In a slightly more just world, New England native Melissa Ferrick’s latest release—“Still Right Here,” which Mpress Records is scheduled to drop on Tuesday, Sept. 13—will be the record that finally pushes this hard-working singer / songwriter into the public consciousness.  One of the hardest-working musicians on the folk circuit, Ferrick has toured relentlessly and recorded almost a dozen-and-a-half albums over the past 18 years, earning the credibility to collaborate with the likes of Kaki King and Buffalo’s own Ani DiFranco on “Still Right Here” while entertaining an ever-growing cadre of hardcore fans.  She deserves to catch a break with a single—maybe “Headphones” or “One of a Kind,” a couple little rockers from “Still Right Here” that manage to display the tough trifecta of gutsiness, poignancy and joy.  She deserves to catch heavy airplay on the Jack stations of the world, catching the ear of a mainstream audience that will greedily scoop up digital downloads and earn her slots on the station-sponsored concert bandwagon, exposing her to a bigger audience than—bless its beautiful, grungy heart—Nietzsche’s can provide.  This would offer Ferrick a greater forum for her frank and earnest conversations about her sexuality, giving hope and solace to an exponentially larger swath of struggling men and women while creating deeper connections of tolerance and understanding in a country that always has room for more of both. 

But the world isn’t always fair, right?  Let’s appreciate the fact that Ferrick—no stranger to Western New York—will make her latest stop in our fair city on the same day that “Still Right Here” becomes officially available.  Let’s celebrate good music for the sake of good music, great artists for the sake of greatness, and artistic honesty and integrity for its own sake.  Ferrick will perform at Nietzsche’s (248 Allen St., Buffalo) in the heart of Allentown on Tuesday, Sept. 13.  Doors are at 8 PM.  Tickets are $16 pre-sale at Rust Belt Books (202 Allen St., Buffalo), which is also in the heart of Allentown, and $18 at the door on the night of the show.  This is a 21+ performance.