The campfire is burning. The sun is setting. And Melissa D sips tea and tunes her guitar. It sounds like the perfect weekend getaway to an outsider, but for the New England folk/rock artist, Southern Vermont is more than a vacation destination. It's home. And everyday in the backwoods the muse sings in harmony with the wind. Melissa's task: to hear the words and transpose its meaning through her music. "I am definitely a nature girl," she says. "I love visiting big cities but would never want to live in one. I love the country."

The romance between cabins and croons is the source of inspiration behind her rock and country infused folk songs. And it's been her impetus against resistance since childhood. “I was picked on a lot in school – ostracized and bullied by others, including some of my teachers because I had a learning disability and was painfully shy. It kept me from seeing myself as someone who was worthy of pursuing my dreams, and I didn't start pursuing my bigger music dreams until later in life. It took years of therapy and personal growth.” These experiences have shaped her and is also the drive behind her passion around animal rescue and humanitarian causes.

Raised on The Carpenters, John Denver, 80's pop and Christian hymns, Melissa hopes her music can be a source of inspiration for others. She is a classically trained vocalist and former rock front-woman for The Alley Katz where she shared the stage with many talented musicians including Joe Moore(Pork Tornado -John Fishman's{Phish} band) and Benjamin Orr(The Cars). Melissa was also in a folk-rock collaboration called CHILL. Her song Little Girl (the title track off her recent  solo EP release) was nominated by the InterContinental Music Awards as Best Song of America in the American Roots genre for 2021. 

As the campfire continues to glow, Melissa reveals another surprise. The muse is singing again. And if you listen closely, she'll lead you down the right trail.