Melody Faith Federer A short interview with pianist-vocalist Melody Faith Federer.
Leicester Bangs: Tell us a little about yourself. Melody: I'm an American girl in Paris, 22 now, and I moved here, of course because I fell in love with this French jazz pianist who introduced me to all the really old great jazz music of New Orleans and Monmarte. I discovered Piano Stride, this very unique way of playing the piano from the 1930s (Fats Waller, Donald Lambert, Joe Turner), and started experimenting with it - combining it with pop and folk, folk being my heart and soul - Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, CSNY, etc. And the result is this really bouncy, fresh sound that's been attracting a ton of attention here in Paris and in NYC.
LB: How did you start out making music? Melody: My dad ran for Congress when I was a little girl. He ran three times, lost all three times. Anyway, he would have me stand on chairs wherever we went, and sing the 4th verse of the national anthem - sometimes all 4 - " Oh Thus be it ever, when free men shall stand"… anywhere from the US Congress to MacDonalds, lots of retirements homes. Before that, he was the pastor of a church, so I heard and sang a lot of Gospel. I would climb trees and sing to God (laughs).
LB: Who did you grow up listening to and how do they influence what you’re doing now? Melody: James Taylor, Phish, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, Beatles, Supremes, Ben Harper, Indigo Girls, Guns and Roses, Eagles, gospel, Ray Charles, Chicago...
LB: Tell us about your latest release. Melody: I've just released a song called LeadBelly. I wrote it one freezing day in NYC. I was walking in the rain, in this pair of shoes that were completely tattered and falling apart, totally broke, and still had about 20 blocks to go ‘til school. And this melody started coming in my head, almost like a melancholy prayer. I went into this coffee shop, and there was this song playing by a blues man named Leadbelly, and it touched me way deep down, almost made me cry. His voice had such power, and passion, and desperation. It was like he was singing to me saying " be strong, don't give up on your dreams'. So I found a piano in the back of a theatre, and wrote the song.
LB: Do you get out and play your music live, and if so, what can an audience expect at one of your shows? Melody: I sing on the streets of Paris, in Monmarte, on the bridge by Notre Dame. I sing in the jazz clubs here, Cafe Universel, La Caveau Hauchette, Le Meridien. I sing in these cafes where people talk so loudly you can't hear yourself think. An audience can expect to laugh, to maybe hopefully cry at least once, and to get up and dance.
LB: What aspects of playing and recording music do you most enjoy? Melody: My passion is songwriting. Everything to me is a possible song. Today, I was annoyed that this flame of mine's email responses were too short, and not at all poetic. And sometimes non-existent. I told him, "out of sight, out of mind baby. Out of inbox, out of heart." - and as silly as it sounds, that could be a song to me. Some are... deeper than others (laughs).
LB: Where can people find (and buy) your music? Melody: Working on my first album now, so for the moment, people can go to my Facebook page or MySpace page. Links below:
