Home Is Where the Heart Is
“I feel like I’ve established myself in two very different, very loving communities.” As a professional singer-songwriter, Melissa Reaves spends half of her year in Bisbee, Arizona and the other half right here in Boone, North Carolina. While the two locations hold vastly different landscapes and ways of living, Melissa feels they are equally filled to the brim with love and support.
Melissa moved to Boone when she was just in tenth grade. “It’s my home and where my people are,” she explained. This is the time of year that you can find her in the High Country, but not for long. This Friday, she will be kicking off her tour with a performance at the Jones House Cultural and Community Center with three more shows in the Carolinas before heading back out West. In conjunction with her tour, she is also in the process of releasing her new album - ‘Bitter Pear’.
So why the back and forth every year? It was when she was living in Boone with her partner that they first listened to rock band Calexico’s song ‘Bisbee Blue.’ This tune caught their ears, and after researching a little into this desert place, they felt the call. So Melissa booked a tour in Arizona and they visited the artist community for a week. Then one week turned into two. The next time they came they stayed for a month. Then one month turned into a six month stay every year. “Bisbee took us in immediately. Wrapped us into their arms,” Melissa laughed.
With two places to call home, Melissa pulls inspiration for her music with the varied stimuli and input from the different communities. She feels artistically challenged because of this, and thrives because of it.
We asked her to describe the kind of music she plays. “Quickly I could tell you I am a roots based rock-n-roll artist, with a propensity to improvisation,” she explained. She is well known through these parts for her deconstruction of the blues and rock-n-roll, and her spontaneous improvisation during live performances. She believes that life is extreme, and uses her music to reflect that.
Keep your eye out for performances throughout the region by this wildly talented #Boonie!
PHOTO BY: ZOYA GREENE