Melissa Greener - vocals and guitars ... and sometimes other friends
Influences
Joni, Shawn Colvin, Paul Simon, Neil, Ani, Nick Drake, Daniel Lanois, Richard Thomson, Emmylou, Robert Service, Dylan, Dylan Thomas, Wilco, Ricky-Lee, Ray Charles, Leonard Cohen, Townes, Ella Fitz, Sarah Vaughan, Billy Holiday, Tom Waits (the earliest stuff), Patty Griffin, Ron Sexsmith, Mark Knopfler, Chet Atkins, Lucinda, Bruce Cockburn, Bill Cosby, Tom Lehrer, Steve and Stacey Earl, Hank Sr., Bach, Townes, Willie, Beach Boys, Steven Stills, Lyle Lovett, Suzanne Vega, all of the Wainwrights and McGarrigles, Def Leppard, Indigo Girls, Dolly Parton, Grateful Dead, Chrissy Hines, The Band, Gram Parsons, Iron & Wine, Patsy Cline, Rogers and Hammerstein and Hart, Cole Porter, George and Ira Gershwin, Berlin and all the Tin Pan Alley cats, Prince, Mozart, The Blues, Miles, Monk, Mingus, Illusions, Annie Hall, WDTE FM in Detroit, my mom and dad...
I write songs. play them on my guitar. and sing them. for people all over the place. for money. for love. but mostly because I just have to.
I was born and reared in Detroit, Michigan on a dark, dreary winter wee morning. I left as soon as I could and have been driving around everywhere but, ever since. I've lived in various places around the world - Europe, Middle East, Far East, Canada, and now in Austin, Texas, USA (my favorite city in this nation).
I once climbed the second highest mountain in the Swiss Alps. I once trekked the second highest mountain range in the world in Slovakia. I once spent two weeks at the holiest mountain in Tibet. I once climbed the Sinai. I once rode my bicycle from Vancouver, British Columbia all the way to North Sydney, Nova Scotia. I once lived in a little village in China where porcelain was discovered 2000 years ago occurring naturally in the ground. I once sailed so far into the Mediterranean I couldn't see land. I once saw so many stars in an Egyptian desert I couldn't see the sky.
I have written from a very early age. First journaling. which turned into poetry. which turned into songs. My singing started even earlier. I'm told by my mother (who was a lounge singer at the Playboy Club in Detroit, and a classically trained operatic vocalist) that she would hear me through closed door, singing "like a soprano" when I was a very small girl. My mother was a ballerina. My dad is a hippie.
I tour all over the country playing 'listening rooms', house concerts, festivals, bars, clubs, theatres, sidewalks, parking lots, and subways. singing truths I've come to believe in. stretching some, in the name of art...
I'm currently recording my 2nd album which will be released in the spring of 2009.
Thanks for listening!
Hey Melissa - It was great to see you in Dallas the other night. My prayers are for your safe travels and blessings on your success in the Big Apple. I'll be working on some gigs in North Texas in the Spring for your rocking new record tour. I can't wait!
hi melissa, i hope you're thriving. i'm strongly encouraging a friend to go to your chicago show! and god knows i'd love to hear you again in michigan before long. keep singing! david
Hey Womyn, thanks for the add and my new name!! Yeah, the "LAnd" seems so long ago, but today when I was writing I had my wrist band on the table and just had this huge smile on my face!!!! It was great catching up and good luck on your move to NYC!!!
Thanks for joining our circle of friends, and thanks for helping to keep Redd's legacy alive! Billy & Sharon www. reddstewart. com (Pee Wee King and his Golden West Cowboys)
Hey Sweetie! FYI... I'm playing with my Trio. Tues.,Sept.9th @ 8pm @ Botticelli's 1321 S. Congress (just a couple doors up from the Continental). Hope you can make it!
Thanks for the message the other day. Great to hear from you!! Sorry I didn't get back sooner . . . was working in Westwood. Let me know when you play again in Austin. I'm long overdue for a Greener listening experience :-)
Wow, New York City! What a big move. I hope you find some great connections and get all the exposure you deserve. Swing by and see us on your way up there! We'll try and make it out for the Uncle Calvin's gig in Dallas. I want you to check out my new acoustic guitar while you're in town.
Hey Sweetie, Great seeing you. So here it is! And look there's even a convenient way for others to spread the love just click share and they can paste it anywhere they like. The gift that keeps on giving! Safe Travels, ~Stefanie
got a text message from you a couple weeks ago and busy busy life got in the way of a reply, so here it is. better late than never, as they say! maggie has teeth now and sits up on her own and she wants to come hear you sing!!!!! love love love.
Melissa - what a wonderful experience last night hearing you share your exquisite gift for song writing and performance. "Tack and Jibe" brought some serious water to my eyes - very moving, this song! I love those moments which take me by surprise. You are truly a wordsmith - amazing. I look forward to your new album and the next time I get to hear you - I do hope you'll consider a return gig to The Little Aussie. Hope that drive back to Austin was shorter (and cooler!), and that the pizza was worth the wait. (o: JoLynn
Thank you very much for the comment ! Right about the free concert in Paris...would love to be able to do that in the US too ! If I ever come to Austin...would you go for it ? ;o)
Great songs you have here ! Definitely what I love to listen to. Best of luck for the upcoming concerts and hope to hear from you soon ! Take Care Fred
