Melissa Cox on Late Night

Melissa Cox

On Wednesday January 25, 2012, at 8pm/PST Swoop’s World Late Night welcomes the return of singer/songwriter Melissa Cox. Melissa was a guest last year when she was on her Odometer Destroyer tour. She returns to give us the lowdown on her new album and what’s been happening since we last talked. Tune in at Swoopsworld.com.

A national touring artist, veteran songwriter, guitarist, mandolin player, and classically trained vocalist, Melissa Cox pushes the boundaries of folk, Celtic and acoustic music. Not an artist who is easily categorized, Cox strives to fuse her diverse musical tastes and influences into a style all her own. From Celtic Fusion to Trip Folk, World to acoustic electronic, modern rock to classical choir, Melissa Cox is an old soul with a new sound.
A mezzo-soprano whose voice is often compared to those of Grace Slick, Sinead O’Connor and Dolores O’Riordan (the Cranberries), the vocal power is matched only by her tenacity and determination to make it as an independent artist. And that resolve has paid off with national and regional songwriting awards, opening spots for artists like the Spin Doctors, Sister Hazel, Smash Mouth, and Three Dog Night, and headlining performances at scores of festivals across the U.S.

Since her early days as a shy girl singing Jewel covers at open mics in Delaware, Melissa has blossomed into a respected rock artist, who cites Tori Amos, Porcupine Tree, Bjork, and Massive Attack as influences. The lead singer of the national touring Celtic Fusion band Mythica, Melissa has fused her rock influences with Irish and Scottish music, a sound that has won the group headlining spots at some of the largest Celtic festivals in the nation.

Melissa’s new concept album “Harmonious Maladies” is the singers third solo album, and her sixth album when counting her releases with Mythica. The concept of the album, Melissa explains, is juxtapositions and diametric ideas…”a musical manifestation of my slightly bi-polar life.” The 11-track album, produced by Melissa, was released November 18, 2011, and funded entirely with fan support through Kickstarter.

Her most experimental and honest to date, “Harmonious Maladies” deals with a variety of issues across the emotional spectrum, including depression, psychotherapy, addiction, alcoholism, and gun control, balanced by jubilant tunes about love, travel, nature, and the Divine.

One song on the album pays homage to one of Cox’s heroes, actress and author Carrie Fisher. “I read Carries Postcards from the Edge when I was a teenager, and it really stuck with me. And I just love Star Wars,” says Cox, a self proclaimed sci-fi nerd. “Carrie reminds me to have a sense of humor during my dark times.”

The album will also feature a cover of “Gone Away” by 90s band The Offspring, a nod to the influence 90s rock had on the singer, who turns the song from a head-banger into a ballad with cello.

Melissa tours the U.S. and most frequently tours the East Coast and Colorado.

After our interview with Melissa Cox, we’ll be up to all of our usual fun including “Brewskis” Beer Tasting sponsored by DrinksWinesSpirits.com, sports talk, rants and more.

This week on “Brewskis” Beer Tasting sponsored by DrinksWinesSpirits, we’ll taste Casco Bay Brown Ale From Casco Bay Brewery, located in Portland, Maine.

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