{"id":14842,"date":"2018-04-25T19:48:32","date_gmt":"2018-04-25T23:48:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=14842"},"modified":"2018-04-25T19:48:32","modified_gmt":"2018-04-25T23:48:32","slug":"come-to-the-window","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/come-to-the-window\/","title":{"rendered":"Come to the Window"},"content":{"rendered":"

May 2018 | view this story as a .pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Melissa Etheridge<\/strong> will serenade crowds in Union and Orono this summer. <\/span><\/h3>\n

By Sarah Moore<\/span><\/p>\n

\"MAY18-Melissa\"F<\/span>rom the moment she broke onto the music scene in 1988, Melissa Etheridge has forged her own destiny. In the past thirty years, the songwriter has recorded 14 studio albums, collected Academy and Grammy awards, overcome breast cancer in 2005, and advocated tirelessly for the LGBTQ community. <\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019re playing among the vines at Savage Oakes Winery on June 16. What can the audience look forward to?<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be performing my classics like \u201cCome To My Window,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m the Only One,\u201d and \u201cBring Me Water.\u201d There\u2019s a good handful of songs I know everyone wants to hear, and I love to play. Then I dig a little deeper into my albums. I\u2019ve played in wineries for the past couple of years now. They\u2019re some of the most beautiful places in the world, so I\u2019ve folded that into my tour schedule, although I\u2019m not really a huge wine drinker. I\u2019m more of an herbal girl.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been 30 years since the release of your eponymous debut album. How has the music industry evolved during that time?<\/span><\/p>\n

When I came into the business in the late 1980s, we\u2019d call around radio stations to try and convince them to play my songs. They\u2019d respond \u201cThanks, but we already have a female artist.\u201d It got better in the 1990s. That was a glorious time. There were so many great musicians playing and recording very important music. Of course, after that, I experienced the advent of the digital age. I\u2019m not going to say it\u2019s bad\u2013music is still just as important now. I have four kids, and I see how technology allows them to access different artists. It\u2019s helped me, too. It allows people to listen to my earlier work, and it\u2019s given me more control and reach with my songs. I can interact with my fans directly. <\/span><\/p>\n

If you could give any advice to yourself back then, what would it be?<\/span><\/p>\n

Just take it one day at a time\u2013you have lots of time and life to live. Try to love yourself as much as looking for someone else to love you. Do more sit-ups.<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve always been an outspoken musical figure. Do you think artists have a duty to stand up and speak out?<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a personal choice. You can\u2019t say do be political with your music; you can\u2019t say don\u2019t. For me when I started out, my work was so incredibly personal I was compelled to be honest. I can\u2019t imagine being any other way. I have no regrets about speaking out on the issues I have.<\/span><\/p>\n

Your final show of the national tour is at the Collins Center in Orono on September 29. Do you plan to take a little downtime in Maine?<\/span><\/p>\n

I love Maine, especially in the summertime! I usually visit Portland once a year. There\u2019s not much time for relaxing with four kids. I\u2019m usually writing and recording and staying busy and creative. Sometimes going out and playing a show is the most relaxing thing I can do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

May 2018
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