Melinda Schneider (vocals, guitar)
Michael McGlynn (Piano, Hammond B3)
Ian Lees (bass)
Rod Motbey (electric guitar, Acoustic guitar, vocals)
Brad Bergen (guitar, drums, vocals)
Paul Wheeler (drums)
Still Here Video Clip
Be Yourself Video Clip
Stronger Video Clip
Big World Small World Video Clip
Influences
Renee Geyer, Stevie Wonder, Nancy Wilson, Ricky Skaggs, George Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Loudon Wainwright III, Dave Dobbyn, Lou Rawls, Alison Kraus, Bonnie Raitt, Dolly Parton, Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow, Crowded House, The Jayhawks, Randy Newman, John Hiatt, Aretha Franklin, Annie Lennox and the list goes on.......
For several years now Melinda has been a leading light of the 'new breed' of Australian Country artists.
In a career which began with a stage debut at the age of three, (appearing with her mother, internationally renowned Mary Schneider), she has kept her family tradition alive by becoming one of Australia's most sublime singers and popular live performers. But it is through her assured and accomplished song writing that she has really discovered her true voice.
Five albums and 8 years on, she has won numerous awards; five CMAA Golden Guitars - including 2007 Top Selling Album for 'Stronger', 2005 Album Of The Year for 'Family Tree' and APRA Song Of The Year for the song 'Real People'.
Melinda's songs have been recorded by such diverse artists as John Farnham, Jimmy Little, Olivia Newton John, Paul Kelly, Elizabeth Cook. She makes regular trips to Nashville where she enjoys a growing reputation as a popular and prolific song writer.
Melinda's fifth studio album 'Be Yourself' was released July 5th on her own label BE MUSIC.
"As a songwriter and singer Melinda Schneider is one of this countries truly important artists."
Glenn A. Baker
~ BE YOURSELF ALBUM BIO ~
Be Yourself. Courageous. Safe. Awake Now. They're only song titles. But because they're Melinda Schneider songs, you can be pretty sure there's very little pretence or artifice going on between words and feelings, between the heart of the lyric and pure, unadulterated life experience.
The truth is, a singer can’t possibly fake it when she's writing and performing with some of the most experienced hands in Nashville, when she's singing a duet with Paul Kelly, or when her reputation is up there with Patty Griffin and Lucinda Williams, according to the "Song of the Year" judges of the 2007 Americana Music Awards.
"To be honest," says the Sydney-based singer-songwriter, "this album feels like I'm taking control of my life for the first time. I've co-written all the songs, chosen them myself, funded it myself. It was my vision completely."
Be Yourself was conceived and recorded in Nashville with her own hand-picked team of co-writers, and co-produced by Melinda and her songwriting partner Gordon Kennedy with US country music veteran Michael Clute (Diamond Rio, Faith Hill, Alabama, Brooks & Dunn). It's also the first release on her own label, Be Music.
Most fans are aware that Melinda's previous album, Stronger, was born in the wake of some personal turbulence: "my divorce album," she explains, in typically forthright style. This year, with commitments to her old record label honoured and spent, she's in a new phase of self-reliance professionally as well as personally.
"I always felt Be Yourself would be the basis of the whole album," she says. "It's in keeping with my journey, the growth and change that's been happening in my life. It rang very true to me." Small wonder the album's title track and first single was among the first songs that sprang from her guitar in late 2006.
With that keynote ringing loud and clear, Melinda began a regular commute from Sydney to Nashville through 2007. "I'm pretty much a workaholic as far as writing goes," she says. "I tend to work well when I'm locked away in Nashville and I can immerse myself in my wonderful co-writers. I really get inspired there."
Top of her visiting list was Gordon Kennedy. Fresh from Grammy wins with Peter Frampton and Eric Clapton, he lent his writing and co-producing talents to more than half the album, including the self-assured title track; the upbeat country romp, Grassy; a dark gospel gem, People Don't Change; and the exhilarating statement of personal power and potency, Awake Now.
"I feel so fortunate to have been able to write and produce a record with Gordon," says Melinda. "His playing comes from a heavenly place. He inspires me in so many ways."
Jay Knowles is another close collaborator who makes his return strongly felt, perhaps most notably on the album's delightfully intimate and open-hearted duet, Still Here. It's a more familiar voice that brings the dialogue to life in one of the album's most affecting moments.
"Paul Kelly doesn't usually sing songs he didn’t write, so I took it as a huge compliment," Melinda says. "We were set up in his lounge room with the mics facing each other. There was a bit of shyness; like two teenagers. It was really sweet and I think that comes across on the song."
It's doubtless significant that both Gordon Kennedy and Jay Knowles are second-generation musicians like Melinda herself – whose mother (in case you came in late) is a bona fide living treasure of Australian country music, Mary Schneider.
Other co-writers include Keith Urban collaborator Bob Regan on Outside, gifted newcomer Ben Cooper on the anthemic Courageous, and Marcia Ramirez, another new face who bonded with Melinda over Bad Day. "It's nice to have some oestrogen in there," she laughs. "Bad Day is a real chick song."
The ringing clarity of the production and the album's impeccably uncluttered arrangements, beautifully reflect the new clarity in Melinda's outlook. "It's definitely the coolest record I've made, the most stripped back production wise and instrumentally. There's space in the music," she says.
It's worth repeating, too, that in spite of all this stellar talent, Be Yourself is utterly and unmistakably Melinda's album. "Yeah, I'm pretty bossy, I guess I know what I like." she says with a laugh.
She's also pretty experienced. Ask John Farnham, Jimmy Little, Olivia Newton John or Elizabeth Cook, all of whom have recorded her songs. Then factor in five Golden Guitars from Tamworth, including Top Selling Album for Stronger; Album Of The Year for Family Tree; her APRA Song Of The Year award for Real People, and Female Vocalist award for The Story Of My Life, the song that kick started one of the most remarkable journeys in Australian music barely six years ago.
With all of that behind her, it's all the more remarkable when Melinda describes Be Yourself as "definitely a new beginning for me."
"All of these songs are very honest and come from a true place," she says. "There's not a song on here that I don’t feel strongly about. I've experienced all of them. It’s been a scary process and it's been a liberating process. I feel very free. And I am awake now."
BE YOURSELF was released 5th July on Be Music
** MELINDA SCHNEIDER and PAUL KELLY
CROON ON THE 2ND SINGLE ‘STILL HERE’, TAKEN FROM MELINDA’S FOUR TIME CMAA NOMINATED ALBUM ‘BE YOURSELF’ **
'Still Here’, a duet by two of Australia’s most loved artists, singer/songwriters PAUL KELLY and MELINDA SCHNEIDER is undoubtedly one of the highlight tracks from Melinda’s latest, four time CMAA nominated album ‘Be Yourself’.
This heart warming love song was co-written by Melinda and long time Nashville collaborator Jay Knowles. ‘It’s about a long term relationship gone right’ said Melinda. ‘It’s the kind of love so many of us strive for in life, one of understanding and acceptance. When Jay and I finished the song, the first person who came to my mind to sing it with was Paul. I’ve always been a fan, so when he agreed to record it with me I was so happy’.
After an invitation by Paul to put down the vocals at his home in Melbourne , Melinda found herself standing in front of one of two microphones in Paul’s kitchen. It was there Paul and Melinda’s voices combined to bring the simple, heartfelt lyrics to life with a charming intimacy so rarely captured. Paul said ‘I like the tune and the words. Long lasting love is the hardest kind of love to write about. I like the way our voices sound so different, yet blend kinda salty-sweet. Cool clip, too. They should all be so easy.’
‘Still Here’ is nominated for Vocal Collaboration Of The Year at the 37th CMAA Awards in January, one of Melinda’s four nominations, which also include Female Vocal Of The Year, Album Of The Year and Single Of The Year for her independently released album ‘Be Yourself’. ‘Still Here’ is undeniably one of the album’s most compelling songs.
“Be Yourself finds Melinda more assured in her voice and her craft as a songwriter. The ringing clarity of the production and the album's impeccably uncluttered arrangements beautifully reflect the new clarity in her outlook." - Michael Dwyer, Rolling Stone
"I like the tune and the words. Long lasting love is the hardest kind of
love to write about. I like the way our voices sound so different yet blend
kinda salty-sweet. Cool clip, too. They should all be so easy."
- Paul Kelly
Lovely to see both you and mum Mary together on ENOUGH ROPE tonight chatting about your lives and career etc. Both of you are sooo talented in your own right. Wonderful new song and sure fire hit. All the best to you and I hope to meet up with you both again during your shows later on this year.
Was driving out of the fruit shop car pk. this evening & heard the duet with Paul Kelly on 2-CH 1107 A.M.,Melinda. Only caught the last bit.but it was poignant. well done,pete g.
hey melinda, you were great at the tats club 4 ur launch! that was a great night filled with laughter tears and happiness. thanks for being such an amazing singer and like i said you will never know truly how much your lyrics touches people <3 always nik xx
