Melissa Ferrick (Concert Review) | Philly Music Vocalizer

When I attended a Melissa Ferrick show some years ago at World Café Live downstairs, I had no idea I'd be in for such a storytelling treat. But not only was her storytelling a treat, it was also a feat. Ultimately, Melissa Ferrick's skills as a storyteller became the standard for which I would subsequently assess all other singer-songwriters.

So what makes a great storyteller great? Oodles and oodles have been written on the topic of storytelling, but the contemplations are always the same.

How do successful storytellers connect with their audience? Why do some storytellers have an impact, whereas others fall flat? What are the best storytelling methods for engaging and engrossing emotions? Though the subject of storytelling can be approached from a number of angles, and viewed from alternate perspectives, excellent storytelling always boils down to two base sources: the story is communicated in a way that's both personal and personable. And to that end, Melissa Ferrick's storytelling is spellbinding.

The two main ingredients of successful storytelling — being personal as well as personable — is exactly the way in which Melissa Ferrick approaches storytelling at her live shows.

Being Personal in Storytelling

Being personal in storytelling is all about the storyteller.

When storytellers get personal, they share details from their own lives. But those details can’t be just any details. They have to be details that reveal who the storyteller is as a person, which means the details have to be intimate. Sharing intimate details lets listeners know that underneath the external storytelling shell exists a living, breathing human being. A human being with a soul.

A few songs into the set Melissa told us, her doting audience, she was self-conscious because she was having a bad hair day. Her hair was, indeed, a little ruffled. But that might've been because she just put her hand through her hair and ruffled it. Or maybe it was because she was already a few songs into the set, and performing underneath the hot stage lights would make anybody sweaty, and having a sweaty head causes a person to have ruffled hair. But it’s not like anybody would've noticed Melissa's hair had she never pointed it out. And even after she did point it out, it still wasn't a big deal.

However, Melissa's admission of self-consciousness endeared her to us. But just in case we were doubting Melissa's admission of self-consciousness, Melissa launched into a whole story about why her hair was the way it was.

It turns out when Melissa was home in Boston visiting her mom, she told her mom she needed a haircut. Melissa's mom told Melissa to go to a salon her mom knows, and while there, mention her mom's name. That way, when her mom returns to said salon, she will get a 25% discount on her own hairdo.

Melissa relayed this story in a Bostonian accent while lovingly impersonating her mother: "Now, dahling, when yawh at the salawn, make shah to tell 'em I sent you. And while yawh theah, get some moah 25% discount coupons." Melissa's accent was as spot-on as it was hilarious.

Melissa further confided in us that she didn't want to disappoint her mom, even though she was skeptical about going to a salon that gives and accepts 25% discount coupons in the first place. Especially when, without the discount, Melissa's haircut came to a grand total of thirty dollars.

So in retrospect, Melissa told us, it was no wonder why her "haiah" looked the way it did.

Melissa sharing such an intimate moment from her personal familial life made us see Melissa as a person, not a performer. As her audience, we felt less like her crowd, and more like her confidantes.

Which brings us to the second point.

Being Personable in Storytelling

Being personable is all about the audience.

It might not seem this way at first. It might seem as if being personable, just like being personal, is about the storyteller. After all, if someone is described as being personable, it means that person has a "pleasing personality" and "is likeable." And since being likeable is a character trait, how can it be a trait that's characteristic of the audience instead of the person it's describing?

It's because if you find somebody likeable, you don't find them likeable because of anything inherent in them; it's because of what's inherent in you. Your feelings. So when you say, "I like so-and-so," what you're really saying is, "I like the way so-and-so makes me feel about myself." We all like feeling comfortable in our own skin, especially when we're around other people. People who make good company are people you're comfortable to be around.

The third song into Melissa's set was a new one named "Baltimore." It was a song Melissa wrote just a couple days prior to her World Café Live show.

Melissa had shared with us how she had finally met such a great, wonderful person. As she gushed about this wonderful new person, it made the audience goo in unison, "Awwwwwe." It's hard not be happy for someone who's happy.

But then Melissa revealed a conflict that had recently arisen in her relationship, a romantic gaffe which gave name to the song.

She and this new person were about seven weeks into their relationship when Melissa had to go on tour. Melissa said to her new partner, "So… when I'm on the road, I can make out with other people, right? Like, if I'm in Baltimore and I want to make out with someone there, I can, right?"

Melissa's partner responded, "Does that mean I get to make out with someone up in Boston while you're down in Baltimore?"

To which Melissa responded, "Hell no!"

Melissa's self-deprecation over her hypocrisy made us all burst into laughter. She concluded this story by saying, "So if you and your significant other are ever physically separated from each other, and you're not allowed to hook up with anybody else, that means there will be 'No Baltimore.'"

By sharing such a deeply relatable story, Melissa once again made us feel like she was talking not to her crowd but to her confidantes. Since meaningful stories are experiences others can relate to, and then reinterpret as their own, the skilled storyteller ends up giving people more than a story — she ends up giving people a gift.