyrics.
Quirky? Certainly. Will you like it? No doubt."
The title "The Alcatraz Kid" was inspired by a man who used the name to prank-call where Messersmith worked.
Messersmith followed up with his second album, The Silver City, produced by Grammy Award winner Dan Wilson
Dan Wilson (musician)
Daniel Dodd "Dan" Wilson is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, Grammy-winning songwriter and producer...
of Semisonic
Semisonic
Semisonic is an American alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1995. The band consisted of three members: Dan Wilson , John Munson , and Jacob Slichter...
and Trip Shakespeare
Trip Shakespeare
Trip Shakespeare was a Minneapolis-based alternative rock band of the late 1980s/early 1990s.-Origins:The band originated when Harvard University English student Matt Wilson teamed up with Elaine Harris , a Harvard grad student in biological anthropology, in the early 1980s...
. The production and sonic landscapes capture a range of pop songs ranging from the electronically inspired "Miracles" to love songs like "Love You To Pieces."
Messersmith has toured extensively in support of the album and played with the likes of Kaiser Cartel, Joan As Policewoman, Civil Wars, Joseph Arthur, Lost In The Trees, Trampled By Turtles, Eisley, Dan Wilson, Sondre Lerche, The Meat Puppets and Solid Gold. The Silver City was recognized in a press poll as the second-best album in the Twin Cities in 2008, losing out only to the rising star of hip hop act, Atmosphere
Atmosphere
An atmosphere is a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass, and that is held in place by the gravity of the body. An atmosphere may be retained for a longer duration, if the gravity is high and the atmosphere's temperature is low...
. Messersmith has been featured on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, NPR's Car Talk, Paste Magazine, iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, NY Times, New York Magazine, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, Wired Magazine, BoingBoing, USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, My Old Kentucky Blog, Yahoo Landing Page, World Cafe Live on WXPN
WXPN
WXPN is a non-commercial, public radio station operated by the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia that broadcasts a music radio format called adult album alternative , along with many other format shows supported all with an indie slant...
, Independent Film Channel
Independent Film Channel
The Independent Film Channel is an American cable TV network that airs independent film and related programming. IFC programming includes commercially interrupted feature-length films, original documentaries, shorts, animated series, original series, acquired series, and content exclusively for...
, MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's The Real World, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's Chuck, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Ugly Betty and Showtime's The United States of Tara
The United States of Tara
United States of Tara is an American television comedy-drama created by Diablo Cody, which began airing on Showtime in 2009. The series follows the life of Tara , a suburban housewife and mother coping with dissociative identity disorder....
.
In 2009, Messersmith began updating his official website every Wednesday. Updates include (but are not limited to):
(* Search for it on Youtube.com)
- A music video for "Tatooine"*
- The self help video Overcoming Creative Obstacles, starring Nakata (the Cat)*
- A Twitter based scavenger hunt for the release of The Reluctant Graveyard*
- A cover of The Hollies "Carrie Anne" feat. Chris Koza and the Greycoats*
- Live feeds into the studio for the recording sessions of his next album
- A list of books he was going to read over the Holiday season
- A cover of Elliott Smith's "Everything Means Nothing To Me"*
- A free download of "Wasting Time", a b-side of "The Silver City"
- A request for fans to update his Wikipedia pageJeremy MessersmithJeremy Messersmith is an indie pop musician based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Biography:Jeremy Messersmith was born in Charleston, and grew up in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. He moved to Minneapolis in 1999 to attend North Central University...
, which was reportedly in a "sad state"
In February 2009, Messersmith began a Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account, username jmessersmith. He tweeted extensively during his 2010 tour.
In 2010, Messersmith's Reluctant Graveyard was named one of the Top 10 Albums of 2010 by NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, Top 25 Videos of 2010 by Paste Magazine, and also won the Star Tribune
Star Tribune
The Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The...
's Critics Poll for Best Local Artist. His video for the Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
themed Tatooine went viral, with Jeremy receiving national press in several publications.
Discography
LPsThe Alcatraz Kid, 2006
The Silver City, 2008
The Reluctant Graveyard, 2010
Singles
Tatooine, 2010
External links
- Jeremy Messersmith's Official Site
- Jeremy Messersmith on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
- Jeremy Messersmith on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Jeremy Messersmith performing 'Lightrail' on MPLS.TV