Never wanted to scream
Laura Moses
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Auf der mar and good : together for the long haul
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Melissa Auf der Maur on the double life of a lead bassist
When Melissa Auf der Maur agreed to tour with Matt Good everyone warned her, "Matt Good is a unique and difficult character.""First of all," says Auf der Maur, over the phone from Calgary, "I have been around difficult characters and nothing is going to floor me. Anyone who speaks their mind, has a strong will, a character and a spine I will like more than someone who doesn't."
Auf der Maur is speaking from experience. Before the Montreal-born bassist turned front woman released her self-titled debut album last June, she spent six years backing two of America's most thundering rock forces of the '90s-Courtney Love in Hole, and Billy Corgon on the Smashing Pumpkin's farewell tour.
Can she compare the notorious temperament of Matt Good to either of them? "No, no way," she laughs. "The thing is Matt's Canadian."
Sandwiched between Matt Good and Limblifter on the cross-Canada Put Your Lights Out tour, Auf der Maur says she is receiving an education in Canadian Rock 101 that she had missed over the past decade.
"Last night we were in Fort McMurray, five hours north of Edmonton, at a place called Cowboys. It was a first for all three bands on the bill, and it was one of the most intoxicated, enthusiastic crowds I've played to in a long time. Those people need music and they got it."
We start talking about Canadian bands to get excited over, and she drops names like The Stills and Sloan. Auf der Maur is especially thrilled with Death From Above, who she calls "Original, heavy, dark and intelligent."
Auf
der Maur recalls being given a set of DVDs recently by Nardwuar, the Human Serviette, featuring interviews from the early '90s of Sonic Youth, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. She said she felt a pang of sentimentality when she realized that "it was a time in music that would never happen again."Which brings us to her history. When Auf der Maur was playing in Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins, she was also writing and recording songs on a four-track. She says at the time she didn't plan on doing anything because, "I loved my role as a bass player. I was so focused on that that I never really looked outside it.
"After years of doing that I thought I should mix it up a bit because music is so endless that any musician will learn from music every year."
After the Pumpkins broke up in 2000, Auf der Maur dabbled in "very random, different things," like photography, film and playing in a Black Sabbath tribute band, before it became clear to her that making a solo album was the next logical step.
"There is an interesting duality that happens when you are a singer and a bass player. Your head is chopped off, sitting on the top layer communicating, and your body is the one tapped into the emotions and the subtleties," she explains.
Auf der Maur financed the album, titled simply Auf der Maur, herself. On it she collaborated with over a dozen of her musician friends, including Chris Gross of Queens of the Stone Age, former Smashing Pumpkin James Iha and Paz Lenchantin, but she insisted on full creative control to figure out how to fit her style of vocals.
She describes the latter as "the voice of a girl from Grade 7 who loved choir, who never learned how to scream, doesn't want to scream and isn't angry," and she has to put it over the heavy rock riffs she loves so much.
Now at centre stage, she gives shout-outs to the rare bass player-front people who have come before her: Philip Lynott from Thin Lizzy, Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead, Geddy Lee from Rush. She calls them underdogs, and says she's one too.
"I have my short list of things I'm proud of: I'm Canadian, I'm a red-head, and I'm a bass player. Those are three underdog qualities."
MELISSA AUF DER MAUR,
MATTHEW GOOD,
AND LIMBLIFTER
MONDAY, OCTOBER 25 AT 8 P.M., $29.50
CAPITAL MUSIC HALL
I once had the chance to have drinks with Nick Auf der Maur and let me tell you that this guy was a character. I can't imagine what being his daughter must have been like but I've got to imagine that she must have grown up with a pretty thick skin because people like Nick Auf der Maur didn't attract indifferent crowds. His daughter has survived two bands going belly up and forming one of her own. Wherever he is I'm sure he's looking down on her with pride for plugging away at something she loves.
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Daryl Campbell
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{13 votes}
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I'm so glad that Melissa is now a solo artist because now we can see a true performer who has the passion and integrity to make it to the big time. Melissa was in two very popular alternative bands in the 90s and those were The Smashing Pumpkins and of course Hole which is where she made a name for herself. I love Melissa new solo album and I went to the show last time she came to Montreal and it was one dynamite show. She is truly one of the best female rock musicians in the world. You rock Melissa!!!
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Gerry Samson
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{11 votes}
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| Canada needs more Character |
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THe hardest thing about being Canadian is that so few take a stand... we would rather curl up with our beer eh and let everyone else figure it out...that is why it is so fabulous to see peopel like MAtt Good and Auf De Maur who will stand out and BE what they are...are they difficult or are they reminders of a time when we could stand for something ad really mean it...that makes us all feel pretty weak and powerless...Thanks MAtt Good for Supersize and I wil look forward to the show...hope you shock and make us all feel we need to stand for something.
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Mélanie Rebane
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{11 votes}
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Hey, I'll give Montreal's native babe all the respect she deserves. For being Nick Auf der Maur's daughter. For going her own way. For surviving Hole, or more specifically Courtney Love. For all this and more I will give her my nod.
Melissa Auf der Maur's gone and reconstructed herself from the ashes and become the frontwoman for a band of her own making, Missy has gathered Eric Erlandson from Hole, James Iha from the Smashing Pumpkins & Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age. Well, that was the initial line-up, who the hell knows how things have changed since the initial fomation. Still not a bad line-up of talent, you must say. Only time will tell how long it'll last given the shelf life of most groups today.
Her and Matthew Good seem like a solid pairing (even though I'm not a big fan of his) so I wish them well on the tour.
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Pedro Eggers
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{8 votes}
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I realize Melissa Auf der Maur and her father are some kind of icon in Montreal, where I'm sure most of these posts for from, but has anybody actually listened to her cd? Boring, deriviative and forgettable.
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neil bakshi
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{3 votes}
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This expose sets a good example for aspiring musicians who will have to deal with many differerent personalities. Fronting with the bass, now that's using the axe!
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Skeleton James
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{1 vote}
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I give kudos for Matthew good still out there doing IT, but he needs to do something better live...he's pretty boring. Limblifter are back which is cool. Auf Der Maur is awesome (thanks Xpress for the CD and shirt). I've seen her before with Hole and Smashing Pumpkins and would now like to see her on her OWN terms. she always was a kickass sideperson, so this should be a good show coming up.
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Ger Madden
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{6 votes}
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