Melissa Auf der Maur

Melissa Auf der Maur (born March 17, 1972) is a Canadian rock musician of Franco-Swiss ancestry, who currently resides in Montreal, Quebec. "Maur" is pronounced to rhyme with power, and is a derived from the German word for wall (Mauer), so her surname means "On the Wall".

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March 17 - 1972 - Canadian - Montreal, Quebec

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Auf Der Maur was born to famous journalist and politician Nick Auf der Maur and literary translator Linda Gaboriau. She once observed that she had been known her whole life primarily as Nick's daughter, until she became the bassist for Hole, whereupon he became known primarily as Melissa's father.

Related Topics:
Nick Auf der Maur - Linda Gaboriau - Hole

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Her primary language throughout childhood was English; she later learned French and Spanish as well. She spent some of her early childhood in Kenya with her mother, but soon returned to Montreal, where she attended a performing arts high school, and then Concordia University as a photography major.

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English - French - Spanish - Kenya - Montreal - Concordia University

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Auf der Maur first became friends with Billy Corgan after apologizing for a friend who threw a beer bottle at the band during one of The Smashing Pumpkins' first Canadian concert dates at Foufounes Électriques. Her band, Tinker, opened for The Smashing Pumpkins in Montreal in 1993. In 1994, when Hole was in need of a new bassist following the death of Kristen Pfaff, Corgan recommended Auf der Maur to Courtney Love. Auf der Maur initially turned the job down, but reconsidered on advice from her father. She joined Hole two weeks before the Reading Festival, and stayed through the album Celebrity Skin, leaving on October 20, 1999.

Related Topics:
Billy Corgan - The Smashing Pumpkins - Foufounes Électriques - Montreal - 1993 - 1994 - Kristen Pfaff - Courtney Love - Hole - Celebrity Skin - October 20 - 1999

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In that year, she joined Smashing Pumpkins after the departure of D'Arcy Wretzky, and remained with the band until they disbanded in 2000.

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D'Arcy Wretzky - 2000

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She also collaborated with the French group Indochine on the song "Le grand secret", jointly singing vocals and appearing in the video with Nicola Sirkis, and toured with Ric Ocasek of The Cars in 1997. Auf der Maur also contributed bass and backing vocals to childhood friend Rufus Wainwright's 1998 album Poses.

Related Topics:
Indochine - Nicola Sirkis - Ric Ocasek - The Cars - 1997 - Rufus Wainwright - Poses

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After Smashing Pumpkins' breakup, Auf der Maur fronted a short-lived Black Sabbath cover band called Hand of Doom in order to practice being a lead singer. She also performed original songs with her friends The Chelsea in Los Angeles, California.

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Black Sabbath - The Chelsea - Los Angeles, California

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In 2004, her band Auf der Maur released its self titled debut album, garnering significant airplay on modern rock radio stations for the singles "Followed the Waves" and "Taste You". The same year, she appeared on the CBC television program The Greatest Canadian, as David Suzuki's celebrity advocate. Auf der Maur was part of the November 2004 Love Metal tour also featuring HIM. She was also the opening act for Matthew Good's Put Out Your Lights Tour in 2004.

Related Topics:
2004 - Modern rock - CBC - The Greatest Canadian - David Suzuki - Love Metal - HIM - Opening act - Matthew Good

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Auf der Maur is also a talented photographer; she was a photography major specializing in self-portraiture at Concordia University when she was invited to join Hole. Her photos have been published in Nylon, BUST, Mastermind, and Harper's Bazaar, among other magazines.

Related Topics:
Photographer - Concordia University - Nylon - BUST - Harper's Bazaar

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Her photos were also in the exhibition 'The Kids are Alright' at Sotheby's in New York City along with photos by Yelena Yemchuk. A book of photos entitled 'Channels' has been in the works for a few years.

Related Topics:
Sotheby's - New York City - Yelena Yemchuk

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