Melissa Etheridge Joins Serena Ryder at the Troubadour

Melissa Etheridge joins Serena Ryder on stage at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, CA on May 13, 2013.


Photo Credit: Tea Rose

Melissa Etheridge and Linda Wallem Introduce Dan Bucatinsky at Family Equality Council Night At The Pier

Dan Bucatinsky accepts award from Family Equality Council at Night At The Pier. Introduction by Melissa Etheridge and Linda Wallem. Video posted by Family Equality.


Video posted by familyequality

Melissa Etheridge is a Recipient of the New York Chapter Recording Academy Honors 2013

Source: BroadwayWorld.com

Songwriters/performing artists Ashford & Simpson, GRAMMY-winning violinist Joshua Bell, GRAMMY-winning artist Melissa Etheridge, GRAMMY-winning creators of "LES MISERABLES" - Alain Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer and Claude-Michel Schönberg - and R&B singer/songwriter Trey Songz are recipients of the New York Chapter Recording Academy Honors 2013. The Recording Academy Honors was established to celebrate outstanding individuals whose work embodies excellence and integrity and who have improved the environment for the creative community. The event, which will attract recording artists, key entertainment executives and community leaders, will be hosted Tuesday, June 25, 2013, at 6 p.m. at 583 Park Avenue. This gala will support the Chapter's ongoing advocacy, education and professional development programs.

Melissa Etheridge Will be a Guest on the Hello Pauly Show

Melissa will be a quest on the Hello Pauly Show on May 14. They are taking questions for her now. You can post the questions on their facebook page or via twitter @HelloPaulyShow

Melissa Etheridge Wants Your Input for the 25th Anniversary Box Set!

Source: MEIN

Exciting news! Melissa is putting together an amazing box set which will be released later this year. Details are coming soon about all the cool stuff you'll get, but for now...Melissa needs YOUR help!

Among other things, the box set will include live material. Melissa has a lot of live material and needs to narrow down which live tracks to include. What do you want to hear? Really old live tracks? Big concert moments? What tour/era are you most interested in? And please don't say you want "everything she's ever recorded" because there isn't a box set big enough to contain all the magic moments she's created on stage.

Click on the link above and let Melissa know your thoughts!

Melissa Etheridge 25th Anniversary Recording Sessions

As heard on The Melissa Etheridge Radio Show- or from what I recall hearing- Melissa Etheridge has completed recording with John Shanks, Fritz Lewak, and Kevin McCormick for the 25th Anniversary Box Set.

When MLE's career started, Fritz and Kevin recorded the first four albums with MLE, and she, John, Fritz and Kevin toured together for about five years playing loads and loads of gigs, with sometimes only 30-40 people in the crowd. MLE had not spoken with Kevin in 20 years, and when the four of them got back together again it was emotional and a little tense. MLE had been working on a song with the three fellas back in '90, but had stopped working on it. When they got back together recently, the four of them cranked out that song- first song, on the first take. They recorded seven songs in three days.

25th Anniversary of Melissa Etheridge's Self Titled Album

On this day in May 25 years ago, Melissa Etheridge released her self-titled album "Melissa Etheridge".



25 years later, and still no one does it like the way she does!

NBA Star Jason Collins Admits He's Gay; Melissa Etheridge Says “It’s Beautiful”

Source: InTouch Weekly

Jason Collins is making history— and Melissa Etheridge tells In Touch she couldn’t be happier.

"I'm a 34-year-old NBA center. I'm black and I'm gay," the athlete revealed in a shocking article he wrote for Sports Illustrated on April 29. "I didn't set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I'm happy to start the conversation.”

On the night of Jason's big reveal, In Touch caught up with Melissa at the Family Equality Council’s Night at the Pier, where she opened up about the basketball player's announcement.

“It’s beautiful. It’s wonderful. It’s a feeling,” the singer— who came out in 1993— said. “Can’t you feel the wave? We’re over this now, aren’t we? We can finally understand that there are people born gay and we live our life and we love and we work and we live and we have our lives. And then that’s it, okay?”

She continues: “I relate to this. I understand this and he’s now setting himself free. It is a beautiful, wonderful feeling to not have to hide yourself. He’s a smart man and he wants to live a nice life and there’s nothing to be ashamed of. And if you have enough support for your family and friends, you’re like, 'Here I am.'"

And Melissa makes sure to practice what she preaches. The "Come to My Window" crooner makes a habit of surrounding herself with those who support marriage and family equality— in particular, her pal, Brad Pitt.

“He’s a big straight guy. He’s a big, handsome straight guy who’s into girls," she said of the World War Z star. "And if that guy says, 'Don’t beat up on this guy. I dig him,' you know it has a lot of weight."

Brad has always been vocal about supporting marriage equality, and even donated $100,00 to the Human RIghts Campaign in Oct 2012.

"It's unbelievable to me that people's lives and relationships are literally being voted on," Brad said. “But that's the system we have and I'm not going to back down from the fight of loving and committed couples to have the ability to marry."

Melissa Etheridge Attends Family Equality Council's Night at the Pier, NY

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 29: Recording artist Melissa Etheridge (L) and actor Dan Bucatinsky attend the Family Equality Council’s Night at the Pier at Pier 60 on April 29, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Family Equality Council)
Copyright © 2013 Getty Images. All rights reserved

Melissa Etheridge Attends UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation Host 18th Annual "Taste For A Cure"

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - APRIL 26: Recording artist Melissa Etheridge (L) and Linda Wallem attend the UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation Host 18th Annual "Taste For A Cure" fundraiser at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on April 26, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
Copyright © 2013 Getty Images. All rights reserved.

Melissa Etheridge Website Wellness Page

Visit MEIN Wellness Page

Melissa Etheridge's official website added a Wellness Page! Visit the page for interviews with Melissa Etheridge and more.


Image from MelissaEtheridge.com

Blair Sinta Podcast

Source: PodOmatic

Blair Sinta currently plays for Melissa Etheridge. He is also an in-demand session drummer based out of Los Angeles. Blair has also toured and/or recorded with Alanis Morissette, Stevie Nicks, James Blunt, Better Than Ezra, Annie Lennox, Josh Groban, Wilson Phillips, and many others. Blair talks about the auditions he went through to score the gigs, working in LA, 20" bass drums vs 24", a particular gig he did in China, and a whole lot more. Recorded on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles, CA March 2013.

Click here to go to the Podcast.

Earth Day 2013

Source: EarthDay.Org

Today is Earth Day! Over one billion people in 192 countries are participating from London to Sao Paolo, Seoul to Babylon City, New Delhi to New York, Rome to Cairo; people everywhere are taking action in their communities and helping depict The Face of Climate Change.


Picture from the EarthDay website

Melissa Etheridge at KEZN Event

Melissa Etheridge did a Q&A for ZEZN Presents an Evening with Melissa Etheridge, Delilah and John Tesh on April 20, 2013 in Rancho Mirage, CA. Visit our Facebook page for more pictures from the event.


Photo Credit: Rhondda Ashby

Melissa Etheridge Writes About Adele

Source: ELLE

MELISSA ETHERIDGE
"In 2008, VH1 asked me to sing on their 'Divas' show, and Adele was another one of the performers. I brought my daughter, and we went backstage where Adele was sitting all by herself. I walked up to her and I said, 'You just keep doing what you’re doing. You can have a career.' She was maybe 20 and very shy. She looked around and went, 'I don’t know what I’m doing here!' in a lovely English accent. She was the lesser known of all the artists. But everyone just fell over when she sang. Then later that night, my daughter ran into Adele on the stairway and said, 'Oh I’m such a big fan of yours. I’m Melissa Etheridge’s daughter,' and Adele said to her, 'Oh your mother is a lovely woman and I’m a big fan of hers'—and made me look really good! So kind, that's Adele."


Photo: 2012 C Flanigan, Getty Images.

Melissa Etheridge to Perform at Gracie Awards

Source: All Women In Media

As previously shared, The Melissa Etheridge Radio Show won a Gracie Award. It was announced that Melissa will also perform at the Gracie Awards. Click on the link above for more information.

Melissa Etheridge Writes Demo Song for Possible Inclusion in Hunger Games Two

As heard on The Melissa Etheridge Radio Show, Melissa has written a demo song for possible inclusion in the next Hunger Games movie. She's asked fans to wish her luck the song will be chosen. Good luck, Melissa!

Melissa Etheridge To Celebrate Family Equality at “Night at the Pier”

Source: LezGetReal

Posted by: J. Wolffe on April 5, 2013
Singer Melissa Etheridge, Scandal’s Dan Bucatinsky and LGBT Activist Edie Windsor To Celebrate Family Equality at “Night at the Pier”

WHAT: Night at the Pier – Family Equality Council’s premier New York City event – celebrates members, allies and supporters of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and recognizes their efforts to create equality for all American families.

WHEN: Monday, April 29th, 2013 6:00 – 10:00 p.m.

WHERE: Pier Sixty, New York City

WHO: Melissa Etheridge & Linda Wallem will present an award to Dan Bucatinskytheactor/writer/producer.Bucatinsky currently plays JAMES on the hit ABC series, “SCANDAL” and is the best-selling author of “Does This Baby Make Me Look Straight? Along with longtime producing partner Lisa Kudrow, he’s produced and/or co-starred in three Emmy nominated series, “The Comeback”, ”Who Do You Think You Are?” and the web-to-TV comedy, “Web Therapy” created with his husband, filmmaker, Don Roos, with whom he has two kids, Eliza and Jonah.

Edie Windsor, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case challenging the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)will present the award to lawyer Roberta Kaplan.

Kaplan represents Windsor in a case challenging the constitutionality of DOMA, a federal statute that defines marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. Ms. Kaplan argued the case before the United States Supreme Court on March 27, 2013.

Jennifer Chrisler will be honored for her roleas one of the nation’s leading advocates for parents who are LGBT and their children. As Executive Director of Family Equality Council from 2005 to 2013, Jennifer grew the organization into the leading voice on federal and state issues that impact today’s modern families.

Melissa Etheridge on Never Not Funny's "Rock Solid"

iTunes Link
Rock Solid Link

As shared by MEIN, listen to or download the interview with Melissa Etheridge on Never Not Funny's "Rock Solid".

Evening with John Tesh, Delilah, and Melissa Etheridge

Source: EZ 103

Up Close and Personal, The Journey of Love, Life and Well-Being

On Saturday, April 20th, EZ 103.1 and CBS Radio are proud to present a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the words and music of John Tesh, and an open mic Q&A with Melissa Etheridge and Delilah, all set in the intimate surroundings of The Show At Agua Caliente Casino, Resort & Spa. This is the first time all three EZ 103.1 On-Air Personalities have come together live on stage, and it promises to be a very special, interactive evening. Presenters include the most-listened-to woman in radio, Delilah along with EZ 103.1′s newest show host and award winning performer Melissa Etheridge, as they speak about their journeys through life, love, and well-being. The evening will wrap up with a lively performance from John Tesh and his band.

Tickets start at just $25, with a limited number of VIP Meet & Greet tickets that include Front-Of-House seats and an opportunity to meet all three presenters for just $75. Tickets are available at STARTICKETS.COM, by calling 800-585-3737, or in the Essentials Gift Shop at Agua Caliente Casino, Resort & Spa.

Don’t miss this truly unique opportunity to experience an Up Close & Personal evening with Melissa Etheridge, Delilah, and John Tesh.

Click here for ticket information.

Melissa Etheridge 25th Anniversary Box Set: '84 Demos

Melissa Etheridge said on her radio show another thing she'd like to do for the box set is get her original band together- John Shanks, Fritz Lewak, Kevin McCormick- and have them re-record some of the demos made in '84.

Melissa Etheridge 25th Anniversary Box Set

Melissa said on her radio show the box set, which will be coming out later this year, will have a CD with 80's "mis-takes" on them- a CD with the tracks from the first album that Chris Blackwell didn't like and had her re-record.

My chat with Melissa Etheridge! by Greg Hernandez

Source: Greg In Hollywood

My chat with Melissa Etheridge!
By Greg Hernandez on Feb 26, 2013 5:21 pm

I’ve encountered Melissa Etheridge three times face-to-face and each time, I thought she was a pretty cool lady.

The first time was at the Oscar nominees luncheon in 2007, the year she won for best original song, and she seemed a bit overwhelmed to be at an event with so many big movie stars.

Then the next year, I saw her perform at the Democratic National Convention in Denver and she rocked the place. Prior to the concert, I got to ask her a few questions inside this stuffy tent where they had a VIP reception.

And finally, on Saturday night in Long Beach.

Still recovering from a lingering flu, I went to the event and made sure not to touch anyone’s hands or cough in their faces – especially Melissa!

She was the guest of honor at the gala opening of Coming Out in Long Beach, a gala opening for a Historical Society of Long Beach exhibit which chronicles LGBT history in the city dating back to 1914.

Melissa is part of that history. She lived in the city for more than three years in the early 80s and pre-fame, played regularly at the lesbian bar Que Sera.

‘This is the place where I learned about politics,’ she says. ‘I remember being cornered at the bar by those lesbians saying, ‘Are you registered to vote?’ They were organizing. It was the 80s, AIDS was just coming. This town really pulled together.’

The influence the community had on Etheridge was so profound that she knew she wouldn’t ever be able to stay closeted for the sake of her career.

‘It inspired me to be strong,’ she says. ‘Everybody knew I was gay and I wasn’t going to be up there and be famous and go, ‘Oh, I’m not gay.’ It was all about being out. It’s this community that really inspired me.’

She said it was a no-brainer for her to agree to appear at the opening of the historical society exhibit.

‘It’s so hard to find us in history period,’ she said. ‘For a historical society to finally say, ‘Okay you lesbians and gays, you were a part of our history is great. We have a wonderful history.’

The Melissa Etheridge Radio Show has won the Gracie Award for Outstanding Talk Show - Entertainment/Information Category

Source: Radio Online

Melissa Etheridge Wins Gracie For Talk Show

Benztown Radio Networks today announced that The Melissa Etheridge Radio Show has won the Gracie Award for Outstanding Talk Show - Entertainment/Information category. Presented each year by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, the Gracies honor programming that is created by women, for women and about women, and recognizes individuals who have made valuable contributions to the industry. The 38th Annual Gracie Awards will be presented on May 21, 2013, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.

The Melissa Etheridge Radio Show is a nationally syndicated five-hour daily program that features Melissa Etheridge, the talented and beloved two-time Grammy-winning rock star and Oscar winner, as she connects with audiences across the U.S. about life, family, and music. Listeners engage with Melissa on-air and online in show segments including "Ask M.E. Anything" and "The Music That Moves You." Melissa's radio listeners also hear fun, behind-the-scene stories and firsthand accounts from Melissa about people she knows that listeners care about -- including Bruce Springsteen, Steve Jobs, Bono, Steve Wonder, Bill Clinton, and countless others. The show is produced and syndicated by Benztown Radio Networks.

"I have won Grammys and an Oscar, but there is something especially meaningful about being recognized with a Gracie. I love radio, and it's important to me to bring the voices of women to our audiences, as they share their respective truths about life, love and family -- and as I share the same with them. It's also a great pleasure to provide a forum where we can connect with each other about the music that moves us. I'm honored that people are responding to the show across the country and I thank the AWM Foundation for this award," said Etheridge.

Melissa Etheridge Attends Gala Opening For Historical Society of Long Beach LGBT History Project

Source: LB Report

Capacity Crowd -- Including Grammy Award Winner Melissa Etheridge -- Attends Gala Opening For Historical Society of Long Beach LGBT History Project

Team Coverage: On-scene reporting (video and photo) by Joe Mello, Text by Bill Pearl

(Feb. 24, 2013) -- A capacity crowd including city officials -- and Grammy Award winner/former LB resident Melissa Etheridge -- attended the Feb. 23 gala opening of the Historical Society of Long Beach's LGBT History Project.

The exhibit includes a display of the Gold LP that Ms. Etheridge donated to Que Sera on Anaheim St., a well known Long Beach lesbian entertainment bar where, along with the Executive Suite on Pacific Coast Highway, Ms. Etheridge performed locally.



The exhibit will remain open for a year and is free to the public at the Historical Society of Long Beach, 4260 Atlantic Avenue in Bixby Knolls.

Greg In Hollywood meets Melissa Etheridge

Source: GregInHollywood

Melissa Etheridge and I have something really important in common: we both came of age as gay people while living in Long Beach.

Melissa came back on Saturday night to the town she called home for more than three years in the early 80s to appear at the gala opening of the “Coming Out in Long Beach” exhibit at the Historical Society of Long Beach.

‘I loved waking up here on a Sunday morning and going down to Fourth Street,’ said the two-time Grammy winner and Oscar winner who played several times a week at the lesbian bar Que Sera.

‘These were the people who believed in me and gave me job,’ she told the crowd of more than 200. ‘You supported me, you helped me grow as a musician, you kept coming to hear me play.’

‘We were a community,’ she added. ‘Thank you for making me who I am.’

I’ll be writing more about this night and be posting my interview with Melissa in the coming days. I just wanted to post something real quick before bedtime.

I also wanted to reflect on my years in Long Beach where I lived from the summer of 1993 until the fall of 2000.

When I arrived there, I was so in the closet that it had a padlock on it. But I began to go to the coming out group at The Center Long Beach on Friday nights and went to my first Pride with people from that group.

There were some tough times during those years. A few broken hearts and dating the wrong guys including one who stole my camera! But it was in Long Beach where, for the first time, I began to feel integrated as a person and it was in my house on Mira Mar where I came out, face-to-face, to so many of my friends.

There’s something so special about those years because I was living in a town where I finally felt comfortable enough to be myself.

I will love Long Beach forever.

Melissa Etheridge Tapes Episode of After Lately

Tweeted by JenKirman February 21, 2013. "Just spent the morning with Melissa Etheridge for an @afterlately scene. She's pretty epic in my opinion. Love her."


Tweeted by pauldidthis February 21, 2013. "@speak_true & @chelseahandler... looks like trouble."

Melissa Etheridge To Attend Feb. 23 Ribbon Cutting/Gala Opening

Source: LB Report

Melissa Etheridge To Attend Feb. 23 Ribbon Cutting/Gala Opening For Historical Society of Long Beach LGBT History Project
by Joe Mello

(Feb. 16, 2013) -- Singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge is scheduled to attend the Feb. 23 gala opening and ribbon cutting for the Historical Society of Long Beach's LGBT History Project titled "Coming Out in Long Beach." (Photo source: Etheridge Facebook page)

The exhibit will include a display of the Gold Album that Ms. Etheridge donated to Que Sera on Anaheim St., a well known Long Beach lesbian entertainment bar where, along with the Executive Suite on Pacific Coast Highway, Ms. Etheridge performed locally.

Since publicly coming out in 1993, the award winning performer has been an outspoken advocate of gay and lesbian rights.

The Long Beach Historical Society announced its LGBT History Project in August 2012 (early LBREPORT.com coverage, click here) and solicited donations for the exhibit from Long Beach's large LGBT community and orgainizations. The project's goal was to show the "struggles and contributions" of the LGBT community in Long Beach.

The resulting multidimensional exhibit will feature an interactive timeline that documents the contributions of the Long Beach LGBT communities with photographs, documents and archival materials. The project included collecting recorded oral histories and the making of a documentary video. All of the project items will become part of the Historical Society’s permanent collection and public archives.

The months leading up to Saturday's upcoming fundraiser-opening gala (tickets, click here) have included other local fundraisers, including January's "Fan Reunion" at the Que Sera bar where a not-yet-publicly-out Etheridge performed early in her career.

The project's seventeen member steering committee was co-chaired by Julie Bartolotto (Executive Director of the HSLB) and Marsha Naify (former President of the LB Lambda Democratic Club). Dr. Kay Briegel was the project's historian.

Following the Sat. Feb. 23 gala debut fundraiser, the exhibit will remain open for a year and is free to the public at the Historical Society of Long Beach, 4260 Atlantic Avenue in Bixby Knolls.

Eco-Friendly Street Team Interview with Yogi Lonich, Guitarist

In 2011, guitarist Yogi Lonich played with Melissa Etheridge for a few shows. The Eco-Friendly Street Team interviewed Yogi about his experiences playing with MLE.


Yogi Lonich, Blair Sinta, Melissa Etheridge, Brett Simons. Photo Credit: Eco-Friendly Street Team.

Street Team: How did it come about you got to play guitar for Melissa Etheridge for a few of her shows?

Yogi: My buddy Pete Thorn was kind enough to refer me Melissa when he had a schedule conflict. I had briefly jammed with her in the past and she was familiar with my playing.

Street Team: How much time did you have to rehearse with Melissa and the band?

Yogi: We actually didn't have any formal rehearsal. I showed up to the first show's soundcheck and we ran most of the songs once.

Street Team: What was it like to share a stage with Melissa Etheridge?

Yogi: It's a real joy to play with Melissa. She has an open and gracious vibe uncommon in not only artists, but in most "regular" (non-musician) people. She is an immense talent that that just oozes with heart and soul.

Street Team: What was your favorite Melissa Etheridge song to play?

Yogi: My favorite Melissa song is "I'm the Only One". I get to directly improvise and have an interplay with Melissa that is really spontaneous and outright fun!

Street Team: What do you think of Melissa Etheridge’s fans?

Yogi: Melissa's fans are hardcore! I've met many fans numerous times at subsequent shows. She has a following of folks that practically travels with her. All of her fans that I've met have been kind and appreciative.

Street Team: If you were to choose one word to describe Melissa Etheridge, what would that one word be, and why did you choose that word?

Yogi: "Flowing" : Melissa is like a fountain that keeps giving; whether it be music, inspiration, love, good vibes among many other beautiful traits.

Street Team: Thanks so much, Yogi!

Yogi: Peace.

If you’d like more information on Yogi Lonich, visit his website: yogimusic.com

Melissa Etheridge Interview at the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards

Brad Bailey interviewed Melissa Etheridge on the Red Carpet at the Steve Chase Humanitarian Awards.


Video posted on YouTube by Brad Bailey