A native Tucsonan, Christabelle Merrill has played violin for 19 years. She's performed with numerous orchestras and chamber groups, including Chris Black's ChamberLab project. She is also a classically trained pianist and has been known to play the drums here and there. Merrill's been an integral member of Leila Lopez's band for about two years. By day, she works as a nursery assistant at Tucson Waldorf School.
What was the first concert you ever saw?
Apart from various Tucson Symphony Orchestra concerts, my first "real" concert was Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade. A friend of mine took me to go see them at City Limits. ... I think it was about 11 years ago.
What are you listening to these days?
Wye Oak, Fruit Bats, and The Dry Spells. Lately, my mood's been something mellow.
What was the first album you owned?
It was probably Beethoven's Greatest Hits on cassette, or They Might Be Giants' Flood.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love, but you just don't get?
Pop country. I've tried to listen to it, but I can't seem to wrap my head around it.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust. Drool.
Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Maybe you've guessed it, but it's classical music; it's timeless and raw to me. There's no reverb or any other audio enhancement needed. The music speaks for itself.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
A.A. Bondy's "A Slow Parade." Something cheesy like that, but I expect an epic after-party, complete with rocking live music and fancy hors d'oeuvres.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
A Perfect Circle was my gateway "drug" to the metal and grunge era of my life. Listening to them brings back a lot of awkward memories of high school.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
For nostalgia's sake, A Perfect Circle's Mer de Noms.
