Jeremy Messersmith



"And when there's nothing left

Ashes and silhouettes

Hope that I find a rest

next to you..."

- Old Skin

Based in the Twin Cities, Jeremy Messersmith is a singer/songwriter. Notable in that almost all of his songs are either complete Tear Jerkers or Crowning Moments of Heartwarming, sometimes both. His official website is here and his Daytrotters session is avaliable for free download here.

Has released three full albums. The Alcatraz Kid deals with growing up and young adulthood, The Silver City with married life and the working years, and The Reluctant Graveyard is about death and the residents of the titular graveyard. All of his albums are available for name your price download here.

Tropes:


 * Ambulance Chaser: The narrator in "Deathbed Salesman" is rather tactless seller of coffins.
 * Animated Music Video: Pretty much all of them.
 * Anti-Love Song: "Dead End Job"
 * Babies Make Everything Better: "Beautiful Children"
 * Bilingual Bonus: Not quite, but "Skyway" and "Light Rail" make more sense if you live in Minneapolis or St. Paul.
 * Bishonen
 * Boy Meets Ghoul: "A Boy, A Girl, and A Graveyard," though it's the boy who's a ghost, and he may actually be a golem of some sort, rather than a plain 'ol ghost.
 * And the music video shows a cat and dog. It's open to interpretation.
 * Coming of Age Story: Alcatraz Kid tells several.
 * Creator Breakdown: Almost all of the songs in The Reluctant Graveyard are about death, but if anything, it's more optimistic than his previous work.
 * Determinator: The eponymous "Violet!"
 * Drowning My Sorrows: "Novocain"
 * Friends With Benefits: "Easy Lovers, Hardly Friends"
 * Grief Song
 * Growing Up Sucks: The Alcatraz Kid
 * Happily Married: If the couples in "Old Skin", "Tomorrow", and "Day Job" aren't Happily Married, they may as well be.
 * I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy: "Beautiful Children" and "Dead End Job." However, neither are played entirely straight. "Dead End Job," in particular, has some teeth.
 * "I Want" Song: If it's not about a relationship gone bad, it's about longing for lost opportunities. Sometimes both.
 * Love Hurts: It would almost be easier to list the songs that aren't about love gone sour.
 * Lyrical Dissonance: Almost half of his stuff is sweet, wispy music about horrible relationships.
 * Nerd Glasses
 * One of Us: He wrote a song called "Tatooine." I mean, come on.
 * Race For Your Love: A possible interpretation of "Virginia."
 * Silly Love Songs: Subverted, many of his songs are either about love gone sour or clinging to a broken relationship because it's harder to start over. "Love You To Pieces" is one of his few real love songs, and it's about falling in love with The Ophelia.
 * Silly Rabbit, Romance Is for Kids
 * Small Town Boredom: "Day Job"
 * Snow Means Love: Averted in "Beautiful Children"
 * "Somewhere" Song: "Virginia"
 * Star Wars: "Tatooine"
 * Stepford Suburbia: "Welcome To Suburbia" seems like it will be about one of these, but it ends on a positive note.
 * Sweet Dreams Fuel: This is the official video for "Tatooine." Completely adorable in a homemade, offbeat way. SPACE PIANO.
 * Equally awesome and d'awww inducing is this video for "Tatooine."
 * Talky Bookends: The Silver City has these. Unusual in that it's an album, not a music video.
 * Twin Cities: ''The Silver City" is named after the Minneapolis skyline.
 * Unlucky Childhood Friend: "Beautiful Children"
 * You Are Worth Hell: "Tomorrow," possibly.
 * Your Cheating Heart: "Dead End Job"