apni 1,2005 »
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Ferrick has guts and honesty that seem
lacking in the music industry. She’s frank in
talking about fighting both a drinking problem
and depression after being dropped by
Atlantic.
Although she’s healthy and happier in 2005,
Ferrick is still plagued by a panic disorder. It
usually doesn’t interfere with her shows, but
Ferrick was forced to leave a fan cruise in
February after a severe attack. While most of
her fans have been understanding, a few have
threatened her with lawsuits or made out
landish demands.
“It’s such a mess,” she says, “h’s embarrass
ing. It’s not like something I do on purpose."
C^n the road now with Garrison Star, Ferrick
is looking forward to her return to Oregon.
“I love playing in Portland,” she says. “1
think the Aladdin is such a beautiful venue—
a venue that can be so open to a songwriters
show and a listening audience.”
—Kathy Beige
Cabaret with heart
BodyVox is opening up its studio to the public for First Impressions vol. 4, a 70-minute showcase
of several short works.
“No one thinks of Richard Mohr anymore,”
he said with a laugh. “They think of Father Pat.”
Mohr will speak and sign copies of his hook
7:30 p.m. April 14 at Powells on Hawthorne,
3723 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.
—Stephen Blair
Ferrick’s frankness
wins her fans
Sometimes one song is all it takes to propel
an artist forward. For Melissa Ferrick, that song
is “Drive,” a tribute to cunnilingus that lesbians
around the world duplicate and pass on to one
another, much like a copy of The Ladder must
have changed hands in the 1950s. As you read
this, somewhere in the world a lesbian could be
making love to these lyrics:
“Your head is bent back, your back is arched.
My hand is under there holding you up. I hold
you up and drive you all night.”
Ferrick plays 6:30 p.m. April 6 at John
Henry’s, 77 W. Broadway in Eugene. Tickets are
$15 at the dixir and $1 3 in advance from
TicketsWest.
She then heads north for a gig 8 p.m.
April 9 at Aladdin Theater, 3017 S.E.
Milwaukie Ave. in Portland. Tickets are $17 at
the d(K>r and $14.50 in advance from
Ticketmaster.
An out lesbian since 1995, Ferrick struggled
for recognition for years in the shadow of the
other Melissa. But one by one, her fan base has
grown, and now she is the one selling out con
cert halls.
“When people get [‘ITrive’l they tend to
download a couple of songs.... Then they come
to a show, and they fall in love with the gig and
the crowd and the vibe there. The next time
they come, they bring two of their friends, and
that’s just how it’s grown. It’s been very organ
ic,” she says.
More than most artists, Ferrick appreciates
her fans, who she calls “lifesaving.” Her career
has made a unique trajectory. She signed with a
major label in 1993 and got dropped two years
later. Next she signed with an independent
label and finally formed her own label,
Right On Records, in 2000. She’s taken that
independence one step further on her latest
release, The Other Side. She not only produced
and recorded every track, she played every
instrument.
What happens when a group of performers
from the Portland area put their heads together
in the name of bringing relief to those recover
ing from December’s tsunami in Southeast
Asia? They put on a_show.-
Cabaret d’Amore was conceptualized as a
fund-raiser for the American Red Cross to ben
efit tsunami survivors.
The brainchild of Patricia Price-Yates,
Cabaret d’Amore is packed with performances
from local actors, singing numbers most of them
have already brought to the stage in previous
shows.
Alan Anderson, a gay man who works as
marketing director for the Broadway Rose
Theatre Company in Washington County, will
raise funds and spirits with two songs by John
Kander and Fred Ebb.
“I love singing these songs,” says Anderson.
He is performing “Mr. Cellophane” from
Chicago and “Sara Lee” from The World Goes
'Round.
“I think everybody can relate to feeling
invisible at one point in our lives, like the char
acter from Chicago. In ‘Sara Lee’ 1 will sing
about my great love for a woman I’ve never met
before. It’s a fun song with a fun twist to it.”
Other notable performances include “1
Could Have Danced All Night” from My Fair
Lady, “Shouldn’t 1 Be Less In Love?” from I
Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change and “The
Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha.
Cabaret d’Amore will be presented 7 and
9 p.m. April 5 at Wilf’s Restaurant and Piano
Bar, 800 N.W. Sixth Ave. Tickets are $15 from
503-223-0070.
—Jaymee R. Cuti jm
za&n
www.Dharma-Rain.Org
Our professionals
unit arrange
your delivery
Don Duncan
owner
(503) 642-9992
1-800-356-1884
Aloha Market Centre
20455 SW TV Highway
www.westsideflorist.net
5ou th minster
Presbyterian C.,hurch
Companions in Action
Sunday Worship 10:00am
rrom ien. Mian «naerson will join uoug ¿immerman, ueuoie numer, rairicia rrice-raies arm uen
Norby for Cabaret D'Amore, a benefit for tsunami relief.
12250 SW Denney Road (at Hall Blvd.)
Beaverton. OR 97008
www southmin.com I 503 644 2073