Melissa Ferrick

Melissa Ferrick has the kind of relationship with her audience that few artists are blessed with. Her live performance is fierce and funny, outspoken and vulnerable, passionate and real. The emotional honesty of Ferrick's first-person lyrics, the force of her vocal delivery and the disciplined fury of her musicianship connects her to her audience with confidence and grace. She's been gaining fans since her first release at age 22 on Atlantic Records. Her next three recordings were released by indie label What Are Records. In 2000, Melissa launched her own label: Right On Records. Her 2006 release In the Eyes of Strangers marked the label's sixth release.

Always groundbreaking, Melissa achieved an industry first by setting up direct digital downloads from her website. "For $6 or more, people bought six acoustic versions of the songs from In the Eyes of Strangers," explains Ferrick. "So half of the record was funded by my fans. One fan (who would like to remain anonymous) donated all of the expenses of the recording studio."

A full-blown studio affair produced by Ethan Allen (Throwing Muses, Patty Griffin, 60 Ft. Wave), In The Eyes of Strangers maintains all of the passion of previous Ferrick releases yet is infused with a new invigorated sense of urgency. With an all-star cast of musicians including drummer Daren Hahn (Ani DiFranco, Eels, Break Mechanics), keyboardist Julie Wolf (Bruce Cockburn, Ani DiFranco, Dar Williams) and friends Tegan Quin (Tegan and Sara), Erin McKeown, Natalia Zukerman and Rachael Davis, Strangers marks a personal and professional departure for Ferrick. Her previous release, The Other Side, was a completely self-made project wherein Ferrick produced, engineered and played every instrument.

Non-stop touring and the daily pressures of being one's own boss had taken their toll on the songwriter before she began recording Strangers. "I was so worn down that I just showed up and played," Ferrick recalls. "This time, because I was so exhausted, I didn't have the energy to take care of other people which is something I tend to do. This raw state I was in, in hindsight, was a good thing for the recording; the emotional and physical pain I was in comes through." The result is Ferrick's strongest release to date – a sentiment the songwriter shares. "It's the best record I've made."

Karen Williams

COMIC * ACTOR * WRITER * LECTURER * MODEL

METRO WEEKLY, April 2008, Washington, D.C.'s premier LGBTQ magazine, says it all about HEALING HUMOR featuring comic Karen Williams. Get your copy today and enjoy the insightful commentary from our community's one and only healing humorist!

Karen recently filmed her hilarious solo show, "I NEED A SNACK" at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood, California for LOGO TV. Produced by Andrea Meyerson of AllOut Films, this performance piece is likely to become one of the hottest features on the gay network, so look out for it and make sure to tell your friends!

LAUGHING MATTERS, the award-winning feature film starring Karen Williams, made Blockbuster Video's New Releases List -- a first for this genre -- and is shown on HERE and LOGO TV. An audience favorite at film fests, the comedy-documentary showcases Karen’s star quality while intriguing interviews highlight her social activism.

As a solo entertainer, Karen Williams delights SRO audiences from San Francisco to South Beach to Sydney, and is a comic favorite on the renowned Olivia Cruises. Karen is a featured comic in "We’re Funny That Way," the hilarious, internationally-acclaimed film shown regularly on HBO, as well as a nominee for the 1999 GLAMA Award for the irreverent comedy CD, "human beings: what a concept" (Uproar Records).

Comedy writer and former television host of the New York variety show, "In The Life," Williams' humor writings appear in numerous anthologies, including "Joke Stew" (Andrews McMeel Publishing); Revolutionary Laughter" (Crossing Press); "Out in All Directions" (Warner Books); and "Out, Loud & Laughing" (Random House).

For more information and bookings, contact: High End Booking @ HaHA Institute: www.hahainstitute.com, haha@multiverse.com