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Jeremy Messersmith

Jeremy Messersmith

In two months, I’m packing up and leaving this town…I’m onto bigger cities with bigger skylines. I won’t miss the weather, I won’t miss the traffic on 35W, and I sure won’t miss trouncing around the University grounds. I will, however, miss the budding MPLS music scene. In relation to our relatively small metropolis, I’d say the Twin Cities talent pool is disproportionately large. Really, I haven’t yet had to stretch myself to produce a worthy feature every week. To continue the tradition of great weekly, (mostly) Minnesotan music, feast your eyes (and more appropriately, your ears) upon Jeremy Messersmith.

Although Messersmith has busied himself with writing, recording, and playing around town as far back as 2004, I’m only now starting to fully realize and appreciate his various musings after his latest official release, The Alcatraz Kid. His alt-folk/indie-pop amalgam is hardly the kind you’d expect from a small Christian college music student. The disc was recorded with local renaissance man Dan Wilson (see two weeks prior for my thoughts…) and put out by Princess Records. The local critics have almost invariably likened him to cult-favorite Elliot Smith. Jeremy’s brooding, thankfully, is a bit less all encompassing. In fact, the album’s mild temperament breaks occasionally to allow for some oohs and aahs.

Jeremy Messersmith tweeking pedals

Your versatility is much appreciated, Jeremy. You seem to handle it all on your own, too. You know your way well around the guitar and the piano. You even lend your talents to the ever so kitschy Casio keyboard…employing it un-sardonically and making it sound tasteful nonetheless. Keep these cities in check, the songs aplenty, and the sentiments sincere. Make another album I can listen to while I’m away, yeah? And stop flying under everyone’s radar…you weren’t meant for that, man.

1. Jim Cropcho
   5.11.07

   so liz, where do you think you’ll move?

2. Liz
   5.11.07

   well, im off to london in january and then moving to chicago late to mid summer…

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about new music in cities.