Down In The Park
By Tankboy in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 30, 2005 4:00PM
Chicagoist is a fan of the John Hughes-ian film genre wherein there’s a totally hot girl that no one else seems to notice is totally hot. Said girl frets and worries that she will not be asked to the prom/dance/concert by poorly coifed 80’s band by whomever has been cast as the movie’s anti-hero/stud. So, to compensate, she tries all kinds of goofy stunts to become what she thinks the guy will like only to discover that in the end she’s most likable just being herself.
In a way Melissa Rose Ziemer’s career has been like that. Just a few years ago she was fronting the popular Chicago pop/rock act Gerturde but she took a detour in order to dabble in a bit of country. She toured Europe a few times, played showcases on both coasts and she seemed poised, along with Rachael Yamagata (more on her tomorrow), to lead a group of Chicago female singer-songwriters ready to make the leap into the big time.
However over the years we have also noticed a certain inconsistency in the methodology she chose to employ for her delivery. This just might have been what has kept Ziemer from “making it” thus far. She seems to be at her best when she is just being herself and not fronting any of the various personas we’ve seen her take on (country gal, rawk chick, pop tart) and, based on the last few times Chicagoist has seen her perform, we feel fairly confidant in saying Ziemer has also discovered this same simple fact. She has started to come into her own as a mature, confident performer with a soaring voice and tender melodies and we always like to see when someone begins to blossom into their actual potential.
Ziemer will be performing in Millennium Park this afternoon at 4:00 on the stage located to the north side of the ice rink. She will be followed by Carey Ott of shoulda, coulda but unfortunately weren’t contenders Torben Floor. This is an excellent chance to check out two under-appreciated Chicago songwriters doing what they do best; just being themselves.
Image courtesy of This Is Lancashire