Jeremy Messersmith

Jeremy Messersmith was born in Charleston, and grew up in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. He moved to Minneapolis in 1999 to attend North Central University.

His first album, The Alcatraz Kid, quickly garnered the attention of the local media, resulting in Messersmith being named the «premier under-30 songwriter in the Twin Cities» by City Pages. The Alcatraz Kid also received the attention of Performing Songwriter Magazine, a national publication that stated, «Remember the way you felt the first time you heard the amazing harmonies of Simon and Garfunkel? That subdued, magical sound lives once more on Jeremy Messersmith’s The Alcatraz Kid, but this time with a 21st-century twist. Messersmith lulls with his gentle voice and overdubbed harmonies, easing the shock of his sometimes-harsh lyrics. Quirky? Certainly. Will you like it? No doubt.»

The title «The Alcatraz Kid» was inspired by a man who used the name to prank-call where Messersmith worked.

Messersmith followed up with his second album, The Silver City, produced by Grammy Award winner Dan Wilson of Semisonic and Trip Shakespeare. The production and sonic landscapes capture an extraordinary range of pop songs ranging from the electronically inspired «Miracles» to love songs like «Love You To Pieces.»

Messersmith has toured extensively in support of the album and played with the likes of Kaiser Cartel, Joan As Policewoman, Dan Wilson, Sondre Lerche, The Meat Puppets and Solid Gold. The Silver City was recognized in a press poll as the second-best album in the Twin Cities in 2008, losing out only to the rising star of hip hop act, Atmosphere. Messersmith has been featured on NPR, NPR’s Car Talk, World Cafe Live on WXPN, MTV’s The Real World, and Delta’s Inflight Radio.

In 2009, Messersmith began updating his official website every Wednesday.