The Future of Songwriting

Description

Throwing Muses frontwoman and critically acclaimed solo artist Kristin Hersh meditates on the future of her craft in this wry, existential and passionate addition to Melville House’s new series, FUTURES.

Over a long, hot Christmas in Australia, Throwing Muses frontwoman and critically acclaimed solo artist Kristin Hersh considers her future as a songwriter.

• Is it possible to create music and not show off about it?
• How can artists establish and refine a following without becoming part of the commercial problem?
• And just how many times is it healthy to watch It’s A Wonderful Life in 3 weeks?

In The Future of Songwriting, Hersh chooses to interrogate these questions through philosophical dialogue. From in-depth conversations with a comedian friend about the similarities between songs and jokes, via a fruitful visit to Sydney’s ‘bone museums’, to a revelation from an acupuncturist in New Orleans, she delivers a fierce, funny and existential meditation on the art of the song – and its future.’Has its own beautiful logic, one that emerges stealthily through this brief, mischievous, insightful book. To Hersh, songs are lifeforms and healing entities… This book is as life-affirming as her music.’ – MOJO

‘Kristin Hersh is a visionary, iconoclast and genius… The Future of Songwriting is like a TED talk on creativity and the industry from your best and most witchy friend.’ – Caitlin Moran

‘In what feels like a tense time for the value of creativity, crafted by human hands, The Future Of Songwriting is considerate, gently crafted, and manages to balance honesty and hope with a real rigor and tenderness.’ – Hanif AbdurraqibKristin Hersh’s extraordinary four-decade music career is bookended by stints in Throwing Muses – the band she co-founded at age 14 – who blazed across the US grunge scene until their hiatus in 1997. She then continued to tour and release critically adored records, both solo and with her new band, 50FOOTWAVE. Throwing Muses regrouped in 2002, and Hersh also began to chronicle her life in book form, penning three memoirs. Hersh was an early adopter of crowdfunding, launching the Strange Angels model in 2007, which allows fans to subscribe to her work at different levels of investment.DK

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