The Future of Songwriting

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Paperback
$16.99 US
On sale Mar 12, 2024 | 128 Pages | 9781685891176

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"An endlessly inventive mind and generosity of spirit that alone should give us hope." - The Wire

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.
Kristin 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.

About

"An endlessly inventive mind and generosity of spirit that alone should give us hope." - The Wire

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.

Author

Kristin 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.

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