Jess Klein's Podcast

About Jess Klein's Podcast

Singer-Songwriter based in North Carolina by way of Boston, NYC and Austin, TX. Sharing about my creative process + intersections between music, healing, justice & community. Plus news about my upcoming tour dates . jessklein.substack.com (https://jessklein.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Jess Klein

Category

health & fitness · music

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

16 Jan 2024

Latest episode

28 Oct 2025

Latest episodes

15 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Oct 2025

   WE DID IT! Thank You!

   THANK YOU everyone who pitched in for Dreaming Aloud and helped us meet our goal! I am humbled by your support and encouraged by your willingness to back this project! 🥹 We still have two days left with a modest stretch goal - additional pledges will help me bring the band to you live, play benefit concerts and smaller shows. I am really floored by your support. Thanks for helping me keep going ❤️ I can’t wait to share these new songs with you on this album and at shows! Jess Klein's Travelin' Woman is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessklein.substack.com/subscribe (https://jessklein.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

2. 

   26 Oct 2025

   Kickstarter Update #9 - In It for the Love - 3 DAYS LEFT to pledge!

   I love y’all and guess what - we have just 3 days left to make Dreaming Aloud a reality on Kickstarter. We are at 85% - sooooo close! Thank you to all who have pitched in so far, to folks who have upleveled their pledges (!) and thanks in advance to the folks who will put us over the finish line ❤️. Head over there now to In it for the Love… Why do we do it? Why do we make art? The music business is full of egos, manipulation, self-doubt, hustlers, scams, big highs, painful lows. The only compelling reason I have ever found to keep making music, playing shows, making albums - is the human connection we make through music. That feeling like you’re onstage, just channeling something, letting it pour through you and out into the hearts of those folks in the audience who just needed to hear that line today. Anyone who sticks with a life in music for the long term will tell you - they’re in it for the love. ** New England! Come see me and my pal, Jenny Reynolds in a couple weeks! 11/15 Club Passim (https://passim.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/instances/a0FRQ00000A18NZ2AZ), Boston, MA 11/16 Portsmouth Music Hall Lounge (https://themusichall.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/instances/a0FTS0000084LZ72AM), Portsmouth, NH Jess Klein's Travelin' Woman is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessklein.substack.com/subscribe (https://jessklein.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

3. 

   23 Oct 2025

   Song Preview - All it’ll Take

   This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessklein.substack.com/subscribe (https://jessklein.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

4. 

   22 Oct 2025

   Live with Jess Klein

   This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessklein.substack.com/subscribe (https://jessklein.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

5. 

   22 Oct 2025

   Kickstarter Video Update #6 + Pre-Mixes Coming Later this Week!

   Huge thanks to all who have contributed to this album so far. We are already at 73% with just 9 days to go! It’s my deepest belief that when people come together aorund something we value - when we Dream Aloud together - we become unstoppable, and getting to create this album with your support feels like that! Later this week I’ll be sharing some pre-mixes of the new songs with you (!). If you haven’t pitched in yet, please do! I’ll be back later this week with an update from a revelatory tour of the midwest last weekend. xo Jess This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessklein.substack.com/subscribe (https://jessklein.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

6. 

   15 Oct 2025

   Thank You, and an Update

   Friends, just sharing a quick video today, in gratitude for everyone who has supported this Kickstarter so far, and the folks who come to my shows, read this newsletter, buy my albums. I am deeply grateful to be able to spend my time making music for you, and importantly, seeing you all bne part of this whole thing reminds me yet again of the power of community. I feel like we’re all doing this together, and that has to be the best feeling in the world. Thank you! If you haven’t pitched in yet, we still have 13 days to meet the fundraising goal for Dreaming Aloud and would love to have your support. PS I’ll be on the road this weekend in Iowa, then in November I’ll be up in Boston, Portsmouth, DC and Roanoke. Looking forward to seeing you and saying hi. Tickets for all shows at JessKlein.com (https://jessklein.com/live-on-tour) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit jessklein.substack.com/subscribe (https://jessklein.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_2)

7. 

   27 Nov 2024

   A New Thanksgiving Feast

   Singer-songwriter Jess Klein shares her song 'New Thanksgiving Feast', a poignant reflection on the whitewashed history of the holiday, and her efforts to support Indigenous communities through music and activism.

8. 

   24 May 2024

   The Big Table is Out Now

   This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit jessklein.substack.com (https://jessklein.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_7) My new single, The Big Table is out now! Download it through the image below. All proceeds go to World Central Kitchen (https://wck.org), who have returned to provide meals in Gaza even after 7 of their aid workers were killed. The beautiful artwork was created by Irish artist and muralist, Patrick Harnett (https://www.instagram.com/patrick.harnett/p/ChD3lzbOesS/). He included the 7 chairs to represent the 7 aid workers killed. Huge thanks to Patrick for donating his time and his vision to this vital cause. The Big Table is ONLY available on my Bandcamp (https://bit.ly/44BQR6T), for a donation of $5 or more, because I want to use it to raise money for World Central Kitchen. Let’s harness our collective power and support WCK in their extremely courageous work to save lives by feeding folks in Gaza. Handwritten lyric sheets, signed by me are also available for a donation of $25 or more. The chorus of The Big Table talks about being willing to trust. I love performing this song live because I get the audience to yell “trust” back at me during the choruses. It’s moving to hear a room full of people invest in that idea, even for 3 minutes and 46 seconds. It’s not easy for most of us to trust each other, let alone the universe, a higher power, the divine. But for what it’s worth, I’ve noticed that my own life is much easier when I’m willing to trust that way. Kind of clears the slate so I can keep putting one foot in front of the other, you know? I believe it’s the responsibility of those of us living in relative safety to dream big and use our resources, including our time and creativity to help bring about a world where everyone can enjoy the abundance that is all of our birthright as human beings. Dreams + action is the only way the world has ever moved forward. Join me in Sparta, NC this Friday 5/24 at Muddy Creek Music Hall! I’ll have my full band with me. We’ll celebrate the release of The Big Table and tear some sh*t up (sensitively…sort of). The Wild Hares will open the show. GET TICKETS. Join me this Sunday 5/26 on zoom for our monthly Salon! Available to all my paid subscribers [Zoom link is at the bottom of this post!]. We’ll discuss our top 3 songs about good times and co-create a playlist which I’ll share to Spotify and YouTube! If you’ve never joined us, these are lively chats where we get into it about our favorite songs/artists/albums, experiences with music. Best of all, I get to see your faces and talk to you in a way I’d never have time for at a live show. Jess Klein's Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thanks to my dear friend, Gaelynn Lea for interviewing me on her podcast, Creativity for Every Body (https://gaelynnlea.substack.com/p/post-10-talking-creativity-with-a)! Check it out to hear our conversation and an unreleased song from me, plus read about all the incredible music, writing and disability rights work Gaelynn is engaged in!! Upcoming Shows: 5/24 Muddy Creek Music Hall (https://alleghanyartscouncil-bloom.kindful.com/e/jess-klein-), Sparta, NC - FULL BAND SHOW! 6/6 The Martha Bassett Show (https://marthabassettshow.com/show/2024-06-06/jess-klein-the-alum-ridge-boys-and-ashlee-jerry-chapman), Reeves Theater, Elkin, NC 6/20-23 Moccasin Creek Music Fest (https://moccasincreekfestival.com), Effingham, IL 8/2 3rd Street Coffeehouse (https://www.facebook.com/3rdStreetCoffeehouse/), Roanoke, VA 7/21 SEANCE Concert Series, Durham, NC - tickets coming soon 8/8 Gas Hill Drinking Room (https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/36917273/jess-klein-grant-peeples-winstonsalem-the-ramkat?_gl=1*3jffzq*_ga*MTkyOTA2NjkzOS4xNzE1NjIzMzA2*_ga_RV6EHDZVX5*MTcxNTYyMzMwNS4xLjEuMTcxNTYyMzMxMC41NS4wLjA.), Winston-Salem, NC - w/Grant Peoples 8/16-8/18 Philadelphia Folk Festival (https://folkfest.org), Old Pool Farm, Upper Salford Township, PA 9/5-9/8 Antlers & Acorns Songwriters Festival (http://www.workingtitlefarm.com/tickets-for-shows-at-the-appalachian-theatre/), Boone, NC

9. 

   16 May 2024

   One Week til The Big Table + Summer Fests + 4th Sunday Salon

   A week from tomorrow my new single, The Big Table (https://bit.ly/44BQR6T) drops. You can pre-order it now on my Bandcamp (https://bit.ly/44BQR6T). Here’s some behind-the-scenes footage from the recording with my producer Mark Addison and guitar player Billy Masters at The Aerie (https://www.markaddisonproducer.com/the-aerie-studio) in Austin. I love those dudes so much. Part of the reason I went back to Austin to record my last album When We Rise (and this single, The Big Table) was the feeling of creative abundance I felt when I lived there. The concentration of talent was and remains bar none. When I first moved to Austin it was on a wing and a prayer. I had $300 to my name and no clue how it would work out. I just trusted that this community of musicians would somehow show me the way, and they did. All proceeds from the single will go to World Central Kitchen, who have returned to provide meals in Gaza despite 7 of their aid workers being killed. Pre-Order it now for $5 or more. You can also get a lyric sheet, handwritten and signed by me for a donation of $25 or more. I recently read Pete Hamill’s book Snow in August (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/79109.Snow_in_August). A young Irish-American boy in Brooklyn in the late 1940’s befriends a rabbi from Prague who has lost faith in God because of everything he witnessed during The Holocaust. When anti-semitism rears it’s head in their Brooklyn neighborhood, the rabbi, despite his faithful ability to relay fantastical stories about how the Golem (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golem) saved previous generations of Jews, can’t summon the Golem himself. It can only be done by the boy, Michael, a child with a pure heart. The chorus of The Big Table talks about trusting - the universe, a higher power, God, whatever you call it. How someone in the middle of a genocide would have faith or trust in anything, I have no idea. I do believe it’s the responsibility of those of us who live in relative safety to dream a better world and to do everything we can to bring I about. I try to have that childlike spirit when I hope, and that’s where this song comes from. Because this is a fundraiser, The Big Table will only be available on my Bandcamp, not streaming services like Spotify, Apple, etc. HEADS UP TO MY PAID SUBSCRIBERS: OUR MONTHLY SALON WILL BE a 4TH SUNDAY SALON THIS MONTH, SUNDAY MAY 19TH. I will send registration info next week. Jess Klein's Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Excited to share I’ll join a host of great artists for the 61st Philadelphia Folk Festival this August! Been a long minute since I was in Philly! I’ll do some side stage stuff and a special full band set TBA on the Main Stage. GET TICKETS! UPCOMING SHOWS: 5/24 Muddy Creek Music Hall (https://alleghanyartscouncil-bloom.kindful.com/e/jess-klein-), Sparta, NC - FULL BAND SHOW! 6/6 The Martha Bassett Show (https://marthabassettshow.com/show/2024-06-06/jess-klein-the-alum-ridge-boys-and-ashlee-jerry-chapman), Reeves Theater, Elkin, NC 6/20-23 Moccasin Creek Music Fest (https://moccasincreekfestival.com), Effingham, IL 7/21 HAUNT Concert Series, Radical Healing, Durham, NC - tickets coming soon 8/2 3rd Street Coffeehouse (https://www.facebook.com/3rdStreetCoffeehouse/), Roanoke, VA 8/8 Gas Hill Drinking Room (https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/36917273/jess-klein-grant-peeples-winstonsalem-the-ramkat?_gl=1*3jffzq*_ga*MTkyOTA2NjkzOS4xNzE1NjIzMzA2*_ga_RV6EHDZVX5*MTcxNTYyMzMwNS4xLjEuMTcxNTYyMzMxMC41NS4wLjA.), Winston-Salem, NC - w/Grant Peoples 8/16-8/18 Philadelphia Folk Festival (https://folkfest.org), Old Pool Farm, Upper Salford Township, PA 9/5-9/8 Antlers & Acorns Songwriters Festival (http://www.workingtitlefarm.com/tickets-for-shows-at-the-appalachian-theatre/), Boone, NC Love y’all! Jess Get full access to Jess Klein's Substack at jessklein.substack.com/subscribe (https://jessklein.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

10. 

    13 May 2024

    The Big Table drops 5-24

    Friends, my new single The Big Table drops 5/24.  It will only be available on my Bandcamp store and all proceeds will benefit World Central Kitchen (https://wck.org/news/resume-work-gaza), who have returned to G*z* to provide food even after 7 of their aid workers were killed. For a larger donation, I will send you a lyric sheet for The Big Table, handwritten and signed by me. I made a little sneak preview visualizer, with help from artist and arts-supporting friends at Southeast Regional Folk Alliance in Black Mountain this past weekend: Sharing meals is always about more than just the food itself - it’s about the feeling of connection and nourishing ourselves in community. No offense to the kitchen staff at the Blue Ridge YMCA, but I can tell you for sure that what these folks are enjoying is primarily the company. The Big Table is about believing there is enough for everyone - enough food, enough love, enough joy, enough power.  Enough peace.  Enough time and space to dream and take risks in the name of love.  A world where we can trust we will all be protected and provided for, by forces seen and unseen.  It's about sharing our true abundance (our ability to care for each other), knowing that when more people do this than not, there will truly be enough for everyone.  We will collectively be free when we collectively know this core truth. We originally recorded this track in the sessions for When We Rise. It didn’t fit with the album per se, and I’ve been sitting with it for a while, trying to decide how and when to release it. When I learned that World Central Kitchen had lost 7 aid workers, I felt called to use The Big Table in this way. Here’s a bit about WCK’s current work in Gaza, from their website: World Central Kitchen has resumed operations in Gaza, serving 2 million meals over the past week. The humanitarian crisis remains dire. We will continue to get as much food into Gaza, including northern Gaza, as possible—by land, air, or sea. We have 276 trucks, with the equivalent of almost 8 million meals, ready to enter through the Rafah Crossing. Dozens of these trucks have already entered Gaza this week. To date we have distributed more than 46 million meals and we are eager and ready to deliver millions more. PRE-ORDER THE SINGLE AND/OR A LYRIC SHEET HANDWRITTEN AND SIGNED BY ME TO SUPPORT WORLD CENTRAL KITCHEN (https://jessklein.bandcamp.com/album/the-big-table-single-benefit-for-world-central-kitchen). Join me and my full band Friday 5/24 at Muddy Creek in Sparta, NC! So excited to play at this gorgeous listening room for the first time and bring you all the rock-folk-whatever I am you can handle. Special guests The Wild Hares open. 8 pm show. Sponsored by the Alleghany Arts Council. Upcoming Shows: 5/24 Muddy Creek Music Hall (https://alleghanyartscouncil-bloom.kindful.com/e/jess-klein-), Sparta, NC - FULL BAND SHOW! 6/6 The Martha Bassett Show (https://marthabassettshow.com/show/2024-06-06/jess-klein-the-alum-ridge-boys-and-ashlee-jerry-chapman), Reeves Theater, Elkin, NC 6/20-23 Moccasin Creek Music Fest (https://moccasincreekfestival.com), Effingham, IL 8/2 3rd Street Coffeehouse (https://www.facebook.com/3rdStreetCoffeehouse/), Roanoke, VA 7/21 HAUNT Concert Series, Radical Healing, Durham, NC - tickets coming soon 8/8 Gas Hill Drinking Room (https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/36917273/jess-klein-grant-peeples-winstonsalem-the-ramkat?_gl=1*3jffzq*_ga*MTkyOTA2NjkzOS4xNzE1NjIzMzA2*_ga_RV6EHDZVX5*MTcxNTYyMzMwNS4xLjEuMTcxNTYyMzMxMC41NS4wLjA.), Winston-Salem, NC - w/Grant Peoples 9/5-9/8 Antlers & Acorns Songwriters Festival (http://www.workingtitlefarm.com/tickets-for-shows-at-the-appalachian-theatre/), Boone, NC Get full access to Jess Klein's Substack at jessklein.substack.com/subscribe (https://jessklein.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

11. 

    1 Apr 2024

    Celebrate the Mess

    Most of my life has felt like following a series of unseen breadcrumbs - creatively, professionally, personally, spiritually. Sometimes I think I have arrived at the loaf, the destination, but as my guitar player said to me last week, “What is fixed and never changes? Nothing.” Life is fluid, strange, impossible to hold onto. Lessons arrive, smack you in the face, then look different a few months later. Kinder, if we’re lucky. I’m trying to find beauty in all this fleetingness. Does life ever feel “stable”? What are we doing if not trying to find the beauty? What else actually gives us a reason to deal with the pain? BOSTON! Tickets are going fast for my April 4th show at Club Passim. Jenny Reynolds opens. I could listen to her songs and guitar work all day. Plus I’ll be sharing my most heartfelt music and most awkward stories. It will be punk, folk, whatever the f*ck I am. It will be my love for you. GET TICKETS HERE. You can also watch the livestream of this show . I want stability. I want change. I can have both stability and change only if: 1) the stability is not based on holding onto any one person/place/thing and 2) the change is not based on holding onto any one person/place/thing. But we still have to rely on each other. We’re interdependent. But we can’t make each other our higher powers. I’m lost. Or maybe my lostness means I’m found. Everything is a contradiction. In the same conversation my guitar player asked me if I thought there could ever be a society where the image of it matched the reality. (We had 6 hours in the car together; we went deep.) “No,” I said, “Because society is created by human beings and human beings are full of contradictions.” We agreed a better world would be the result of a pendulum swing, or something to always push towards, but that it still wouldn’t ever be perfect. I find something relieving in this. Like maybe it’s possible because it’s NOT a destination, it’s a process. NEW YORK CITY! Been a minute! Join me Tuesday, 4/9 at The Bitter End as part of John Platt’s On Your Radar Series. Also performing: Jilian Matundan, Madeleine Roger. Come show me your worldly-wise faces! GET TICKETS HERE. So there we were, driving East on I-40, playing a high-powered show in Wilmington, then driving West on I-40, driving into each others’ brains. Digging to understand why we are here, how to do what we’re meant to with our time. “Why are we all so flawed?!”, we demanded aloud. My husband and I have become obsessed with Henry Louis Gates’ Finding Your Roots. (https://www.pbs.org/weta/finding-your-roots) I love the messiness of it, of our history. The inextricable interconnectedness of people across lines of race, culture, class. One of our favorite episodes (https://www.pbs.org/weta/finding-your-roots/about/meet-our-guests/angela-y-davis) is where Angela Davis - radical black feminist icon, a heroine of mine - discovers she had white ancestors who came over on the Mayflower. She didn’t love finding that out, and I can only imagine trying to come to peace with such an intense and painful contradiction. But zooming way out, it’s like, yes, we are all absolutely intertwined. It’s nuts. It’s a good reminder that purity does not exist. We cling to the idea of purity because we fear messiness - the very thing that makes us human. The not knowing. The mortality of our egos, bodies, worldviews. Purity can be a nice theory to look at on a piece of paper as long as it’s something we never have to live up to, since really we can’t. In practice, purity seems like a good marker for drinking water or maybe cocaine. Not for humans. God we are so complicated! DURHAM! Join me and Jodi Jones at this beautiful outdoor space Saturday April 20th! GET TICKETS HERE. Stick with me on this - in the complication, I somehow find room for celebration. If we’re complicated, the problem isn’t solved. We are not at the end of the road. There is possibility in complication. Something beautiful can squirrel in there and blow the whole pre-conceived notion into smithereens, into light and air and a rainbow glitter dance party. Right? Now we’re getting somewhere. Calling all NC Songwriters! I’ll teach a one-day Songwriting Workshop at The CMPND in Winston-Salem Sunday 4/28! I will get you writing right away. Then we’ll dive into how to create emotional impact in a song, ways to structure a song, how to deal with writers’ block and more. Everyone from beginners to lifelong students of the craft are welcome. We all have something to teach each other and we all need feedback from a safe, respectful and supportive group. RSVP HERE. Below my tour dates is a preview of a new song-in-progress called “The Illusion of Love” . Upgrade to paid to listen and read the lyric. UPCOMING SHOWS 4/4 Club Passim (https://passim.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/instances/a0FRQ000001CXAw2AO), Boston, MA - Jenny Reynolds opens. 4/4 LIVESTREAM (https://passim.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/instances/a0FRQ000002CuWj2AK) of Club Passim show 4/7 Rosie’s Cafe, Brick, NJ - email for reservations (mailto:rosies-cafe@comcast.net) 4/9 The Bitter End (https://bitterend.com/#/events), New York, NY - John Platt’s on Your Radar series. W/Jilian Matundan and Madeleine Roger. 4/16 The Flat Iron (https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/97977158/abigail-dowds-singer-songwriter-series-featuring-martha-bassettjess-kleinand-jane-kramer-greensboro-flat-iron?partner_id=100), Greensboro, NC - in the round with Abigail Dowd, Martha Bassett, Jane Kramer 4/20 Huron Stage (https://jessklein.com/jess-klein-w-jodi-jones-at-huron-stage-durham-nc-4-20), Durham, NC - w/ Jodi Jones 5/5 Muddy Creek at Old Salem (https://aftontickets.com/event/buyticket/38jy8r4x71), Winston-Salem, NC w/Karyn Oliver 5/9-5/12 SERFA (https://www.serfa.org/conference-registration), Black Mountain, NC 5/24 Muddy Creek Music Hall (https://www.muddycreekcafeandmusichall.com), Sparta, NC - FULL BAND SHOW! Here’s a snippet of The Illusion of Love, a new song in progress. Still feeling out the end of the chorus and the end of the song. At first I told my producer, “This will be an easy song to write!” Because it’s mostly metaphors and imagery, I assumed it would be a simple exercise in language. He laughed, and rightly so, because now I am stuck on how to tie things up. But I have some ideas. It’s not the end of the road. Something’s gonna squirrel in there and get the dance party started. Leatherette or leather Foam fill or feather Same town or togeher Was it just the illusion of love? Spiritual journey or red herring Taking space or just not caring Smoke and mirrors or truly daring Was it just the illusion of love? I'm so tired of never knowing Can't trust what my eyes are showing me Every love a heartbreak in disguise ... Happy ending or fairy tale Rare find or a fire sale Hair of the dog or the Holy Grail Was it just the illusion of love? Waiting room or a sacred space Painted smile or a friendly face A better world or just a hiding place Was it just the illusion of love? I'm so tired of never knowing Can't trust what my eyes are showing me Every love a heartbreak in disguise ... Get full access to Jess Klein's Substack at jessklein.substack.com/subscribe (https://jessklein.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

12. 

    19 Mar 2024

    In it for the love

    A few weeks ago I was at the Folk Alliance International Conference in Kansas City. For those who aren’t acquainted, this conference is one part music-nerd lock-in, one part hustle, one part no-sleep-i-love-everybody-aren’t-we-lucky-to-be-part-of-such-an-amazing-music-community. It’s 5 days of music of the mostly acoustic variety from 10 am to 3 am in the hallways, meeting rooms and private hotel rooms of a big hotel/conference center. Most people emerge exhausted but feel buoyed by the incredible coalescence of talent and kindheartedness. I have long had a love/yikes relationship with this or any music conference. I love seeing and hearing all the musician friends I never see because we are all on the road or living in different places. I saw at least 3 new artists I was blown away by, and heard new songs from several friends whose growth and commitment to their artistry astounds and inspires me. The yikes is having to “network” or feel competition vibes. Also, despite being mostly embraced by the folk community historically, I live with the sneaking feeling that I’ll never fit in anywhere (https://open.substack.com/pub/jessklein/p/outsider?r=z2qwi&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true). WILMINGTON, NC! Coming your way for the first time ever Saturday 3/23 at Live at Ted’s! I’ll be joined by Russell Kelly on electric guitar. GET TICKETS The sleepless love/confusion state led me to question why I was there, at the conference. There were hundreds of other songwriters there - many younger, better at self-promotion, cuter - why was I needed? Why exactly do I do this again? I sat in my hotel room looking at a wilting room service arugula salad out of which I’d picked the candied pecans because sugar sometimes bothers my stomach. Oh right! I remembered - I’m in it for the love. I started to cry. A career/vocation that makes no sense on paper, leads to strained relationships, often means loneliness and leaves me comparing my work to anyone who has more followers than me. Here was the bigger reason: I’m in it for the love. Love is the end of the line for me. It’s the whole point of any endeavor, and it right-sizes my struggles when I put that force above me. I sat down and wrote the bones of a new song. For my paid subscribers, below the tour dates is my first rough live version of “In It For the Love”, filmed last week at Molly’s House Concerts in Chicago by one of the best fans ever, justfrag. WINSTON-SALEM! I’ll be teaching a one-day Songwriting Workshop at The CMPND! We’ll get you writing right away, then discuss ways to structure a song, how to create emotional impact, tools to face down writers’ block and more! Limited to 10 students so RSVP to get a spot! UPCOMING SHOWS: 3/23 Live at Ted’s (https://www.tickettailor.com/events/liveatteds/1114070), Wilmington, NC 4/4 Club Passim (https://passim.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/instances/a0FRQ000001CXAw2AO/sections/a0KRQ000004doxC2AQ), Boston, MA - w/special guest Jenny Reynolds - tickets going fast! 4/7 Rosie’s Cafe (mailto:rosies-cafe@comcast.net), Brick, NJ - email for reservations 4/9 The Bitter End (https://bitterend.com/#/events/100342), New York, NY - John Platt’s On Your Radar Show 4/16 The Flat Iron (https://flatirongso.com), Greensboro, NC - Abigail Dowd’s Songwriter in the Round 4/28 CMPND - Songwriting Workshop (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/songwriting-workshop-with-jess-klein-tickets-860113952987?aff=oddtdtcreator) in Winston-Salem 5/5 Muddy Creek Music Hall at Old Salem (https://www.muddycreekcafeandmusichall.com), Winston-Salem, NC - co-bill with Karyn Oliver 5/24 Muddy Creek Music Hall (https://www.muddycreekcafeandmusichall.com), Sparta, NC - FULL BAND SHOW! 6/6 The Martha Bassett Show, (https://marthabassettshow.com/upcoming) Elkin, NC 6/20-23 Moccasin Creek Music Festival (https://moccasincreekfestival.com), Effingham, IL I’m in the process of transferring my paid content from Patreon to Substack and hope you’ll consider upgrading to a paid subscription to access new song demos, rehearsal footage, and my 3rd Sunday Salons - where my fans and I gather over zoom and co-create playlists together around different themes each month. In It For The Love This was a first pass and a first performance and it felt safe to try it live, where nothing is forever. Although now I’m sharing with you all, so… No guarantees this is where this song will end up. Thanks to the lovely Virginia who agreed to hold the lyric for me and act as moral support. Click the image to watch the private YouTube of it: Here is the lyric: Back when this whole thing started I was fresh and new Full of grand ambition A lot of hot air too Men in suits lined up To tell me I was great Wasn’t sure what they wanted I was only being an artist Sometimes touching greatness Sometimes feeling overrated Still I went around the world Sometimes to cameras and applause Other times to jet lag, sore throats, and empty bars Tried to walk away more times Than I’ll admit to you But in spite of all the questioning Trying to conquer everything Wondering if I’m anything at all Some part of me knew I’m in it for the love I’m in it for the love I’m in it for the love I’m in it for the love I’m in it for the love I’m in it for the love And love has come back to me Though sometimes I forget Angels in a world That hasn’t figured it out yet Like a stranger who would drive me To my next invitation A young girl who told me My words were her salvation A 100 dollar bill that would end up in my jar Genius crazy artist friends Changing the world with songs and pens The blessing just to stand here And share what I’m seeing I’m in it for the love I’m in it for the love I’m in it for the love I’m in it for the love I’m in it for the love I’m in it for the love When you wish upon a star Makes no difference who you are Anything your heart desires Will come to you It’s been a long, rocky journey To scale something real Not just what it looks like But how it makes you feel You care less and less Who it makes sense to The more times you get goosebumps From touching something true And if you’re still listening It means you’re more like me Than maybe you give yourself permission to be A seeker, a dreamer at the end of the day You’re not letting something like the world get in your way Saying I don’t want a different life Only grateful for this life Come on sing it with me I know you’re wanting to We’re in it for the love We’re in it for the love We’re in it for the love We’re in it for the love We’re in it for the love We’re in it for the love We’re in it for the love Get full access to Jess Klein's Substack at jessklein.substack.com/subscribe (https://jessklein.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

13. 

    28 Feb 2024

    Outsider

    I’ve often felt like an outsider - not being sure where I belonged, wishing I could get “inside” a culture, a community, an industry.  I thought getting in would make me feel safe, powerful, or both.  But the truth is my heart is drawn to the other outsiders, because I believe they (we) are the ones who have the best view of what’s going on. Maybe you look at me and wonder what on earth I’m on the outside of, raised a suburban white Jewish middle-class straight(ish) cis girl.  But I actually often feel on the outside of almost every descriptor in that previous sentence.  I’m Jewish by birth but was never Bat Mitzvah-ed and don’t really feel drawn to organized religion. Middle class - I don’t think that exists anymore.  Girl: yeah?  I guess?  Straight? Not completely.  White skin but never truly feeling safe in “white” culture, whatever that is.  Came up in the folk world but not really a folk artist, except in the sense that I care about folks.  WITF am I? The times I’ve briefly gotten “in” have been thrilling: I beat the odds!  Look at me in a hat! Taking pictures with the tastemakers!  Those moments have also felt ungrounded, fleeting - I knew they would slip from my grip at any moment. They felt like loud conversations in crowded bars, which maybe they usually are; I have no interest in small talk and I’m not going to yell my deepest, weirdest secrets at you (unless, you know, I’m onstage). So yeah, fleeting. Never Gonna Break Me: A song about what happens when some poor fool tries to shame or "other" me for being a human full of longing, desire, vulnerability. Til now I’ve hesitated to embrace the actual power that comes from owning my outsider-ness. I’ve hesitated because of fear, laziness, denial.  These days I feel called to own it, dig into what’s out here in the psychological darkness on the edge of town, in my songwriting and in my career. Because maybe everyone feels this way sometimes, even the folks who look to be at the nexus of a family, culture, industry. And what if that’s actually what connects us: our different-ness, otherness, longing for closeness, safety, recognition?  I’m a thousand percent interested in what genuinely connects us.  Seems like a needle in a haystack to find it these days, but I’ve observed enough human behavior in enough places in the world to know we basically function from the same range of emotions.  That’s something. So, I’m curious: Do you feel like an outsider? All the time? Sometimes? Never?  Let me know in the comments.  I wonder if there’s something about my music that speaks to that for you. I’m coming to the MIDWEST next week! 3/6 On the Tracks, Chelsea, MI 3/8. Molly’s House Concerts, Lincolnwood, IL - email for reservations 3/9. Henry House Concert, Pacific, MO - email for reservations 3/10. Compass Listening Room, Columbia, MO These venues are all new to me, so please come on out and share with you MW friends. Thank you for reading Jess Klein's Substack. This post is public so feel free to share it. More Tour Dates: 3/23 Live at Ted’s, Wilmington, NC 4/4. Club Passim, Boston, MA - special guest Jenny Reynolds - On Sale Now! 4/7. Rosie’s Cafe, Brick, NJ - email for reservations 4/9. The Bitter End, New York City My favorite performance I saw at Folk Alliance International last weekend was Flamy Grant. (https://www.flamygrant.com) She was all class and so honest and God did she slay: Get full access to Jess Klein's Substack at jessklein.substack.com/subscribe (https://jessklein.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

14. 

    30 Jan 2024

    Ancient Egypt

    A few days ago I returned home from a trip to Egypt. It was the best trip I’ve ever been on. My mom brought me with her in honor of my 50th birthday and her forthcoming 80th. What made the experience so special, beyond the opportunity to be somewhere I’d never been and to share it with my mom was how much there was to learn. Our guide was an Egyptologist named Mohammed Rehim (https://eg.linkedin.com/in/mohammed-rehim-520b95a1). If you ever have a chance to go on a guided tour of Egypt, do everything you can to get this man to be your guide. The depth and breadth of his knowledge of ancient Egypt seemed absolutely endless. He never tired of our questions and his passion for the wonders of the ancient world was infectious. I haven’t technically been to ‘school’ in 29 years. I’m not sure even when I was that I ever experienced anything like the excitement I felt trying to absorb all the information Mohammed shared with us. WINSTON-SALEM! Join me Saturday Feb 3rd at Gas Hill Drinking Room at the Ramkat. I’ll be joined by Russell Kelly on guitar and special guest Sarah Sophia will open the show. What really knocked me out was the sheer sense of awe I felt at the size of the pyramids, the temples. The colors painted on the walls of the tombs, dating back 3000 years and still as vibrant as if they’d been painted last week. The thousands of stories carved into the pillars and walls of every temple and tomb to appease the gods as a king or queen made their journey to the Second World. The precision of every cut made into stone on the tombs of non-royals showing what their daily lives and jobs were. It made me think about faith - how committed the ancients were to making things work out for the people passing on. I admire that kind of commitment to a belief system. I’ve never been able to completely commit to one way of thinking - the curse of a brain that never stops questioning. I tried frantically to write down everything Mohammed shared with us at every site. I couldn’t capture it all. But it left me with a hunger to learn more, and to share as much as I can with anyone I can teach anything valuable to. The older I get, the more I just want to learn and share it, learn and share it, learn and share it. Jess Klein's Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. AUSTIN! Join me and my friend Jenny Reynolds Sunday Feb 18th at KD House Concerts. Suggested donation is $30, less for fellow artists. For info/reservations email KD House Concerts. I don’t know yet what I’ll do with this reignited passion for learning. Live part-time in Egypt? Learn Arabic? Get a degree in something new? I don’t know. I do know that I don’t want to forget this feeling and just get sucked back into the grind of daily life. That’s why I’m sharing this with you as a sort of accountability plea. Being immersed in intentional learning and teaching suddenly feel like the best ways to feel totally present and alive and to make the most of my time here. While I’m working out the answer to this question, I hope you’ll join me at these upcoming shows. TLDR - Upcoming Shows 2/3 Gas Hill Drinking Room, Winston-Salem, NC 2/18 KD House Concert, Austin, TX w/Jenny Reynolds - email for reservations 3/6 On the Tracks, Chelsea, MI 3/8. Molly’s House Concerts, Lincolnwood, IL - email for reservations 3/9. Henry House Concert, Pacific, MO - email for reservations 3/10. Compass Listening Room, Columbia, MO 3/23 Live at Ted’s, Wilmington, NC 4/4. Club Passim, Boston, MA - On Sale Now! 4/7. Rosie’s Cafe, Brick, NJ - email for reservations 4/9. The Bitter End, New York City xo Jess Get full access to Jess Klein's Substack at jessklein.substack.com/subscribe (https://jessklein.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

15. 

    16 Jan 2024

    Optimism

    Friends, I have moved my newsletter onto Substack. Nothing has to change for you if you don’t want it to. You will continue to receive these newsletters in your email. However, you will now have the option to leave comments directly on my Substack. You can also upgrade to a paid subscription to support my work. For now, I am keeping all my posts visible for everyone while I see how this goes. Many thanks as ever for your support. Thinking about optimism right now.  I don't mean naïveté, ignorance or burying our heads in the sand.  I mean: optimism. Is it inherently fragile? Or can it offer a deep source of power? I looked it up and found this: noun * A tendency to expect the best possible outcome or dwell on the most hopeful aspects of a situation. * The doctrine, asserted by Leibniz, that this world is the best of all possible worlds. * The belief that the universe is improving and that good will ultimately triumph over evil. There is SO much to fear. There are bottomless wells of grief. But there's also a lot to DO, no? Action: to me, this is where optimism is a friend. Optimism + compassion + disciplined action.  This is the formula I am working with right now. Or maybe what I’m talking about is faith. Not religious faith, per se, but…faith in the universe (?) I feel like a squeaky child suggesting this. I can hear every cool kid and intellectual in my past snarking at me. But I still like the idea of faith in the universe. In fact, I absolutely need it to keep going. Here’s a song I wrote in 2013, called Learning Faith, about needing to have faith whether I liked it or not. Feb. 3rd Winston-Salem I have a crush on Winston-Salem. There, I said it. Every time I go there, I meet innovative, creative people who are making things happen. And they want me to be part of it. Makes me giddy. Join me Saturday February 3rd at Gas Hill Drinking Room.  I'll be joined by Russell Kelly on guitar and special guest Sarah Sophia! Optimism and faith can feel lonely. I feel a deep need to dream and to take steps towards those dreams. I don’t understand how to do that without optimism. But f**k, if it isn’t a lonely road sometimes. I’m just over here smiling about being alive on this dark path to oblivion! I’m not trying to be flippant. I know how privileged my life is, and I know it’s a privilege to sit here and ponder philosophies. I also know that every positive change in history started with a person or group of people believing something better was possible. Feb 18th Austin I’ll join my friend Jenny Reynolds for a Sunday afternoon house concert 2/18 in Austin. Suggested donation $35, less for fellow artists. I’ll join my friend Jenny Reynolds for a Sunday afternoon house concert 2/18 in Austin. Suggested donation $35, less for fellow artists. It’s not that I can’t understand pessimism. Surrounded by war, genocide, climate change, erosion of our civil rights, why in God’s name wouldn’t we all commit to pessimism? But …I also feel like some people who could be making a positive difference choose instead to dig their heels into pessimism out of fear, no matter how good their life is. Midwest in March I actually see optimism as a practical choice. If I have a choice, ultimately, about where I put my energy and my thoughts, I’m always going to go with the thing that gives me energy back. Because life is short. I’d rather die feeling alive and ridiculous and saying f**k you to those in power who want me to give up. I need optimism to move towards what I believe in - gender and racial justice, peace, the right to exist and express myself as an artist. Just some thoughts from this Aquarian weirdo. April 4th Boston Join me at the beloved Club Passim Thursday April 4th! Boston gave me my start and it always feels like a musical homecoming to return. Jenny Reynolds opens. Tickets available to Passim members 1/11 and to the public 1/18. Join me at the beloved Club Passim (https://www.passim.org) Thursday April 4th! Boston gave me my start and it always feels like a musical homecoming to return. Jenny Reynolds (https://www.jennyreynolds.com) opens. Tickets available to Passim members 1/11 and to the public 1/18. Are you an optimist? A secret optimist? Only on the weekends? Let me know below. Thank you for joining me here on Substack. It’s an experiment! Let me know how you like it. xo Jess TLDR - Upcoming Shows 2/3 Gas Hill Drinking Room (https://www.theramkat.com), Winston-Salem, NC 2/18 Casa DB’s House Concert, Austin, TX w/Jenny Reynolds - email for reservations (mailto:kdhouseconcerts@gmail.com) 3/6 On the Tracks (https://www.onthetrackschelsea.com), Chelsea, MI 3/8. Molly’s House Concerts, Lincolnwood, IL - email for reservations (mailto:mollyshouseconcerts@gmail.com) 3/9. Henry House Concert, Pacific, MO - email for reservations (mailto:fz1@prodigy.net) 3/10. Compass Listening Room (https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/compasscolumbia/7075/event/1364983), Columbia, MO 3/23 Live at Ted (https://buytickets.at/liveatteds/1114070)’s, Wilmington, NC 4/4. Club Passim, (https://www.passim.org) Boston, MA - member tickets on sale 1/11. General public tickets on sale 1/18 4/7. Rosie’s Cafe, Brick, NJ - email for reservations (mailto:rosies-cafe@comcast.net) 4/9. The Bitter End (https://bitterend.com/#/events), New York City Get full access to Jess Klein's Substack at jessklein.substack.com/subscribe (https://jessklein.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

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