Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Gail Klein.
Hi Melissa Gail, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I am a singer-songwriter, banjo and flute player, vocalist, and leader of my 5 – piece band Melissa Gail Klein and the Morning Dew. I am also a voice coach and a social worker, former collegiate gymnast, painter and poet on the side. I am from Long Island, New York and grew up doing gymnastics. I started when I was 3 and by the time I was in middle school I was training 4 hours a day 6 days a week. This took a lot of dedication from my whole family and was definitely a lifestyle. We traveled all over the country and stayed in hotels. Believe it or not I never had more than a week off from training until I was 18 years old. I received a scholarship to Penn State and studied painting and integrative arts. On the PSU team I specialized in balance beam and floor, and was often referred to the “weird” one on the team. After I graduated, I moved to Hawaii with some of my teammates from the gym I attended in high school, and spent a lot of time adventuring, camping, and hitchhiking, learning about communal living, organic farming, and exploring my spirituality. This is where I discovered the banjo and began songwriting. I’ve always had a creative and artistic bent and wrote poems and stories as soon as I learned to write words. I’m pretty sure the best story I ever wrote was in the first grade. It’s called Soft Blue Night- the spelling is humorous but woman, it still holds up!
I started playing the flute in 4th grade and writing classical pieces on lined music paper and digital composer programs, and when I was in college I started moving away from classical and learning how to improvise. I discovered the banjo on an old wooden sailboat docked in the Kona Bay late at night while a wild-haired sailor named Emmett plucked away at some of my favorite Gillian Welsh and Paul Simon tunes. I got myself a banjo and started putting my poetry to song, and it just kind of clicked. After my time in Hawaii, I ended up in Portland Oregon, where I found myself around some super talented and well-loved musicians there like Moorea Masa and Hope Medford, who were really encouraging to my musical growth. From there, I ended up in California in a communal house full of some of the best musicians and artists I’ve ever met. I played my first open mic and eventually made my way to New Mexico, where I formed my first band and recorded an EP under the name Glorieta. I studied voice for two years with a world-class opera singer and devotee of Yogananda Elana Joan Cara, who was a soul guide of sorts. She authored a fantastic book called the Light of Christ within, check it out if you’re a fan of spirituality. I had been planning a trip to India but on my way she passed away, and I doubled back to make an appearance and sing at her “ascension ceremony.” I ended up in Austin, TX of all places.
Since then, I recorded my first full-length studio album called Crystalline Charm and my next one is underway. I’m glad to have found myself in the music capital of the world, and it’s been an honor to have gotten to work with some of the best musicians out there, and some of my musical idols.
During my seven years run in Austin, I began volunteering at prisons and jails. Service work has always been something I’ve done, coming from a spirit of goodwill toward my fellow humans, a desire to give back, and also a way to heal myself and expand my focus from my own small problems. It helps me feel connected to the great source of goodness in the Universe. I used music and creativity as therapeutic mediums and became a trained facilitator with Truth Be Told (truth-be-told.org). I led weekly circles at the Travis County Jail for two years before deciding I wanted to make a second career in social work. I’ve gotten to use my music as advocacy as well and sang on the steps of city hall for Lewis Conway’s campaign, the first formerly incarcerated person to run for City Counsel in Austin. I’ve had a few songs featured in documentaries, and a music video collaboration called My Golden Rule won awards in multiple national and international film festivals. We also used the video to raise money for a local environmental nonprofit. Currently, I am a therapist at a private counseling group here in Austin.
My life right now looks like seeing therapy clients from home during the day and working on musical projects in the evenings. I’m excited about the evolution of my band and this new album coming out. I’ve been studying the ever-evolving music business and working with a manager to reach a wider audience, and plan to go on tour in the spring. I’m also a vocal coach and give vocal empowerment sessions to new musicians and seasoned performers alike. I recently got married to a beautiful person who is also a rock climber from Colombia, and we started yet another side project (I know, I’m not busy at all) called Healing Mountain, taking people on rock climbing and nature immersions and raising money for a nonprofit called Escalando Fronteras that supports impoverished communities in Northern Mexico. One of our aims is to support Latinx and indigenous communities in the USA and Latin America, and it’s been fun bridging passions and collaborating with my husband on those things.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have certainly been struggles along the way. As a gymnast, I experienced a fair amount of emotional abuse, mostly in college. I am still processing and overcoming some of these experiences, though I’ve chosen and continue to choose to forgive the people involved. Gymnastics taught me so much and gave me outstanding skills such as self-discipline, team and leadership skills. It was also oppressive and messed with my self-esteem and body image quite a bit, and at one point I developed anorexia. Luckily through years of therapy and personal work, time in nature, good friends and healthy relationships, I’ve healed and grown enormously and I can only be grateful for the challenges and lessons now. Other challenges that crop up continually are fear of failure, imposter syndrome, and lulls in creative inspiration and momentum. I am always talking myself up and out of ruts, pushing forward, overcoming fear, believing in myself, and affirming my worth as a musician and person. It takes a lot of grit to be an artist and independent musician! Luckily I’ve had a lot of support from my parents and fellow musicians, a lot of people having faith in me and loving my music, so that has helped. I’ve learned to really affirm myself, to humble myself, and to content myself with my artistic progress. External success will always come and go and is ultimately out of my control.
Another struggle I’ve dealt with was a difficult and abusive intimate relationship. This experience was a real turning point for me and catapulted me into social work, working with women in prisons and jails and sex trafficking survivors. My most recent challenge has been my evolution as a therapist, which means learning how to take really good care of myself and find emotional balance. Therapists and social workers hold a lot of stories, traumas, sadness, and as a deeply empathic person, I am learning how to cleanse and refresh myself so I can continue to show up for people.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I love the authenticity of my lyrics and the soulful catchiness of my songs. They really help me heal, they are messages from the depths of me and they sometimes feel like they come through me. It’s an honor to share them and I know they get stuck in people’s heads which is so cool.
I love that I play the banjo because it’s unique- I also play it in my own way that sets it apart from preconceived notions about the banjo. I really like African artists like Boubacar Traore and like to think I have a similar soothing style, not so much plunky bluegrass that the banjo is normally associated with (though I do love me some bluegrass). I play both the banjo and the flute.
I’ve heard from listeners that I am a captivating performer. To me, performance itself is an art form, and I love playing music live and creating an experience for people.
I learned to sing when I was 21 and I believe singing is everyone’s birthright.
I am proud of my hard work as a social worker and therapist, I really try my best. It’s an honor to be able to make a positive impact in people’s lives. My work with clients touches and moves me. I always learn and receive so much.
I think what has always set me apart is that I’m multi talented. When I was young, I was a “prodigy” child in various ways, which was awesome and also alienating at times. I felt pressured to always be and do and achieve more in order to feel loveable and worthy. I’m still learning how to create from a place of love and enough-ness, and you’ll hear these themes reflecting in my music.
I’m very driven, and I’m always pushing myself to learn and grow. I think I’ve accomplished a lot for the amount that I’ve lived.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
I have an alter ego named Mildred Jones who loves cats and wears pineapple sunglasses. One of my favorite things to do is wear my silky flower robe and read old English novels. My favorite book is Jane Eyre. Since marrying my husband, I’ve been practicing my Spanish and nowadays mostly speak Spanish at home. I’m learning to sing in Spanish and hope to incorporate this into shows with my band.
Pricing:
- I am offering discount voice lesson packages through December 31st: 160 for 4 sessions which are normally $50 each.
- You can buy my album and merch on my bandcamp page, $15 – 30 range.
Contact Info:
- Email: Melissagailklein@gmail.com
- Website: www.melissagailklein.com
- Instagram: @Melissa_Gail_Klein
- Facebook: Facebook.com/melissagailmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCR9JpNoRTKoatBsHHsEIYMw
- Other: Bandcamp- www.Melissagailmusic.bandcamp.com
Image Credits
Nicki Lemon
