Today we’d like to introduce you to Melody Kiser.
Hi Melody, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Do you remember when you were asked in elementary school what you wanted to be when you grew up? For me, the answer has always been the same: I wanted to be a professional musician. I grew up in an extremely musical family. My mother played keyboards and sang in bands during her youth, and my brother played violin in school and developed a love and passion for bluegrass music. Going even further back, my maternal great-grandfather was the leader of a southern gospel vocal group and cut vinyl albums before it was cool… Needless to say, music was a very integral part of my childhood, my development, and my life.
For my ninth birthday, I asked for an electric guitar, an instrument that no one else in my family played. I was obsessed with listening to music at this point in my life, and rock music was a genre that particularly resonated with my soul. The music of Heart, Fleetwood Mac, Journey, Led Zeppelin, Janis Joplin, The Doors, The Strokes, The Killers, and numerous others became the playlist for my day-to-day life. As a teenager, I cut my teeth by performing covers of my favorite songs in bars, nightclubs, and coffee shops. I really grew as a musician and performer. I learned how to break free of my childhood shyness and transform into an entertainer. At 20 years old, I signed a production deal with Real 2 Reel Studios in Jonesboro, GA. Around this same time period, my high school friend, Jasper Joyner, and I started a new band: HeyDreamer.
The concept of the HeyDreamer sound was simple: we wanted to perform energetic rock infused with catchy hooks, tight harmonies, and chill ambiance. We released our first album, If You’re Out There, on February 28th, 2020… Worst. Timing. Ever. Like most musicians, artists, and creatives, we were absolutely devastated by the global pandemic. Jasper moved to Philadelphia, PA to pursue a musical career there, and I kept moving forward with HeyDreamer. Shortly after, through fate or maybe pure luck, I met two of the most amazing musicians and people: Dustin Williams (bass) and Dylan Hansen (drums). When we played together for the first time, the energy was undeniable! Dustin and Dylan are two essential pieces to the HeyDreamer puzzle, and I am so thankful to create music with them!
Within the first few months of the “stay-at-home” lockdown, I had written enough material for an entire new album. I showed my songs to Will Turpin, co-owner of Real 2 Reel Studios and founding member of the band Collective Soul, and he agreed to produce them! The album, Dances in Wonderland, releases on March 4th, 2022. These songs are basically my pandemic journal entries, and I’m so proud of our work!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Nothing that can change your life is going to be easy, and a musical career is definitely no exception. Obviously, the music industry is in a very different place than it was a couple of years ago. Before the pandemic, most of our income was derived from playing live and subsequent merchandise sales. While that’s starting to come back, it’s growing slowly. We are so thankful for platforms like Patreon, which allows us to connect with fans and earn an income from simply creating.
The music industry is also heavily centered around the relationships that you form, and for a while, it was easy to lose connections with all of the friends we’ve formed over the years. To try to combat this, I created a limited series called “Artist Quarantine” when the pandemic began, and I basically just interviewed my musician friends and talked about music. It was a really cool way to connect with the people and creators that I love. I’m also very grateful for my bandmates and everyone in the HeyDreamer team. I couldn’t do it without them!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
One thing that makes HeyDreamer unique is our openness and willingness to experiment and grow through our music. As musical storytellers, we want every song to represent a mood, a feeling, and an experience. We definitely aren’t afraid to mix up our instrumentation or create unique arrangements. While every song we’ve written so far falls into some subcategory of the “rock” genre, I’m proud of the fact that we are a very diverse band with numerous influences. In many ways, writing music is like planting little Easter eggs of influence, and I’m really proud of how we transform the past into something fresh and new.
What are your plans for the future?
We are so excited to share our new album, Dances in Wonderland, with the world on March 4th. It’s been an almost two years process creating this music, and we’ve poured our hearts and souls into every song! We also look forward to playing live more in 2022! It’s been too long since we’ve seen your beautiful faces, and we can’t wait to see you all again!
Contact Info:
- Email: heydreameratlanta@gmail.com
- Website: https://heydreamerband.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heydreamerband
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeyDreamerBand
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_Cj6J_VK4g
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/heydreamer
Image Credits:
Mil Cannon Zack Zagula
