Melissa Auf der Maur

Early life and education

Melissa Auf der Maur was born in Montreal on March 17, 1972, to journalist and politician Nick Auf der Maur and journalist and literary translator Linda Gaboriau. Her father's family was Swiss-German, while her mother, who was born in Boston, Massachusetts, was of mixed European-American heritage, granting Auf der Maur dual Canadian-American citizenship. She did not meet her father until she was three years old, after which her parents married in 1978 when she was six, only to divorce the following year. A significant portion of her childhood was spent traveling internationally with her mother, living in unconventional settings including a circus caravan in Wales, a post-office truck in Morocco, and a hut in Kenya, where she contracted malaria three times before returning to Montreal.

In Montreal, she attended the alternative Fine Arts Core Education School and Moving in New Directions High School, where she was part of a small English elite and formed friendships with figures like Lorca Cohen and Rufus Wainwright. Her artistic inclinations led her to Concordia University, where she majored in photography and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1994. While a student, she began working part-time as a DJ at the Montreal rock club Bifteck at age 19, a role that immersed her in the local music scene and led to key connections. It was at Bifteck that she met musician Steve Durand, with whom she would form her first band, and her grandmother, Theresia Schaelin-Auf der Maur, was a strong influence, emphasizing the family's Swiss-German heritage and the significance of their surname, which translates to "on the wall" in English.

Music career beginnings with Tinker

In November 1993, during her final year at Concordia University, Auf der Maur and Steve Durand formed the indie rock band Tinker. Auf der Maur took up the bass, using a Fender Precision Bass gifted by her father for her 21st birthday, while Durand played guitar. The duo later recruited guitarist Jordon Zadorozny and a drummer, performing at various Montreal venues. A crucial moment came from an earlier encounter at a Smashing Pumpkins show in July 1991, where Auf der Maur first met frontman Billy Corgan after a friend's disruptive behaviour led to a confrontation, and the two became pen pals. Months later, Auf der Maur wrote to Corgan requesting Tinker open for the Pumpkins in Montreal, and Corgan agreed.

On November 30, 1993, Tinker played their largest show to 2,500 people at Métropolis, and after the performance, Corgan told Auf der Maur she was a good bass player and predicted she would be in his band one day. Tinker released two 7-inch singles, "Realalie" and "Green Machine", on Bear Records in 1994 and continued to release music until 1996. In the summer of 1994, Corgan informed Auf der Maur that Courtney Love wanted her to join Hole as bassist, an offer she initially declined due to the tragic circumstances surrounding the band. However, after a direct appeal from Love, Auf der Maur flew to Seattle and joined the band, marking the start of her major label career.

Tenure with Hole and mainstream success

Auf der Maur joined Hole in the summer of 1994, shortly after the death of bassist Kristen Pfaff, and just two weeks before the band's performance at the 1994 Reading Festival. From 1994 to 1995, she toured worldwide in support of the band's breakthrough album, Live Through This, bringing a positive energy that guitarist Eric Erlandson described as "sunshine" during a dark period marked by bereavement and addiction. She formed a close friendship and musical partnership with drummer Patty Schemel, with whom she later rented a house and started a side project called Constant Comment, releasing a split single in 1995. Auf der Maur's contributions to Hole are featured on several releases, including the 1996 single "Gold Dust Woman" and live tracks on My Body, the Hand Grenade.

Her most significant work with the band was on their third studio album, Celebrity Skin, released in 1998. Auf der Maur performed bass and co-wrote five of the album's twelve songs, and the album was a major critical and commercial success, peaking at number 9 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number 3 on the Canadian Albums Chart, with its title track reaching number 1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. It was certified platinum in both countries, and after the supporting tour, Auf der Maur left Hole in October 1999 upon the expiration of her five-year contract, seeking to pursue other creative directions. She later participated in a one-off reunion of the Celebrity Skin lineup in April 2012 but has since expressed limited interest in a full-fledged band reunion.

Work with The Smashing Pumpkins and side projects

In October 1999, immediately after leaving Hole, Auf der Maur was recruited by Billy Corgan to replace departing bassist D'arcy Wretzky in The Smashing Pumpkins. Although she did not perform on the albums Machina/The Machines of God or Machina II, she served as the touring bassist for the entire Machina tour from December 1999 to December 2000. The extensive tour covered North America, Japan, Europe and South Africa, and Auf der Maur found the Pumpkins' work ethic intensely demanding, focusing on constant musical adjustments. She performed at the band's final television appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and their final concert at the Cabaret Metro in Chicago on December 2, 2000, before the band's initial breakup.

In the years following, Auf der Maur ruled out rejoining any Pumpkins reunion despite earlier expressions of interest, but she made notable guest appearances with Corgan in later years. She performed "The Everlasting Gaze" in Montreal on June 13, 2025, and "Zero" at the Bell Centre on October 9, 2026. Between her tenures with major bands, Auf der Maur engaged in several side projects, forming the short-lived group The Chelsea for a single show in Los Angeles in 2002. That same year, she founded Hand of Doom, a Black Sabbath cover band where she performed lead vocals, which released a live album, Live in Los Angeles, in 2002 before disbanding in 2003.

Solo career and multidisciplinary work

After the Smashing Pumpkins disbanded in 2000, Auf der Maur returned to Montreal and contemplated leaving music before discovering old demo recordings that inspired her solo career. She self-financed the recording of her debut album from 2001 to 2003 before signing with Capitol Records, and Auf der Maur was released in February 2004 to generally favourable reviews. Singles like "Followed the Waves" charted in the UK Top 40, and by 2010, the album had sold 200,000 copies worldwide, supported by a 151-date tour. For her second album, Auf der Maur conceived a multidisciplinary project titled Out of Our Minds, encompassing an album, a film, and a graphic novel.

After delays and disputes with Capitol, she left the label to maintain creative control, forming her own independent label, PHI-MAdM Music. An EP, ... This Would Be Paradise, was released in November 2008 under her abbreviated moniker MAdM, followed by a short six-date tour of Canada and northern Europe. The full album, Out of Our Minds, was released in 2010, and in 2026, Auf der Maur announced her first new music in 16 years with the project Bass Womb Room: My '90s 4-Track Demos x Field Recordings. Her solo work demonstrates her evolution from a band musician to an auteur managing complex artistic visions across multiple media.

Other artistic pursuits and Basilica Hudson

Melissa Auf der Maur is also a photographer and occasional actress. Her photographs have been included in National Geographic and exhibited at Sotheby's. She acted in the films How to Make the Cruelest Month in 1998, Beyond Borders in 2003, and Collaborator in 2011. As part of her 2009 multidisciplinary project Out of Our Minds, she acted as a film and record producer, working alongside her husband, filmmaker Tony Stone. A major focus of her later career has been her work as a curator and producer. In 2010, alongside her husband, filmmaker Tony Stone, she co-founded Basilica Hudson, a multidisciplinary arts and performance centre located in Hudson, New York, where the couple serve as the creative directors and owners. The venue hosts a wide array of cultural events, screenings, and music festivals, representing the culmination of her diverse interests in music, visual arts, and community building. This venture establishes a permanent base for her artistic endeavours and family life, and she has participated in events like the Wavelength Music Festival in 2026.

Discography and publications

Melissa Auf der Maur's body of work spans collaborative band recordings, solo albums, and literary publications. Her musical output is characterized by its evolution from alt-rock band contributions to independently released solo projects, and her written and visual works, released in 2026, provide a retrospective look at the era that defined her early career. Her debut solo album achieved international sales of 200,000 copies, while her recent publications have achieved bestseller status, reflecting ongoing public interest in her perspective on 1990s rock culture. The following lists highlight key releases from her diverse career.

Melissa Auf der Maur began her solo career after departing from Hole in 1999. Her debut studio album, Auf der Maur, was released in 2004 on Capitol Records. Her second studio album, Out of Our Minds, was released in 2010 on her own independent record label, PHI-MAdM Music. She has also collaborated with artists such as Indochine, Rufus Wainwright, Ric Ocasek, and Neverending White Lights.

• With Hole: Celebrity Skin (1998)
• With The Smashing Pumpkins: Touring member (1999 to 2000)
• Auf der Maur (Capitol Records, 2004)
• Out of Our Minds (PHI-MAdM Music, 2010)
• Bass Womb Room: My '90s 4-Track Demos x Field Recordings (2026)

Questions about Melissa Auf der Maur

What is Melissa Auf der Maur best known for?

Melissa Auf der Maur is best known as the former bassist for two seminal 1990s alternative rock bands: Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins. She joined Hole in 1994 and played on their commercially successful album Celebrity Skin. She later served as the touring bassist for The Smashing Pumpkins from 1999 to 2000. Beyond her band work, she is recognized as a solo musician, photographer, and co-founder of the arts centre Basilica Hudson in New York.

What bands was Melissa Auf der Maur in?

Auf der Maur's first band was the Montreal indie rock group Tinker, formed in 1993. Her most prominent roles were as the bassist for Hole from 1994 to 1999 and as the touring bassist for The Smashing Pumpkins from 1999 to 2000. She also briefly fronted the Black Sabbath cover band Hand of Doom in 2002 and participated in the short-lived project The Chelsea. She has maintained a solo career since 2004.

Has Melissa Auf der Maur released any new music recently?

In 2026, Auf der Maur announced her first new music project in 16 years, titled Bass Womb Room: My '90s 4-Track Demos x Field Recordings. This follows her second solo album, Out of Our Minds, released in 2010 on her own label. She also released an EP, ... This Would Be Paradise, in 2008 and has made recent guest appearances with Billy Corgan, performing in Montreal in 2025 and 2026.

What books has Melissa Auf der Maur written?

In 2026, Melissa Auf der Maur published two books. The first is a memoir titled Even the Good Girls Will Cry: A '90s Rock Memoir, which became a national and international bestseller. The second is a photobook, My ’90s Rock Photographs, a collection of her photography documenting the rock music scene of the 1990s. Her photographs have also been featured in National Geographic and exhibited at Sotheby's.

Is Melissa Auf der Maur Canadian?

Yes, Melissa Auf der Maur is a Canadian musician. She was born in Montreal, Quebec, to journalist and politician Nick Auf der Maur and journalist and literary translator Linda Gaboriau. Her mother was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States, which grants Melissa dual Canadian-American citizenship. She was raised in Montreal and attended the Fine Arts Core Education (FACE) School and Moving in New Directions (MIND) High School there. Her early musical career also began in Montreal with the formation of the band Tinker while she was a student at Concordia University.

What is Basilica Hudson?

Basilica Hudson is an arts and performance center located in Hudson, New York. Melissa Auf der Maur and her husband, filmmaker Tony Stone, are the creative directors and owners of this venue. The establishment of Basilica Hudson is part of their broader work in the arts, which includes film and record production. This venture aligns with her multidisciplinary projects, such as the 2009 project Out of Our Minds, for which she acted as a film and record producer alongside Stone.

Sources and further reading

• Melissa Auf der Maur (Wikipedia)
• Melissa Auf der Maur, Toronto (wavelengthmusic.ca)
• Melissa Auf der Maur (nyswritersinstitute.org)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-10-25.