One of Minnesota's most recognized and commemorated musicians, Jeremy Messersmith, traces his musical roots back to being a young boy in church. Sitting down with Jeremy, you immediately notice how thoughtful and relatable he is, just like his music.
"I fell into making my own music simply because I failed at everything else! I dreamed of being a guitar player with mystique in a band but it turned out I wasn't particularly great at guitar and had not the slightest whiff of mystery.”
For all the hardships it brought, one positive Jeremy found in the pandemic is confinement he often needs to create.
“The pandemic gave me the space to make some supremely bad art … cliché haikus, amateur pinch pots, and a ton of novelty songs. And I'm genuinely thankful for that. I don't know a single artist (except maybe Taylor Swift) who did their "best work" during the pandemic. And that's just fine. Art is so much more than an end product. It's a process of connecting with the past, getting to know yourself, of unlearning, then (if you choose), sharing that.”
We asked Jeremy what advice he has for anyone who wants to experiment with creating music. His humble answer reminds us that music is both a personal and universal love, and that anyone can make music that is meaningful, as long as you’re speaking to the part of yourself that needs it.
“Everyone's terrible when they start and no one has any idea what they're doing. If you make music I guarantee you'll make a hit song for someone. It may be for just one person and may be just for you, but it might help someone unlock a part of themselves they couldn't open all by themselves. It might just save a life. You're an artist the moment you say you are, so just do it. Be fearless.”
Check out Jeremy’s website to learn more about this thoughtful indie musician.
