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auf der maur
auf der maur

Release Date: ??/??/2004
Label: emi

Artist: Auf Der Maur
Photographer: Phil Poynter
Date: November 2003
Copyright: Phil Poynter

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friday 27th february 2004
special auf der maur
album promotion
This is the debut album from Auf der Maur fronted by former Hole / Smashing Pumpkins bass player Melissa Auf der Maur.

Co-produced by Melissa and Chris Goss and the album features the following guest musicians:

Atom Willard (Rocket From The Crypt)
Brandt Bjork (Kyuss, Fu Manchu)
Chris Goss (Masters Of Reality, producer for Queens Of The Stone Age)
Eric Erlandson (Hole)
James Iha (The Smashing Pumpkins, A Perfect Circle)
John Stanier (Helmet, Tomahawk)
Jordan Zadorozny (Blinker the Star, Bodega)
Josh Homme ( Queens Of The Stone Age, Kyuss)
Kelli Scott (Failure)
Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age)
Nick Oliveri ( Queens of the Stone Age)
Paz Lenchantin ( A Perfect Circle , Zwan)
Steve Durand (Tinker - Melissa's first band)
Twiggy Ramirez (Marilyn Manson, A Perfect Circle)


We are only one of 10 clubs in the country to get this event and we will be giving away copies of the album, posters, t-shirts, and tattoos!

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BIOGRAPHY

Melissa Auf der Maur was born on the 17th of March 1972 to parents Nick Auf der Maur and Linda Gaborieau, in Montreal, Canada. In her childhood she has, allesgedly, lived in Kenia also, but her parents moved away after Melissa'd caught Malaria for the third time. She grew up across from 'Mont Royal', the mountain Montreal was named after. "I grew up in Montreal, across the street from a small mountain, called 'Mont Royal', after which Montreal was named. On the mountain stands a cross, which the European settlers set up there and which shines at night. The fact that the very thing breathed history fascinated me as a child."

Melissa attended Concordia University in Montreal, where she was majoring in photography. Melissa wanted to pursue her musical interests, and decided on playing the bass. When she was 21, her father bought her her first bass. "At that time I was going up to the local punk bands and asked if I could jam with them. 'Well', they said, 'Are you any good?' and I said, 'No, but I will be'.

Melissa was making waves in her hometown with her band Tinker. In that period, Melissa attended a show of The Smashing Pumpkins in her hometown. The band's singer, Billy Corgan and a member of Melissa's group of friends initially got off on the wrong foot. "Melissa saw us play in 1990 or 1991, and the reason I met her was because some guy that she knew whipped a bottle at me, and I walked off the stage and throttled the guy. And she came up to me after the show to apologize, and we struck up a conversation, and we've been friends ever since.", as Billy Corgan later said. At one occasion Tinker even opened for the Pumpkins. And around that time, the Seattle-based group Hole tragically lost their talented bass player Kirsten Pfaff to an overdose. Band leader Courtney Love, widow of Kurt Cobain, was looking for a new bassiste, and rang Billy Corgan who then recommended Melissa to Courtney. Melissa got a call from Courtney Love, who was inviting her for an audition. But, Melissa initially said no to the offer. Her father had to talk her in to taking the audition. "Why did Melissa turn down the offer of an audition? Because she didn't really want to play in a band dominated by somebody else and maybe Hole's music was a tad commercial. What a girl, I thought to myself. Spunk. Her own boss. Her own mind, not swayed easily. Full of artistic integrity. Well, I suggested, artistic integrity is one thing and sometimes we should be flexible. 'But,' she said, 'you told me you have to be honest with yourself'. 'Well, yes,' I said, 'but I strongly suggest you get a hold of Mr. Big Pumpkin and tell him you've reconsidered'."

And so, Melissa reconsidered, auditioned and instantly got the job. Leaving her home, love and school. Her first performance with Hole was at Reading Festival, in front of 60.000 people, so Melissa had to take the plunge. Melissa played with Hole for 5 years, writing for their last album 'Celebrity Skin' and remaining a constant factor in the band. However, after her 5-year contract with Hole ended, Melissa left the band to pursue her own musical career, the thing she had always dreamed about most. But before she could do that, she got hauled in by Billy Corgan for his band The Smashing Pumpkins. She would guest for what would be their final tour. Melissa replaced Pumpkins bassiste D'Arcy Wretzky who left the band because of personal problem unrevealed. So yet another year of touring for Melissa, and yet another year of putting her own musical aspirations aside. "I pretty much found one of the loudest sounds inside myself in this band. And I felt this thing when i walked within(a concert)and pretty much started to play the bass that year, and Billy would weave in and out of my life giving me thumbs up or a kick in the ass." When the pumpkins split at the end of 2001, Melissa decided to take a year off of music, to come to her senses and to focus on her photography, which she still loves.

Melissa started recording her solo album 'Auf der Maur', not with one regular band, but with all her friends from the music industry. Big names on the album to be are Josh Homme, Nick Oliveri, Twiggy Ramirez and many others. The album will be released February 2, 2004, and has created quite a stir among fans, non-fans and music critics. Melissa has also been seen in side projects as her Black Sabbath cover band "Hand of Doom", with whom she released a live album, and The Chelsea, with friends Paz Lenchantin, Samantha Maloney and Radio Sloan. Melissa has also featured on many albums by her friends, like Rufus Wainwright's 'Poses', Indochine's 'Paradize', and All Systems Go's 'MonChiChi'. Melissa is just out there to have music fun, her own way.

http://www.melissaaufdermaur.org/
COPYRIGHT © 2003 - 2004
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