CMH RECORDS Presents "Pickin' On Melissa Etheridge." The bluegrass musical tribute to one of the greatest and most earnest artists of our time.

Rocker. Seeker. Passionate poet of loss and renewal. Melissa Etheridge has forged her platinum-plus career from the raw materials of life, creating an intimate, unbreakable bond with her fans. Her brand of bluesy heartland rock is unmistakable, full of fire and angry confession. She wields her low-slung guitar like a lover’s weapon, and sings in a glass-breaking, heart-breaking voice that’s gritty with experience, yet soaring with hope.

“Pickin’ on Melissa Etheridge” is a boot-kickin’ tribute to a woman who personifies
honest, defiant folk-rock. She’s a masterful, cunning songwriter and in the hands of firebrand banjo, fiddle and mandolin players, her melodic hooks grab hold and don’t let go. In a bluegrass tuning, smash hits like “Bring me Some Water” and “Come to my Window” ring out with pure, plaintive urgency. Like Melissa Etheridge herself, this is music that’s gutsy, tender and true.

About CMH RECORDS:

Los Angeles bluegrass label CMH Records claims a more substantial lineup, boasting more than 100 titles of instrumental tribute product. "There's definitely a market in this," states CMH president David Haerle, whose company not only offers a bluegrass Pickin' On … (various artists) series and a succession of String Quartet Tributes on its Vitamin Records label, but also dabbles in electronic and lounge music salutes.
While the subjects of such encomiums include the classic superstars you might expect — the Beatles, Elton John and the Eagles — there are some unexpected surprises as well: Alanis Morissette, Tool, and Medeski, Martin & Wood.

Haerle says of the CMH series, which began with Pickin' On The Beatles in 1994, that whether it's the all-instrumental cocktail-flavored Joyful Noise: The Lounge Tribute To Ani DiFranco or the pulsating The Electronic Tribute To ABBA, fans relish alternative versions of tunes by star artists. And he says they really love the Pickin' On … series of instrumental bluegrass renditions.

"We feel we have two audiences," Haerle explains. "One audience is the already existing fans of bluegrass music or fans of the existing series itself, who like the instrumental virtuosity of the players that we feature on the albums and like the unique repertoire that is obviously not traditional bluegrass compositions. It's often music rendered in a way outside that world, as evidenced by Pickin' On U2, and other Pickin' On … releases.

"The second audience would be the fans of those artists we're 'Pickin' On,' who would be interested in hearing those compositions that are favorites of theirs related somewhat to the group, because those are the songs they know and love. That's a significant second component to the series."

"People dig our Pickin' On… series," says Haerle. "We get letters. It's totally exciting."