Melissa Auf der Maur
Encyclopedia
Melissa Auf der Maur is a Canadian rock musician from Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada. Her career has included 5 years as bassist
with the band Hole
and she later toured with The Smashing Pumpkins
for their 2000 tour. Her second solo album, Out of Our Minds
, was released on March 30, 2010. She is also a published photographer. On October 19, 2011, she officially announced on her website that she is pregnant with her first child and expecting a girl sometime that week.
and politician Nick Auf der Maur
and literary translator Linda Gaboriau
. She is of German Swiss descent. Because Nick Auf der Maur was Canadian and Linda Gaboriau was born in the U.S., Melissa holds dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship (and, under Swiss law, Swiss citizenship besides, her father wrote in a newspaper column in 1985.) Contrary to recent comments claiming Auf der Maur's surname refers to a Swiss river, it translates to 'On the Wall'. This is because 'Maur' was derived from the German word for 'wall', 'Mauer', and it is not a direct translation. Melissa is adamant about 'On the Wall', as her grandmother, Theresia Schaelin-Auf der Maur, was "always pounding my heritage down my throat", and was very proud of the name, which is on the brink of extinction.
Her native language is English, though she also speaks French. She spent some of her early childhood in Kenya
with her mother, but after several bouts with malaria
returned to Montreal, where she attended M.I.N.D. High School, a performing arts
high school
, and then Concordia University as a photography major.
after apologizing for a friend who had thrown a beer bottle at the band during one of The Smashing Pumpkins' first Canadian concert dates at Montreal nightclub Les Foufounes Électriques
(which translates to "Electric Buttocks"). Her band, Tinker, opened for The Smashing Pumpkins in Montreal in 1993. In 1994, when Hole was in need of a new bassist after the death of Kristen Pfaff
, Corgan recommended Auf der Maur to Courtney Love
. Auf der Maur at first turned the job down, but later she reconsidered. Auf der Maur joined Hole two weeks before the Reading Festival and recorded the album Celebrity Skin
with the band, ultimately leaving on October 20, 1999, after her 5-year contract with the band had come to an end.
In June 2009, Courtney Love announced through an NME
blog that Hole were re-forming, with Auf der Maur on bass and Micko Larkin
, who is Love's lead guitarist, on her upcoming album. It came as a surprise to Auf der Maur, who responded by saying she felt that "You can't take a Hole reunion thing that lightly. It's gonna take a little more organizing than just 'I'll come and sing some backups and then we got Hole'". Eric Erlandson
also responded to the rumors, saying, "There is no Hole without me [...] on a business level." Erlandson claimed, "[Love] signed a contract with me when we decided to break up the band" that he claimed would prevent Love from using the name for a band that he wouldn't be a part of.
frontman Ric Ocasek
in 1997, after contributing bass and background vocals to his 1997 solo album Troublizing. More notably, Auf der Maur collaborated with French group Indochine
on their song "Le Grand Secret", singing a duet in French with Nicola Sirkis
, to great acclaim in France. Auf der Maur joined the band on stage to perform the song on various occasions, and appeared in the music video for the song. She performed a rare, short, acoustic set of some of her solo songs during an Indochine show in Paris, February 22, 2002. She has contributed bass and backing vocals to childhood friend Rufus Wainwright
's album Poses, and appears in his 1998 video for "April Fools". In 2008, she collaborated with Canadian musician Daniel Victor
, on his music collaboration project Neverending White Lights
. They recorded the song "The World is Darker", for which a video was released in March 2008. Aside from this, she has contributed to albums by artists such as Ryan Adams
, Ben Lee
, Idaho
, The Stills
and Fountains of Wayne
.
cover band
called Hand of Doom, in which she performed lead vocals. They played a number of shows, and released a live album. In the same year, she and drummer Samantha Maloney
(another Hole alumnus and also formerly of Mötley Crüe
, and Peaches
), Paz Lenchantin
(of A Perfect Circle
, and Zwan
), and Radio Sloan
(of Peaches, The Need
) got together to play a show in Los Angeles, California
as The Chelsea, taking their name from the Chelsea Hotel
in New York, where Auf der Maur lived for a number of years. They performed original songs and some covers. Courtney Love later adopted the band as her backing band while touring for her first solo album, America's Sweetheart. Only Samantha Maloney
and Radio Sloan
remained of the original line-up, and the band was later renamed to The Courtney Love Band.
, garnering airplay on modern rock radio stations for the singles "Followed the Waves," "Real a Lie" and "Taste You." The same year, she appeared on the CBC
television program The Greatest Canadian
, as David Suzuki
's celebrity advocate. Auf der Maur was part of the November 2004 "Love Metal" tour also featuring HIM and 2004's Curiosa
. She was also the opening act
for Matthew Good
's "Put Out Your Lights" tour in 2004, as well as for The Offspring
's Splinter tour in 2004.
had signed a new management deal with Front Line Management, with a spokesperson confirming they had signed under the name "Smashing Pumpkins." In response, Auf der Maur said in a separate interview, "As long as Billy has Jimmy, he can make the essential Pumpkins record, I'm sure". When asked of her involvement, she said she was not participating in any reunion plans, but was quoted as saying, "My services are always there to play my favorite songs. If D'arcy is not available, I'm always happy to be second in line". Despite her public interest, on April 23, 2007, The Globe and Mail
reported that Auf Der Maur would not be rejoining the Smashing Pumpkins.
In 2006, Auf der Maur was included in Blender
magazine's hottest women of rock alongside Joan Jett
, Liz Phair
, and Courtney Love
.
In 2007, she appeared on the Fountains of Wayne
album Traffic and Weather
singing backing on the track "Someone to Love
".
and a concept film, which is to be released in Fall 2009. The album will be released under the name of MAdM, whereas the comic, film and album will go by Out of Our Minds, or OOOM for short. A website containing teasers of the projects, as well as a movie trailer, was launched in August, 2007 and can be found at xMAdMx.com.
Glenn Danzig
recorded a duet with Auf der Maur in 2008, titled "Father's Grave." On November 11, 2008 an EP for the song "This Would Be Paradise
" was released on the official Web site and iTunes. It includes the songs "The Key" and "Willing Enabler." On November 9, 2009 Auf der Maur released the first single "Out of Our Minds" from her new album for download for free on her website. On January 12, 2010 the "Out of Our Minds" music video premiered on her Web site.
In March 2010, Auf der Maur announced that her new short film, "Out of Our Minds," would be screened in London next month. The former Hole bassist will also be on hand to take fans’ questions at The ICA on April 21.
In July 2010, Melissa Auf der Maur (performing as "Auf der Maur") was a part of the major two-day, heavy metal and hard rock festival Heavy MTL
at Parc Jean-Drapeau
in Montreal.
On October 4, 2010, Melissa Auf der Maur premiered her next music video "Meet Me On The Dark Side" online.
In January 2011, Melissa Auf der Maur won The 10th Annual Independent Music Awards in the Indie/Alt./Hard Rock category for Out of Our Minds.
specializing in self-portraiture at Concordia University when she was invited to join Hole in 1994. Her photos have been published in Nylon
, Bust
, Mastermind, and American Photo, among other magazines. Her photos were also in the exhibition The Kids are Alright at Sotheby's
in New York City along with photos by Yelena Yemchuk
. She put together a solo exhibition in 2001, under the name of Channels. It mostly featured shots of Auf der Maur's life on the road, with a recurring TV theme and shots of hotel TV screens, hence the name Channels. The exhibition opened September 9, 2001, at Brooklyn's Secret Gallery, but was shut down after the September 11 attacks. A book bearing the same name was set to appear, but never did.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada. Her career has included 5 years as bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
with the band Hole
Hole (band)
Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...
and she later toured with The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
for their 2000 tour. Her second solo album, Out of Our Minds
Out of Our Minds
Out Of Our Minds is the second solo album from Melissa Auf der Maur released on March 30, 2010.Released six years after her self-titled debut, the album was also accompanied by a feature film and comic of the same name...
, was released on March 30, 2010. She is also a published photographer. On October 19, 2011, she officially announced on her website that she is pregnant with her first child and expecting a girl sometime that week.
Early life
Auf der Maur was born to journalistJournalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
and politician Nick Auf der Maur
Nick Auf der Maur
Nick Auf der Maur was a journalist, politician and "man about town" boulevardier in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was also the father of rock musician Melissa Auf der Maur, through his marriage to Linda Gaboriau....
and literary translator Linda Gaboriau
Linda Gaboriau
Linda Gaboriau is a Canadian dramaturg and literary translator who has translated some 100 plays and novels by Quebec writers, including many of the Quebec plays best known to English-speaking Canadian audiences....
. She is of German Swiss descent. Because Nick Auf der Maur was Canadian and Linda Gaboriau was born in the U.S., Melissa holds dual Canadian-U.S. citizenship (and, under Swiss law, Swiss citizenship besides, her father wrote in a newspaper column in 1985.) Contrary to recent comments claiming Auf der Maur's surname refers to a Swiss river, it translates to 'On the Wall'. This is because 'Maur' was derived from the German word for 'wall', 'Mauer', and it is not a direct translation. Melissa is adamant about 'On the Wall', as her grandmother, Theresia Schaelin-Auf der Maur, was "always pounding my heritage down my throat", and was very proud of the name, which is on the brink of extinction.
Her native language is English, though she also speaks French. She spent some of her early childhood in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
with her mother, but after several bouts with malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
returned to Montreal, where she attended M.I.N.D. High School, a performing arts
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
, and then Concordia University as a photography major.
Hole
Auf der Maur became friends with Billy CorganBilly Corgan
William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...
after apologizing for a friend who had thrown a beer bottle at the band during one of The Smashing Pumpkins' first Canadian concert dates at Montreal nightclub Les Foufounes Électriques
Les Foufounes Électriques
Les Foufounes Électriques is a concert venue located at 87 Saint Catherine Street East in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada in a neighbourhood known as the Quartier Latin . It is a multi-level establishment with 3 dance floors...
(which translates to "Electric Buttocks"). Her band, Tinker, opened for The Smashing Pumpkins in Montreal in 1993. In 1994, when Hole was in need of a new bassist after the death of Kristen Pfaff
Kristen Pfaff
Kristen Marie Pfaff was an American bass guitarist, best known for her work with Hole.-Early life and career:Pfaff was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, attending Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart. She spent a short time in Europe and briefly attended Boston College before ultimately...
, Corgan recommended Auf der Maur to Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
. Auf der Maur at first turned the job down, but later she reconsidered. Auf der Maur joined Hole two weeks before the Reading Festival and recorded the album Celebrity Skin
Celebrity Skin
Celebrity Skin is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Hole, released worldwide by Geffen Records on September 7, 1998 and one day later in the United States...
with the band, ultimately leaving on October 20, 1999, after her 5-year contract with the band had come to an end.
In June 2009, Courtney Love announced through an NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
blog that Hole were re-forming, with Auf der Maur on bass and Micko Larkin
Micko Larkin
Michael Joseph "Micko" Larkin is an English musician of Irish background, most notable as the lead guitarist of the indie rock band Larrikin Love and more recently, Hole.-Early life and career :...
, who is Love's lead guitarist, on her upcoming album. It came as a surprise to Auf der Maur, who responded by saying she felt that "You can't take a Hole reunion thing that lightly. It's gonna take a little more organizing than just 'I'll come and sing some backups and then we got Hole'". Eric Erlandson
Eric Erlandson
Eric Erlandson is an American musician known as the co-founder, former songwriter and lead guitarist of alternative rock band Hole.-Early life and career:...
also responded to the rumors, saying, "There is no Hole without me [...] on a business level." Erlandson claimed, "[Love] signed a contract with me when we decided to break up the band" that he claimed would prevent Love from using the name for a band that he wouldn't be a part of.
Other collaborations
Auf der Maur briefly toured with former The CarsThe Cars
The Cars are an American rock band that emerged from the early New Wave music scene in the late 1970s. The band consisted of lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ric Ocasek, lead singer and bassist Benjamin Orr, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes and drummer David Robinson...
frontman Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek
Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars....
in 1997, after contributing bass and background vocals to his 1997 solo album Troublizing. More notably, Auf der Maur collaborated with French group Indochine
Indochine (band)
Indochine is a French new wave/rock band, formed in 1981. The band was very successful in France in the 1980s, as well as other parts of continental Europe and Latin America, with songs like L'Aventurier and Canary Bay...
on their song "Le Grand Secret", singing a duet in French with Nicola Sirkis
Nicola Sirkis
Nicola Sirkis Nicola Sirkis Nicola Sirkis (born 22 June 1959 in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, is the frontman and singer of the French rock band Indochine. He is the only remaining member of the original line-up of the band which he formed in 1981 with a friend, Dominique Nicolas, soon to be joined by...
, to great acclaim in France. Auf der Maur joined the band on stage to perform the song on various occasions, and appeared in the music video for the song. She performed a rare, short, acoustic set of some of her solo songs during an Indochine show in Paris, February 22, 2002. She has contributed bass and backing vocals to childhood friend Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:...
's album Poses, and appears in his 1998 video for "April Fools". In 2008, she collaborated with Canadian musician Daniel Victor
Daniel Victor
Daniel Victor is a Canadian recording artist and producer who is most famous for his work in the collaboration of Neverending White Lights.-Early life:...
, on his music collaboration project Neverending White Lights
Neverending White Lights
Neverending White Lights is a Canadian music collaboration project fronted by Daniel Victor from Windsor, Ontario, and featuring several artists mainly from Canada and the United States. Daniel Victor performs all musical instruments, with most of his songs featuring guest singers...
. They recorded the song "The World is Darker", for which a video was released in March 2008. Aside from this, she has contributed to albums by artists such as Ryan Adams
Ryan Adams
David Ryan Adams is an American alt-country/rock singer-songwriter, from Jacksonville, North Carolina. Initially part of the group Whiskeytown, Adams left the band and released his first solo album Heartbreaker in 2000...
, Ben Lee
Ben Lee
Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
, Idaho
Idaho (band)
Idaho is a rock band formed in 1992 in Los Angeles, California, founded as a duo by high school friends Jeff Martin and John K. Berry. They were signed to Caroline Records in December 1992 by Brian Long, then released the The Palms EP and Year After Year full-length in 1993...
, The Stills
The Stills
The Stills were a Canadian rock band from Montreal, Quebec, formed in 2000. The band consists of Tim Fletcher , Dave Hamelin , Olivier Corbeil , and Liam O'Neil , Gregory Paquet .-History:The band members have known each other since the age of...
and Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop band that formed in New York City in 1996. The band consists of members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter and Brian Young.-Early years:...
.
Hand of Doom and The Chelsea
In 2002, Auf der Maur fronted a Black SabbathBlack Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band, formed in Aston, Birmingham in 1969 by Ozzy Osbourne , Tony Iommi , Geezer Butler , and Bill Ward . The band has since experienced multiple line-up changes, with Tony Iommi the only constant presence in the band through the years. A total of 22...
cover band
Cover band
A cover band , is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be known as a wedding band, party band and function band. A band whose covers consist mainly of songs that were chart hits is...
called Hand of Doom, in which she performed lead vocals. They played a number of shows, and released a live album. In the same year, she and drummer Samantha Maloney
Samantha Maloney
Samantha Maloney is an American musician best known for playing in the bands Hole, Mötley Crüe, Eagles of Death Metal and in Peaches' live band "The Herms".-Early career:...
(another Hole alumnus and also formerly of Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe
Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
, and Peaches
Peaches (musician)
Merrill Beth Nisker , better known by her stage name Peaches, is a Canadian electronic musician and performance artist who lives in Berlin, Germany. Her songs are noted for disregarding traditional gender norms and their use of sexually explicit lyrics...
), Paz Lenchantin
Paz Lenchantin
Paz Lenchantin is an American musician of French ancestry. She came to Los Angeles, California with her family at the age of four....
(of A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums...
, and Zwan
Zwan
Zwan was an American alternative rock band that was formed by members of The Smashing Pumpkins, Slint, Tortoise, Chavez, and A Perfect Circle. Zwan was started in late 2001 by Billy Corgan, lead singer and guitarist of The Smashing Pumpkins, after the Pumpkins disbanded in December 2000. The band...
), and Radio Sloan
Radio Sloan
Radio Sloan is a musician from Olympia, Washington.She is best known as a guitarist for The Need, the band she formed with Rachel Carns; her other bands include Ce Be Barns Band, The Circuit Side, Fact or Fiction, Grandpa's Ghost Stories; and Courtney Love's short-lived all-female backing band The...
(of Peaches, The Need
The Need
The Need was a queercore band that originated in Olympia, Washington in the late 1990s. It was formed by Rachel Carns and Radio Sloan ; both were veterans of other indie rock bands...
) got together to play a show in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
as The Chelsea, taking their name from the Chelsea Hotel
Hotel Chelsea
The Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
in New York, where Auf der Maur lived for a number of years. They performed original songs and some covers. Courtney Love later adopted the band as her backing band while touring for her first solo album, America's Sweetheart. Only Samantha Maloney
Samantha Maloney
Samantha Maloney is an American musician best known for playing in the bands Hole, Mötley Crüe, Eagles of Death Metal and in Peaches' live band "The Herms".-Early career:...
and Radio Sloan
Radio Sloan
Radio Sloan is a musician from Olympia, Washington.She is best known as a guitarist for The Need, the band she formed with Rachel Carns; her other bands include Ce Be Barns Band, The Circuit Side, Fact or Fiction, Grandpa's Ghost Stories; and Courtney Love's short-lived all-female backing band The...
remained of the original line-up, and the band was later renamed to The Courtney Love Band.
Auf der Maur
In 2004, Melissa released her first solo effort Auf der MaurAuf der Maur (album)
Auf der Maur is the debut album from former Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur.Formed following her successful stints as bassist for both Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Auf der Maur's solo project Auf der Maur released their self-titled debut album after Melissa's...
, garnering airplay on modern rock radio stations for the singles "Followed the Waves," "Real a Lie" and "Taste You." The same year, she appeared on the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
television program The Greatest Canadian
The Greatest Canadian
Officially launched on April 5, 2004, The Greatest Canadian was a television program series by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation to determine who is considered to be the greatest Canadian of all time, at least among those who watched and participated in the program...
, as David Suzuki
David Suzuki
David Suzuki, CC, OBC is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph.D in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department of the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001...
's celebrity advocate. Auf der Maur was part of the November 2004 "Love Metal" tour also featuring HIM and 2004's Curiosa
Curiosa
Curiosa is the name of a 2004 concert tour in the United States and Toronto , organized by Robert Smith of The Cure. It began with a concert in West Palm Beach, Florida on July 24 and ended in Sacramento, California on August 29....
. She was also the opening act
Opening act
An opening act or warm-up act is an entertainer or entertainment act that performs at a concert before the featured entertainer...
for Matthew Good
Matthew Good
Matthew Frederick Robert Good is a Canadian rock musician. He was the lead singer for the Matthew Good Band, one of Canada's most successful alternative rock bands in the 1990s, before dissolving the band in 2002...
's "Put Out Your Lights" tour in 2004, as well as for The Offspring
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American punk rock band from Huntington Beach, California, formed in 1984. Known as Manic Subsidal until 1986, the band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dexter Holland, lead guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman, bassist Greg K. and drummer Pete Parada...
's Splinter tour in 2004.
2006–2007
On February 2, 2006, MTV.com reported that Corgan and Jimmy ChamberlinJimmy Chamberlin
Jimmy Chamberlin is an American drummer, songwriter, and producer. He is best known as the former drummer for the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. After a drug-related incident with touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin in 1996, Chamberlin was fired from the band and joined The Last...
had signed a new management deal with Front Line Management, with a spokesperson confirming they had signed under the name "Smashing Pumpkins." In response, Auf der Maur said in a separate interview, "As long as Billy has Jimmy, he can make the essential Pumpkins record, I'm sure". When asked of her involvement, she said she was not participating in any reunion plans, but was quoted as saying, "My services are always there to play my favorite songs. If D'arcy is not available, I'm always happy to be second in line". Despite her public interest, on April 23, 2007, The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
reported that Auf Der Maur would not be rejoining the Smashing Pumpkins.
In 2006, Auf der Maur was included in Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
magazine's hottest women of rock alongside Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
, Liz Phair
Liz Phair
Phair's entry into the music industry began when she met guitarist Chris Brokaw, a member of the band Come. Brokaw and Phair moved to San Francisco together, and Phair tried to become an artist there...
, and Courtney Love
Courtney Love
Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
.
In 2007, she appeared on the Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne
Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop band that formed in New York City in 1996. The band consists of members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter and Brian Young.-Early years:...
album Traffic and Weather
Traffic and Weather
Traffic and Weather is an album by Fountains of Wayne. It was released on April 3, 2007. The album has been described as having "...more witty tales of confused young people caught between destinations"....
singing backing on the track "Someone to Love
Someone to Love (Fountains of Wayne song)
"Someone to Love" is the first single from the album Traffic and Weather by Fountains of Wayne. It was released February 13, 2007.The music video for the single is directed by Adam Neustadter and stars comedian Demetri Martin and actress Faryl Millet in the respective song character roles of Seth...
".
Out of Our Minds
In a 2007 interview, Auf der Maur announced that she had finished her second solo album which would go hand in hand with a graphic novelGraphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
and a concept film, which is to be released in Fall 2009. The album will be released under the name of MAdM, whereas the comic, film and album will go by Out of Our Minds, or OOOM for short. A website containing teasers of the projects, as well as a movie trailer, was launched in August, 2007 and can be found at xMAdMx.com.
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig
Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig Glenn Danzig (born Glenn Allen Anzalone; June 23, 1955 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, entrepreneur, and a progenitor of the horror punk subgenre of music. He is a founder of bands the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig...
recorded a duet with Auf der Maur in 2008, titled "Father's Grave." On November 11, 2008 an EP for the song "This Would Be Paradise
This Would Be Paradise
...This Would Be Paradise is an EP from Melissa Auf der Maur. It was released on November 11, 2008 through Auf der Maur's official website, and as well digitally on iTunes...
" was released on the official Web site and iTunes. It includes the songs "The Key" and "Willing Enabler." On November 9, 2009 Auf der Maur released the first single "Out of Our Minds" from her new album for download for free on her website. On January 12, 2010 the "Out of Our Minds" music video premiered on her Web site.
In March 2010, Auf der Maur announced that her new short film, "Out of Our Minds," would be screened in London next month. The former Hole bassist will also be on hand to take fans’ questions at The ICA on April 21.
In July 2010, Melissa Auf der Maur (performing as "Auf der Maur") was a part of the major two-day, heavy metal and hard rock festival Heavy MTL
Heavy MTL
Heavy MTL is a two-day heavy metal and hard rock festival in Montreal, Quebec, at Parc Jean-Drapeau on Île Sainte-Hélène held in the summer. The 2008 edition attracted a crowd of around 36,000 people....
at Parc Jean-Drapeau
Parc Jean-Drapeau
Parc Jean-Drapeau is situated to the east of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the Saint Lawrence River. It comprises two islands, Saint Helen's Island and the artificial island Île Notre-Dame....
in Montreal.
On October 4, 2010, Melissa Auf der Maur premiered her next music video "Meet Me On The Dark Side" online.
In January 2011, Melissa Auf der Maur won The 10th Annual Independent Music Awards in the Indie/Alt./Hard Rock category for Out of Our Minds.
Photography
Auf der Maur is also an published photographer. She was a photography majorAcademic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
specializing in self-portraiture at Concordia University when she was invited to join Hole in 1994. Her photos have been published in Nylon
Nylon (magazine)
Nylon is an American magazine that focuses on pop culture and fashion. Its coverage includes art, beauty, music, design, celebrities, technology and travel...
, Bust
Bust (magazine)
Bust is a bi-monthly United States-based women's lifestyle magazine. It was founded in 1993 by Debbie Stoller, Laurie Henzel, and Marcelle Karp.-Content:...
, Mastermind, and American Photo, among other magazines. Her photos were also in the exhibition The Kids are Alright at Sotheby's
Sotheby's
Sotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
in New York City along with photos by Yelena Yemchuk
Yelena Yemchuk
Yelena Yemchuk is a professional photographer, painter and film director, best known for her work with The Smashing Pumpkins. Born in Kiev , Ukraine, her family moved to Brooklyn, New York when Yelena was in her early teens....
. She put together a solo exhibition in 2001, under the name of Channels. It mostly featured shots of Auf der Maur's life on the road, with a recurring TV theme and shots of hotel TV screens, hence the name Channels. The exhibition opened September 9, 2001, at Brooklyn's Secret Gallery, but was shut down after the September 11 attacks. A book bearing the same name was set to appear, but never did.
Discography
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Additional information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | UK | |||
| 1997 | Troublizing Troublizing (Ric Ocasek album) Troublizing was released by Ric Ocasek in 1997 on Sony Records. On several tracks, it features co-production, guitars, keyboards and backing vocals by Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins... |
- | - | with Ric Ocasek Ric Ocasek Ric Ocasek is an American musician and music producer. He is best known as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band, The Cars.... |
| 1998 | Celebrity Skin Celebrity Skin Celebrity Skin is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Hole, released worldwide by Geffen Records on September 7, 1998 and one day later in the United States... |
8 | 11 | with Hole Hole (band) Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson... |
| 2000 | Judas O | - | 134 | with The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing... , bass on track 12 only |
| 2001 | Poses | 117 | 132 | with Rufus Wainwright Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright is an American-Canadian singer-songwriter. He has recorded six albums of original music, EPs, and tracks on compilations and film soundtracks.-Early years:... , bass and backing vocals on track 11 only |
| 2002 | Paradize Paradize Paradize is a 2002 album recorded by French band Indochine. It was its ninth studio album and was released on May 14, 2002. It achieved great success in francophone countries and even topped the albums chart in Belgium... |
- | - | with Indochine Indochine (band) Indochine is a French new wave/rock band, formed in 1981. The band was very successful in France in the 1980s, as well as other parts of continental Europe and Latin America, with songs like L'Aventurier and Canary Bay... , vocals and bass on track 8 ("Le Grand Secret") only |
| 2004 | Auf der Maur Auf der Maur (album) Auf der Maur is the debut album from former Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur.Formed following her successful stints as bassist for both Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Auf der Maur's solo project Auf der Maur released their self-titled debut album after Melissa's... |
187 | 31 | Solo debut |
| 2007 | Traffic and Weather Traffic and Weather Traffic and Weather is an album by Fountains of Wayne. It was released on April 3, 2007. The album has been described as having "...more witty tales of confused young people caught between destinations".... |
97 | - | with Fountains of Wayne Fountains of Wayne Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop band that formed in New York City in 1996. The band consists of members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter and Brian Young.-Early years:... , backing vocals on track 1, "Someone to Love Someone to Love (Fountains of Wayne song) "Someone to Love" is the first single from the album Traffic and Weather by Fountains of Wayne. It was released February 13, 2007.The music video for the single is directed by Adam Neustadter and stars comedian Demetri Martin and actress Faryl Millet in the respective song character roles of Seth... ", only |
| 2007 | Act 2: The Blood and the Life Eternal Act 2: The Blood and the Life Eternal Act 2: The Blood and the Life Eternal is the second album by Neverending White Lights. Like their first album it features guest artists performing vocals, however this album plays host to significantly more tracks sung by Daniel Victor than the first, which included only one... |
- | - | with Neverending White Lights Neverending White Lights Neverending White Lights is a Canadian music collaboration project fronted by Daniel Victor from Windsor, Ontario, and featuring several artists mainly from Canada and the United States. Daniel Victor performs all musical instruments, with most of his songs featuring guest singers... , vocals on track 4, "The World Is Darker", only |
| 2010 | Out of Our Minds Out of Our Minds Out Of Our Minds is the second solo album from Melissa Auf der Maur released on March 30, 2010.Released six years after her self-titled debut, the album was also accompanied by a feature film and comic of the same name... |
TBC | TBC | Second solo album |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | Additional Information | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modern Rock Tracks Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Songs is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. It lists the 40 most-played songs on modern rock radio stations, most of which are alternative rock songs... |
Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock Tracks Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks is a ranking in Billboard magazine of the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations, a category that includes stations that play primarily rock music. Modern rock tracks are counted in the Alternative Songs chart.This chart began with the March 21, 1981, issue... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
Hot 100 | |||
| 1996 | "Gold Dust Woman" | 31 | - | - | - | with Hole Hole (band) Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson... |
| 1998 | "Be A Man" | 31 | - | - | - | |
| 1998 | "Celebrity Skin Celebrity Skin (song) "Celebrity Skin" is the tenth single by the American alternative rock band Hole, released on September 1, 1998 by Geffen Records. It is the debut single from their third studio album Celebrity Skin and is Hole's most commercially successful single, being the only one to reach #1 on the Modern Rock... " |
1 | 4 | 19 | 85 | |
| 1998 | "Malibu Malibu (song) "Malibu" is the eleventh single by American alternative rock band Hole, and the second from their third studio album Celebrity Skin, released in November 1998... " |
3 | 16 | 22 | 81 | |
| 1999 | "Awful" | 13 | - | 42 | - | |
| 2004 | "Followed the Waves Followed the Waves "Followed the Waves" is the first single from Auf der Maur's self-titled solo debut. The song peaked in the Top 40 on the chart for Modern Rock Tracks in the United States and also reached the Top 40 in the United Kingdom, only charting two positions lower than the follow-up single, "Real a... " |
32 | - | 35 | 531 | solo |
| 2004 | "Real a Lie Real a Lie "Real a Lie" is the second single from Auf der Maur's self-titled solo debut. The song failed to chart in the United States, however, due to a successful tour of the United Kingdom, it fared slightly better than "Followed the Waves" there, peaking at #33.-Background and production:"Real a Lie" was... " |
- | - | 33 | - | |
| 2004 | "Taste You Taste You "Taste You" is the third and final single from Auf der Maur's self-titled solo debut. Like the album's previous single, it failed to chart in the U.S. Due to a successful UK tour, the song received a moderate amount of airplay and peaked at number 51... " |
- | - | 51 | - | |
| 2007 | "Someone to Love Someone to Love (Fountains of Wayne song) "Someone to Love" is the first single from the album Traffic and Weather by Fountains of Wayne. It was released February 13, 2007.The music video for the single is directed by Adam Neustadter and stars comedian Demetri Martin and actress Faryl Millet in the respective song character roles of Seth... " |
- | - | - | - | with Fountains of Wayne Fountains of Wayne Fountains of Wayne is an American power pop band that formed in New York City in 1996. The band consists of members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter and Brian Young.-Early years:... |
| 2008 | "This Would Be Paradise This Would Be Paradise ...This Would Be Paradise is an EP from Melissa Auf der Maur. It was released on November 11, 2008 through Auf der Maur's official website, and as well digitally on iTunes... " |
- | - | - | - | solo |
| 2009 | "OOOM OOOM (EP) OOOM is the second EP by MAdM, containing tracks from her second studio album of the same name. Released on December 7, 2009 – less than a month after the OOOM single – the EP was released in three different forms, all of which could be purchased from MAdM's official website,... " |
- | - | - | - | solo |
| 2010 | "Out of Our Minds" | - | - | - | - | solo |
- 1 indicates the song charted on the Hot 100 Sales Chart.
See also
- List of Quebec musicians
- Music of QuebecMusic of QuebecBeing a modern cosmopolitan society, today, all types of music can be found in the Canadian province of Quebec. What is specific to Quebec though are traditional songs, a unique variety of Celtic music, legions of excellent jazz musicians, a culture of classical music, and a love of foreign rhythms...
- Culture of QuebecCulture of QuebecThe Culture of Quebec emerged over the last few hundred years, resulting from the shared history of the French-speaking majority in Quebec. It is unique to the Western World; Quebec is the only region in North America with a French-speaking majority, as well as one of only two provinces in Canada...
- List of bands from Canada
- List of Canadian musicians