My brother used to scream “Freebird” at every concert he attended. Not because he actually needed to hear the classic southern rock song. Most likely, he wanted to see how the performer or band would react. And sometimes, they would respond by singing a verse or chorus. The kids on “Magical Music Train,” a track on Happy Day, Jenn Cleary‘s second collection for children, also want to hear “Freebird.” Which shows that kids today are not much different from kids decades ago – they crave the good stuff.

Colorado’s Cleary has performed music for more than two decades. She officially entered the children’s music space with last year’s All Together Now! and follows it with Happy Day, engaging her younger listeners with bluesy folk rock filled with genial, life-affirming content.

Sustainability is the theme of “Plant a Garden,” but Cleary dives right back into the sweet stuff with the subsequent track, “I Like Candy” – more about acknowledging the value of fruits and vegetables than hiding a secret stash of Tootsie Rolls. “Turtle Time” urges children to slow down (to a snail’s pace) and enjoy the natural world around them, as nothing lasts forever and we need to enjoy activities in the moment. On “Only One You,” Cleary sings about self-reliance and confidence:

There’s only one you, no one else is the same
With a wisdom inside you can’t even name
You have the key to be who you want to be

If you doubted Jenn Cleary’s good intentions, look no further than the non-profit she founded 14 years ago, which promotes innovative, locally sustainable health and economic sufficiency programs in Nepal, India, and Tibet. During this time, Cleary adopted Dorje Dolma, raised until age 10 by her nomadic yak-herder aunties, parents, and grandparents in the remote Himalayan mountains of Nepal. Her experiences are addressed on “I’m a Yak,” which uses yak whistles and herding calls to recount how the lifestyle hasn’t changed for hundreds of years – except by climate change. You can also read about Dolma’s experiences in her book, “Yak Girl: Growing Up in the Remote Dolpo Region of Nepal.”

If your only experience with harmonica is Blues Traveler’s John Popper, meet Cleary’s sideman, Mad Dog Friedman, who keeps the tempo flowing on the title track and other tunes. Happy Day winds down with the contemplative “Fly Seagull Fly” and bedtime lullaby, “It’s Time to Go to Sleep.” But with Jenn Cleary, the blues don’t need to be sad. It’s just another shade in a child’s palette and tomorrow will be another day to color outside the lines.

Music Minute: Happy Day

Happy Day, the second family album from Boulder’s award-winning folk-rock singer-songwriter Jenn Cleary, offers an infectious array of tunes with positive messages of happiness and appreciation for the environment. Happy Day will be released on June 17, 2022.
For 14 years Jenn Cleary ran a non-profit that she founded, which promoted innovative, locally sustainable health and economic sufficiency programs in Nepal, India, and Tibet. Much of her work was with children in Nepal, and, initially, communication was limited. However, calling upon her performing talents, Jenn was able to employ the universal language of music. In this way, she connected heart-to-heart with the people she served, while also developing her own abilities as a storyteller in song and a creator of evocative musical portraits.

Each song on Happy Day can trace its lineage to this profoundly human experience. In a most natural way, the music on this album owes its existence to the efforts of this generous, large-hearted, and gifted musician to establish a connection more universal and more powerful than language.

About Jenn Cleary

Jenn Cleary has over twenty years’ experience performing on international stages. Highlights include Sundance Film Festivals, Colorado Rockies games, opening for Shemekia Copeland at Etown, and several European tours. Jenn was honored as a Telluride Blues Festival acoustic competition finalist and a Colorado Blues Society finalist for best self-produced album. She has studied with Livingston Taylor, Dr. Ysaye Barneswell (Sweet Honey in the Rock), Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul and Mary), David Wilcox, and many others. Noted for her range of song styles, Jenn performs bluesy acoustic solo shows as well as rockin’ shows with her full electric band.

Jenn’s songwriting for children is informed by a lifetime of assisting, educating, and raising them. In addition to founding a private school in Boulder, Colorado, she is the founder of All Together Now International, a non-profit that, for 14 years, provided housing, schooling, and medical care for Nepali children. She has also been a foster parent, a sponsor, and has raised her own three children.

Previous albums include All Together Now! (2021, NAPPA Award, Parent and Teacher Choice Award, Hot Diggity Award, International Songwriting Contest semi-finalist for the song “Our Wild Family”), Blues from the Heart (2018), Back to the Wheel (2010), and Breakin’ Loose (2006).

Happy Day will be available on Amazon. CDs will also be available at Jenn Cleary’s live shows, through her website: www.jenncleary.com, and at brick-and-mortar stores through Super D distribution.

Jenn Cleary’s Sophomore LP Will Make Audiences Of All Ages Happy Every Day

Family music entertainer Jenn Cleary is scheduled to release her sophomore album, Happy Day June 17 independently. Set for release a little more than a year after the release of her debut album, All Together Now, the 10-song record is a presentation that will make audiences happy every day. That is due in part to the album’s musical body, which will be discussed shortly. The record’s lyrical themes add their own interest to the record’s presentation and will be examined a little later. The album’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements and will also be discussed later. Each item noted is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered they make the album a successful second offering from Jenn Cleary.

Happy Day, the second new album from Jenn Cleary, is a positive new presentation from the family music entertainer. The record’s success comes in part through its featured musical arrangements. Speaking more specifically, the diversity in the arrangements is what makes them so important. The album opens with a mid-tempo kindie rock composition in the album’s title track but then quickly changes things up immediately after in ‘Magical Music Train.’ The bluesy harmonica line and the guitar line give the arrangement in this case an identity totally separate from that of the album’s opener. The addition of what sounds like a Hammond B3 organ to the mix adds even more to the engaging and entertaining blues approach here and ensures even more, older audiences’ engagement and entertainment. ‘Plant A Garden’ changes things yet again, taking listeners on a zydeco ride. Cleary and her fellow musicians take another hard right yet again in the very next song, ‘I Like Candy,’ this time in a more country western direction. ‘Take A Walk in the Woods,’ which serves as the album’s midpoint, keeps the changes coming, this time offering audiences a semi-country rock approach. From there to the record’s end, the sounds and styles continue changing just as much all the way through. By the record’s end audiences will agree that the varied arrangements presented throughout the album’s body make for reason enough to hear this presentation.

As much as the album’s musical arrangements do to appeal to audiences, it is just part of what makes the record worth hearing. The lyrical themes that accompany the record’s musical arrangements add their own share of interest to the presentation. From the serious to the silly, Cleary presents themes that will resonate with audiences of all ages. What’s more she does this in a way that makes them accessible to just as many audiences. Case in point is the light, flowing ‘Turtle Time.’ The song is a reminder to audiences of all ages that we all need time to slow down after being so overly exposed to the now, now, now nature of the world today. That nonstop energy of the workday and school day. She even notes in her song that parents need that turtle time just as much as children.

On a separate note, a song, such as ‘I Like Candy’ promotes proper dental health and proper eating habits all in one. She sings from the vantage point of a child who loves all kinds of candy but ends up paying for it in the end at a dentist appointment. The dentist goes so far as to tell the child to cut back on sweets and try to eat healthier.

On yet another note, a song, such as ‘Fly, Seagull, Fly,’ which comes across as a sort of neo-folk style composition, is a celebration of the simple things in life. The song’s subject is out on the beach, watching a seagull flying casually up in the blue sky. The seagull is a representation of those simple things that we should all take into account daily and appreciate. It really is a unique way to approach such a deeper concept that will connect with a wide range of audiences. It is yet another example of what makes the album’s lyrical themes so important to its presentation. When it and the other themes pointed out here are considered along with the rest of the album’s themes, the whole leaves no doubt as to the noted importance. It is just one more part of what makes the album appealing. The album’s sequencing rounds out its most important elements.

Throughout the course of the album’s run, the sequencing creates a fully immersive and positive general effect. This is the case even as the sounds and styles of the songs change from one to the next. Other than the record’s finale, ‘It’s Time To Go To Sleep,’ the only other point at which the album’s energy pulls back (and fittingly so) is ‘Turtle Time.’ The relaxed sense of the arrangement does well to help translate the message of needing that time to slow down and just relax. To that end, the stability of the album’s musical content even amidst its constantly changing sounds and styles, the sequencing ensures audiences’ engagement and entertainment in its own right. When the success thereof is considered along with the impact of the album’s overall content, the whole makes Happy Day a successful sophomore offering from Jenn Cleary.

Happy Day, the new album from Jenn Cleary, is a welcome addition to this year’s field of new family music albums. Its appeal comes in part through its featured musical arrangements. The record’s musical arrangements stand out because of their variety. From one to the next, Cleary offers audiences something different throughout the album. That in itself is reason enough for audiences to hear the album. The lyrical themes that accompany the album’s musical content are just as varied. They range from the serious to the silly. What’s more they are delivered in a fashion that makes them accessible to audiences of any age. The album’s sequencing puts the finishing touch to its presentation. It ensures the album’s energy remains stable throughout its run even as the sounds and styles change. The result is a positive general effect that is just as important as the album’s content. Each item examined is important in its own way to the whole of the album’s presentation. All things considered they make the album a presentation that will make the whole family happy every day.

Happy Day is scheduled for release June 17.

Meet Jenn Cleary | Singer-Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenn Cleary and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenn, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
When I was six, I asked Santa Claus for a piano and he really delivered! Well actually, the want-ads delivered four burly brothers and their accordion-toting mother with a big ol’ antique piano that they seemed happy to find a new home for. Somehow, they got that beast of wood and wire through the door and into our family room. They then proceeded to make themselves comfortable and jammed nonstop, with mom belting it out on the accordion. A couple of hours later, off they went, and I was left to find that the immense joy this instrument had given them was soon to be given to me. I have always loved music. Either the radio was on or I would spin the turntable with my favorite vinyl. I remember my father listening to his record collection (Perry Como, Karen Carpenter, Frank Sinatra) and singing along. He did his best imitations of each performer and made us all laugh. My mother took us to plays and musicals and once we got into high school, one parent or the other would deliver us to rock concerts. I was never a natural musician, like some of the greats that I admire, but with my passion for music, I persevered. Practiced, practiced, practiced until I was good enough to busk, then good enough for an open mic….eventually creating my own rock band and recording five albums.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have been an acoustic rock’ blues artist for some time now, but often found myself enjoying entertaining families the best. It has always been so much fun to be performing at a festival and have the kids engaged with the music or seeing a mom or dad dancing with a toddler in their arms. I raised a few kiddos of my own, worked as an educator and volunteered with street kids in Nepal, so writing songs for children has been a natural expression for me. I came out with my first family album last year. It took off and won numerous awards. So naturally, I was encouraged to keep on writing in this direction and I just finished my second family album which will be released June 17th.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Actually, I am really excited to be taking my mother and daughter to Yellowstone National Park next week. I went there back in my 20’s and I thought it was one of the most spectacular places on the planet. I can’t wait to share it with them.

We live in Boulder, CO and Yellowstone is about a 12 hour drive each direction. So, we are going to create a fun road trip out of the adventure. We will visit family as we go through Fort Collins, CO, stop in Laramie, WY for lunch and a museum then find a hotel about half way. Heading west will take us to the Grand Tetons and through Jackson Hole, WY before heading up to Yellowstone on the the second day. We have a room at the Old Faithful Lodge, built in 1903-1904 with local logs and stone, the Inn is considered the largest log structure in the world. We have a room with a view of “Old Faithful” geyser herself, which we will get to see shoot water high in to the air, approximately once every hour. Day trips will be around the park to see some of the many stunning waterfalls, geothermal wonders and diverse wildlife. Pretty excited!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My mother Margaret Cleary is my biggest fan. She goes to every show possible even as it get’s more and more difficult with age and health issues. My mother lives next door to me now and every morning we walk a mile together. One morning last year, she turned to me and said, “With this new album you’re working on, I think you should write a song about caring and sharing with one another because that’s what we’re all about.” I immediately liked the idea and by the time we got home I had the melody in my head. Within a few hours, I had the song written and ready to finalize with my mother. Having lost my father and my brother many years ago, I cherish each moment that I have left with my mother. For her to be able to co-write this song was an amazing gift from the universe. “Love Right Now” is one of my favorites on my 2021 album, All Together Now! and I hope that many others experience its beauty.

Blues singer Jenn Cleary presents Happy Day, a children’s album with strong themes about the value of a positive attitude, and taking joy in experiencing the natural environment. The upbeat, delightful songs with a snazzy touch of humor will appeal to all ages. Happy Day is highly recommended for both personal and public library family music collections. The tracks are Happy Day, Magical Music Train, Plant A Garden, I Like Candy, Take a Walk in the Woods, Turtle Time, Only One You, I’m a Yak, Fly Seagull Fly, and It’s Time To Go To Sleep.

Rising Music Star Jenn Cleary On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry

Asa part of our series about rising music stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jenn Cleary.

Jenn Cleary is a folk-rock, singer-songwriter from Boulder, Colorado, with many years of experience performing on international stages. Highlight shows include Colorado Rockies games, E-Town, Sundance Film Festivals, blues and folks’ festivals and multiple European tours. She has a range of song styles and performs bluesy, acoustic solo shows and rocks out with her full electric band. Jenn has released two albums of original songs (Breakin’ Loose, 2006; Back to the Wheel, 2010) and one of bluesy covers (Blues Full of Heart, 2018). Her first children’s album, All Together Now, won prestigious recognition from the 2021 NAPPA awards for being best in the music industry. She was the Back to School winner of the 2021 Fall Parent and Teacher Choice Awards and a 2021 International Songwriting Contest semi-finalist for her song “Our Wild Family.” Jenn will release her next album of children’s songs, called Happy Day, on June 17, 2022.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

Igrew up in a small town outside of Boston, called Sudbury, MA. My early years were full of wonder and exploration, spending hours outside every day, playing in the woods, climbing trees and splashing around in the ponds and streams. We had a great neighborhood of kids who were always out looking for fun things to do. Pick-up games of kickball, whiffle ball and soccer were always happening somewhere nearby. I think back fondly to those times and used that inspiration to fuel both my 2021 album, All Together Now! Rockin’ Songs for Kids of All Ages and my 2022 album, Happy Day, which is also full of engaging family pop songs. When I sing my new song, “Take a Walk in the Woods,” I have the image of those beautiful New England woods emblazoned in my mind.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I have been passionate about music right from the start. Starting with piano in first grade, then moving to acoustic guitar in middle school. I always loved to sing, but have to admit that my voice and instrumental talents were limited. I was not one of those naturally gifted, larger-than-life performers that you admire on TV. Not to be deterred, I engaged in lessons and practiced relentlessly. Before long, my tenaciousness-above-talent attitude had me busking on the streets and developing my performance skills with a non-critical crowd.

I started songwriting in my early twenties, only to be detoured by the fact that I had to work to make money, and then along came the kiddos. The musical expression could only continue in the background of my “normal” life. Then along came a serious medical crisis that sent me to the couch for months at a time. During this period, I developed my bluesy style of musical expression from a place of authentic pain and despair.

I emerged from that period wanting to express and connect with more people through music. I then recorded my first blues rock album and created the Jenn Cleary Rock Band. The rest is history, as they say!

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I was actively involved with my boys’ little league teams, helping out with coaching and taking them to professional games. One day, our big rock station here in Colorado (KBCO) had an interview with coach Clint Hurdle of the Colorado Rockies. He was asked who were the up-and-coming music stars in Colorado and he named me! He had bought my debut album online and was actually playing it in the clubhouse before Rockies games. I gathered up my courage to give him a call. He graciously called me back and invited me and my baseball-fanatic boys to a couple of games where we got to meet our favorite Rockies players. It was not only a highlight experience for me and my music, but I was temporarily the coolest mom of the year.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I actually think way back to my first stage appearance in elementary school. I had been studying up on magic tricks and for some unknown reason, I thought I would be good enough to perform in front of the whole school. All seemed to be going very well at first, when suddenly I couldn’t get a trick to work. I found myself pretending that someone was asking me a question from the side of the stage. I walked behind the curtain and then came back and voila! the trick had resolved itself. Out in the audience, my parents were a bit horrified, but I remember calmly moving through the issue and carrying on to kind applause. Excuse me while I cringe before continuing…

Adolescence then launched me into years of debilitating stage fright, but the above experience actually helped take me back to a place where I didn’t need to be afraid to make a mistake. Mistakes are how we learn and get better at what we love to do. When I think back to it, I still can’t believe I had the fearless courage to pull that off, but I did learn that the show must go on.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

My upcoming album, Happy Day, has been super creative and exciting. It is family-friendly with enjoyable rocking kids’ tunes for all ages. It falls into the genre of “Kindie-Music” or “Family-Pop.”

The title track sets the album’s good-times mood, celebrating the joy of a beautiful day with its tight rhythm and vivid intensity. The sounds and rhythmic feel of train travel, enhanced by a shuffle beat rolling along under my musical partner Mad Dog Friedman’s blues harmonica, all add up to the mystical image of a train in “Magical Music Train,” traveling to wherever your imagination takes you. “Plant a Garden,” a super-fun, energetic tune with a Louisiana zydeco sound, encourages curiosity, experimentation, and a connection to the earth. Candy is a universal delight, and the humorous “I Like Candy” spreads the happiness while encouraging self-care and balance.

“Take a Walk in the Woods,” as mentioned above, reminds listeners to not abandon the nature-based ambience of their environment for the enticements of a video screen. “Turtle Time” and “Only One You” emphasize the importance of contemplation, while “Fly Seagull Fly” is a song of avian admiration and the life of the sea. “It’s Time to Go to Sleep” speaks of the power of the breath to ground oneself and relax into sleep.

The most remarkable song on the album is “I’m a Yak,” written with my adopted daughter, Dorje Dolma, who grew up as a yak herder in Nepal until age ten. She came to the U.S. because she was dying from a severe medical condition that could not be addressed in Nepal. This song takes us back to a time almost forgotten and a place dramatically impacted by climate disruption, where nomads still live directly from the land, herding yaks and goats. The people of this Dolpo region play traditional music handed down over hundreds of years and vocalize to call their yaks back from the pastures. Dorje based her songwriting on facts about yaks and her experience living and working with them. She wanted to make the song both musically current and factually accurate for the listeners. We not only wrote this song together, but we also engaged her family in Nepal in the process. Her father sent us a track of his, playing a Dolpo damyen lute. I then built the musical component of the song around it, both in key and in rhythm. A couple of Dorje’s extended family members were staying with her parents in Kathmandu for the winter, before hiking a month back up to their village. They, along with Dorje’s father, sang a Dolpo folk song about honoring nature, and we recorded that as well. We wove the folk tune in between the yak facts. We also used a recording of Dorje’s sister’s yaks walking in her village with their bells clanging to add to the beginning and end of the song. Dorje brought more ideas to the studio while working with producer John McVey, drummer Christian Teele and bassist Chris Engleman, who included modern grooves with drums, bass and electric guitar. Eric Moon, who had been to Nepal, used his immersive travel experience to add the ambient sound of the flute from his keyboard. You can even hear Dorje herself at the beginning of the recording doing her yak whistle and the herding calls that she used as a child to bring her yaks home: “coo, coo.”

Dorje is the author of Yak Girl: Growing Up in the Remote Dolpo Region of Nepal, published in 2018 by Sentient Publications.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

I was at a talk at the Rocky Mountain Song School in Lyons, CO, in 2015, when Paul Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary said something like, “Singer-songwriters are the voices of our current culture. You are the next generation of artists, who can use your talents to powerfully make a difference for positive change.” I will never forget that moment. It was both intimidating and empowering. It felt like he was passing the torch to us as his tremendous work as an artist was nearing its end. My next album, All Together Now, would go on to attempt to use Peter Yarrow’s words of wisdom.

“All Kinds of Families,” the emotional center of the All Together Now album, is about the different kinds of families in which kids can live. I also wrote this song with Dorje, who was initially raised by aunties, parents, and grandparents, since they were nomadic yak herders. Dorje lived at a Nepali children’s home for orphans before I brought her to America for life-saving surgeries and subsequently adopted her. After college, Dorje went on to work in a preschool where she witnessed many different kinds of family situations — single parents, biracial parents, two moms or two dads, grandparents, foster care kids, adoption, on and on. There were so many variations of families that Dorje wanted to honor and express acceptance for. So, we co-wrote the song “Families of All Kinds.”

Raising a child of color and of a different ethnic background has brought directly to my attention the struggles that these kids (and adults) can endure in the American “white culture.” I honestly didn’t think much about it for a long time. The color of her skin never changed anything for me personally, and after all, I had the privilege of being white. She is just who she is, I thought. Aren’t we all just humans wanting the same things in life? Love, health, economic security, emotional stability and community? This child, now an adult, is a kind, generous and all-round beautiful human being. Yet, having just done a road trip with her to Yellowstone National Park, I noticed as we walked into some of the unfamiliar restaurants, venues or gas stations, people stared at her in a not-so-kind of a way. Instead of warmly greeting people ourselves, as we often do in many situations, we found ourselves on the defensive and anxious to leave.

With my new album, Happy Day, I tried to stay with an overall theme of inclusion and focused on the positive parts of life. For example, “Happy Day” asks, “Don’t we all have good days and bad days and when those happy days come along, don’t we want to jump with joy?” “Plant a Garden” asks “Can’t just about anybody find happiness in planting a seed and watching it grow?” And “Only One You” tells us that we are ALL unique in our own way.

I think it is important to not emphasize the divisions that we are experiencing these days, but to focus on what is positive, with the hope that we can find common ground and come together more as loving and kind human beings.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. “Don’t expect everyone to like your musical expression. It’s ok, we all have different tastes.” There have been shows where I felt nobody cared or was even listening. But at almost every show, somebody comes up to me and says how moved they were by a particular song. I never assume that people aren’t listening. And even if it’s just one person in the room who was moved, that’s enough.
2. “If you keep with it, you might earn a living.” So many people told me I would never make any money with music and that it would always be a hobby. Well true, I haven’t gotten rich off of music, but I do have income that has grown through the years. But what’s most important to me isn’t the money anyway. It’s the connections made, the new friends, the people moved by a moment in a song and, oh, the places that I’ve traveled! It’s the gift that just keeps on giving.
3. “It’s ok that you aren’t a musical prodigy.” I have always admired great musicians and knew that I was not one of them. Playing instruments never came easily to me, but somewhere along the way, I noticed I was getting better and better with lessons and practice. Once that light went on, I felt confident in just forging ahead and doing the best I could with the time I have. And now I’m a true musician, being paid to perform and sell my music. How cool is that?
4. “Find ways to make practice fun.” I didn’t last long with piano lessons, because my teacher didn’t inspire me to enjoy music. I encourage my students to find ways to make practice fun and to understand their goals. It really doesn’t matter if you aren’t good at keeping a beat if you don’t intend to be in a band. If it’s for your own enjoyment, who cares? But if your goal is to perform, especially with a group, then keeping a beat will be very important at some point. Try to play along to your favorite songs, play with friends, sing to your dog and be a goofball. Whatever it takes. If you can imagine what you want to be doing in the end, you will get there with practice.
5. “Don’t assume that you can’t sing.” Take lessons! Unless you have a physical disability that affects your vocal chords or your hearing, you can learn. You may not have the same abilities as some of the greats, but most people can learn to sing and sing well. Go for it!

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Take time out to “Take a Walk in the Woods” or “Plant a Garden” or take some “Turtle Time.” Why not? Listen to some of Jenn Cleary’s family pop and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I would love to see people come together, young and old, black, brown and white, straight, gay and all in between, for the greater good of our planet. We could put all the prejudices aside and see that we are all one and just want to be happy, healthy and balanced in our lives. Let’s “Break it Loose,” change our “Attitude,” get “Back to the Wheel,” have a little “Less Gravity, “Love Right Now” and embrace “Our Wild Family,” which will hopefully lead to “Peace in our World.” Then we can do some “Lovin’ Like a Fool,” All Together Now! (Jenn Cleary song titles ☺)

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

This is a great opportunity to share my gratitude for the producer on my last four albums, John McVey of Cinder Sound Studios in Longmont, Colorado. John is a super creative, talented musician/vocalist/singer-songwriter turned sound engineer and producer. Not only that, he’s a great guy! He helped me take each of my songs from simple folk, rock or blues tunes to their dynamic potential. Working with John in the studio is wonderfully collaborative and an admittedly euphoric experience. I highly recommend Cinder Sound Studios!

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Slow down, you’re moving too fast.” I have always been exuberant about life and love to achieve a lot. I often have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the moment. I read a great book recently by James Nestor, called Breath. There is a lot to the book, but basically what I got out of it was to really pay attention to my breath and even appreciate that I am breathing at all! When I went to write my most recent album, I used that inspiration to create a kind of short guided-meditation for kids, that I put at the end of the album. Instead of doing a traditional lullaby, I took the opportunity to come from a genuine place of how I myself can find calm at the end of the day. Be sure to listen to “It’s Time to Go to Sleep” on the new Happy Day album. Having tried it out, I can verify that it can actually put you to sleep. It’s not just for kids- ha!

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂

I have always really admired Jane Goodall. She not only did a tremendous amount of work to help protect chimpanzees, but by doing so, also inspired people to help conserve the natural world that we all share together. She has genuinely improved the lives of people, animals and the environment on an epic scale.

Asa part of our series about rising music stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Jenn Cleary.

Jenn Cleary is a folk-rock, singer-songwriter from Boulder, Colorado, with many years of experience performing on international stages. Highlight shows include Colorado Rockies games, E-Town, Sundance Film Festivals, blues and folks’ festivals and multiple European tours. She has a range of song styles and performs bluesy, acoustic solo shows and rocks out with her full electric band. Jenn has released two albums of original songs (Breakin’ Loose, 2006; Back to the Wheel, 2010) and one of bluesy covers (Blues Full of Heart, 2018). Her first children’s album, All Together Now, won prestigious recognition from the 2021 NAPPA awards for being best in the music industry. She was the Back to School winner of the 2021 Fall Parent and Teacher Choice Awards and a 2021 International Songwriting Contest semi-finalist for her song “Our Wild Family.” Jenn will release her next album of children’s songs, called Happy Day, on June 17, 2022.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

Igrew up in a small town outside of Boston, called Sudbury, MA. My early years were full of wonder and exploration, spending hours outside every day, playing in the woods, climbing trees and splashing around in the ponds and streams. We had a great neighborhood of kids who were always out looking for fun things to do. Pick-up games of kickball, whiffle ball and soccer were always happening somewhere nearby. I think back fondly to those times and used that inspiration to fuel both my 2021 album, All Together Now! Rockin’ Songs for Kids of All Ages and my 2022 album, Happy Day, which is also full of engaging family pop songs. When I sing my new song, “Take a Walk in the Woods,” I have the image of those beautiful New England woods emblazoned in my mind.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I have been passionate about music right from the start. Starting with piano in first grade, then moving to acoustic guitar in middle school. I always loved to sing, but have to admit that my voice and instrumental talents were limited. I was not one of those naturally gifted, larger-than-life performers that you admire on TV. Not to be deterred, I engaged in lessons and practiced relentlessly. Before long, my tenaciousness-above-talent attitude had me busking on the streets and developing my performance skills with a non-critical crowd.

I started songwriting in my early twenties, only to be detoured by the fact that I had to work to make money, and then along came the kiddos. The musical expression could only continue in the background of my “normal” life. Then along came a serious medical crisis that sent me to the couch for months at a time. During this period, I developed my bluesy style of musical expression from a place of authentic pain and despair.

I emerged from that period wanting to express and connect with more people through music. I then recorded my first blues rock album and created the Jenn Cleary Rock Band. The rest is history, as they say!

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I was actively involved with my boys’ little league teams, helping out with coaching and taking them to professional games. One day, our big rock station here in Colorado (KBCO) had an interview with coach Clint Hurdle of the Colorado Rockies. He was asked who were the up-and-coming music stars in Colorado and he named me! He had bought my debut album online and was actually playing it in the clubhouse before Rockies games. I gathered up my courage to give him a call. He graciously called me back and invited me and my baseball-fanatic boys to a couple of games where we got to meet our favorite Rockies players. It was not only a highlight experience for me and my music, but I was temporarily the coolest mom of the year.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

I actually think way back to my first stage appearance in elementary school. I had been studying up on magic tricks and for some unknown reason, I thought I would be good enough to perform in front of the whole school. All seemed to be going very well at first, when suddenly I couldn’t get a trick to work. I found myself pretending that someone was asking me a question from the side of the stage. I walked behind the curtain and then came back and voila! the trick had resolved itself. Out in the audience, my parents were a bit horrified, but I remember calmly moving through the issue and carrying on to kind applause. Excuse me while I cringe before continuing…

Adolescence then launched me into years of debilitating stage fright, but the above experience actually helped take me back to a place where I didn’t need to be afraid to make a mistake. Mistakes are how we learn and get better at what we love to do. When I think back to it, I still can’t believe I had the fearless courage to pull that off, but I did learn that the show must go on.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

My upcoming album, Happy Day, has been super creative and exciting. It is family-friendly with enjoyable rocking kids’ tunes for all ages. It falls into the genre of “Kindie-Music” or “Family-Pop.”

The title track sets the album’s good-times mood, celebrating the joy of a beautiful day with its tight rhythm and vivid intensity. The sounds and rhythmic feel of train travel, enhanced by a shuffle beat rolling along under my musical partner Mad Dog Friedman’s blues harmonica, all add up to the mystical image of a train in “Magical Music Train,” traveling to wherever your imagination takes you. “Plant a Garden,” a super-fun, energetic tune with a Louisiana zydeco sound, encourages curiosity, experimentation, and a connection to the earth. Candy is a universal delight, and the humorous “I Like Candy” spreads the happiness while encouraging self-care and balance.

“Take a Walk in the Woods,” as mentioned above, reminds listeners to not abandon the nature-based ambience of their environment for the enticements of a video screen. “Turtle Time” and “Only One You” emphasize the importance of contemplation, while “Fly Seagull Fly” is a song of avian admiration and the life of the sea. “It’s Time to Go to Sleep” speaks of the power of the breath to ground oneself and relax into sleep.

The most remarkable song on the album is “I’m a Yak,” written with my adopted daughter, Dorje Dolma, who grew up as a yak herder in Nepal until age ten. She came to the U.S. because she was dying from a severe medical condition that could not be addressed in Nepal. This song takes us back to a time almost forgotten and a place dramatically impacted by climate disruption, where nomads still live directly from the land, herding yaks and goats. The people of this Dolpo region play traditional music handed down over hundreds of years and vocalize to call their yaks back from the pastures. Dorje based her songwriting on facts about yaks and her experience living and working with them. She wanted to make the song both musically current and factually accurate for the listeners. We not only wrote this song together, but we also engaged her family in Nepal in the process. Her father sent us a track of his, playing a Dolpo damyen lute. I then built the musical component of the song around it, both in key and in rhythm. A couple of Dorje’s extended family members were staying with her parents in Kathmandu for the winter, before hiking a month back up to their village. They, along with Dorje’s father, sang a Dolpo folk song about honoring nature, and we recorded that as well. We wove the folk tune in between the yak facts. We also used a recording of Dorje’s sister’s yaks walking in her village with their bells clanging to add to the beginning and end of the song. Dorje brought more ideas to the studio while working with producer John McVey, drummer Christian Teele and bassist Chris Engleman, who included modern grooves with drums, bass and electric guitar. Eric Moon, who had been to Nepal, used his immersive travel experience to add the ambient sound of the flute from his keyboard. You can even hear Dorje herself at the beginning of the recording doing her yak whistle and the herding calls that she used as a child to bring her yaks home: “coo, coo.”

Dorje is the author of Yak Girl: Growing Up in the Remote Dolpo Region of Nepal, published in 2018 by Sentient Publications.

We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?

I was at a talk at the Rocky Mountain Song School in Lyons, CO, in 2015, when Paul Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary said something like, “Singer-songwriters are the voices of our current culture. You are the next generation of artists, who can use your talents to powerfully make a difference for positive change.” I will never forget that moment. It was both intimidating and empowering. It felt like he was passing the torch to us as his tremendous work as an artist was nearing its end. My next album, All Together Now, would go on to attempt to use Peter Yarrow’s words of wisdom.

“All Kinds of Families,” the emotional center of the All Together Now album, is about the different kinds of families in which kids can live. I also wrote this song with Dorje, who was initially raised by aunties, parents, and grandparents, since they were nomadic yak herders. Dorje lived at a Nepali children’s home for orphans before I brought her to America for life-saving surgeries and subsequently adopted her. After college, Dorje went on to work in a preschool where she witnessed many different kinds of family situations — single parents, biracial parents, two moms or two dads, grandparents, foster care kids, adoption, on and on. There were so many variations of families that Dorje wanted to honor and express acceptance for. So, we co-wrote the song “Families of All Kinds.”

Raising a child of color and of a different ethnic background has brought directly to my attention the struggles that these kids (and adults) can endure in the American “white culture.” I honestly didn’t think much about it for a long time. The color of her skin never changed anything for me personally, and after all, I had the privilege of being white. She is just who she is, I thought. Aren’t we all just humans wanting the same things in life? Love, health, economic security, emotional stability and community? This child, now an adult, is a kind, generous and all-round beautiful human being. Yet, having just done a road trip with her to Yellowstone National Park, I noticed as we walked into some of the unfamiliar restaurants, venues or gas stations, people stared at her in a not-so-kind of a way. Instead of warmly greeting people ourselves, as we often do in many situations, we found ourselves on the defensive and anxious to leave.

With my new album, Happy Day, I tried to stay with an overall theme of inclusion and focused on the positive parts of life. For example, “Happy Day” asks, “Don’t we all have good days and bad days and when those happy days come along, don’t we want to jump with joy?” “Plant a Garden” asks “Can’t just about anybody find happiness in planting a seed and watching it grow?” And “Only One You” tells us that we are ALL unique in our own way.

I think it is important to not emphasize the divisions that we are experiencing these days, but to focus on what is positive, with the hope that we can find common ground and come together more as loving and kind human beings.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.

1. “Don’t expect everyone to like your musical expression. It’s ok, we all have different tastes.” There have been shows where I felt nobody cared or was even listening. But at almost every show, somebody comes up to me and says how moved they were by a particular song. I never assume that people aren’t listening. And even if it’s just one person in the room who was moved, that’s enough.
2. “If you keep with it, you might earn a living.” So many people told me I would never make any money with music and that it would always be a hobby. Well true, I haven’t gotten rich off of music, but I do have income that has grown through the years. But what’s most important to me isn’t the money anyway. It’s the connections made, the new friends, the people moved by a moment in a song and, oh, the places that I’ve traveled! It’s the gift that just keeps on giving.
3. “It’s ok that you aren’t a musical prodigy.” I have always admired great musicians and knew that I was not one of them. Playing instruments never came easily to me, but somewhere along the way, I noticed I was getting better and better with lessons and practice. Once that light went on, I felt confident in just forging ahead and doing the best I could with the time I have. And now I’m a true musician, being paid to perform and sell my music. How cool is that?
4. “Find ways to make practice fun.” I didn’t last long with piano lessons, because my teacher didn’t inspire me to enjoy music. I encourage my students to find ways to make practice fun and to understand their goals. It really doesn’t matter if you aren’t good at keeping a beat if you don’t intend to be in a band. If it’s for your own enjoyment, who cares? But if your goal is to perform, especially with a group, then keeping a beat will be very important at some point. Try to play along to your favorite songs, play with friends, sing to your dog and be a goofball. Whatever it takes. If you can imagine what you want to be doing in the end, you will get there with practice.
5. “Don’t assume that you can’t sing.” Take lessons! Unless you have a physical disability that affects your vocal chords or your hearing, you can learn. You may not have the same abilities as some of the greats, but most people can learn to sing and sing well. Go for it!

Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?

Take time out to “Take a Walk in the Woods” or “Plant a Garden” or take some “Turtle Time.” Why not? Listen to some of Jenn Cleary’s family pop and enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂

I would love to see people come together, young and old, black, brown and white, straight, gay and all in between, for the greater good of our planet. We could put all the prejudices aside and see that we are all one and just want to be happy, healthy and balanced in our lives. Let’s “Break it Loose,” change our “Attitude,” get “Back to the Wheel,” have a little “Less Gravity, “Love Right Now” and embrace “Our Wild Family,” which will hopefully lead to “Peace in our World.” Then we can do some “Lovin’ Like a Fool,” All Together Now! (Jenn Cleary song titles ☺)

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

This is a great opportunity to share my gratitude for the producer on my last four albums, John McVey of Cinder Sound Studios in Longmont, Colorado. John is a super creative, talented musician/vocalist/singer-songwriter turned sound engineer and producer. Not only that, he’s a great guy! He helped me take each of my songs from simple folk, rock or blues tunes to their dynamic potential. Working with John in the studio is wonderfully collaborative and an admittedly euphoric experience. I highly recommend Cinder Sound Studios!

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Slow down, you’re moving too fast.” I have always been exuberant about life and love to achieve a lot. I often have to remind myself to slow down and enjoy the moment. I read a great book recently by James Nestor, called Breath. There is a lot to the book, but basically what I got out of it was to really pay attention to my breath and even appreciate that I am breathing at all! When I went to write my most recent album, I used that inspiration to create a kind of short guided-meditation for kids, that I put at the end of the album. Instead of doing a traditional lullaby, I took the opportunity to come from a genuine place of how I myself can find calm at the end of the day. Be sure to listen to “It’s Time to Go to Sleep” on the new Happy Day album. Having tried it out, I can verify that it can actually put you to sleep. It’s not just for kids- ha!

Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂

I have always really admired Jane Goodall. She not only did a tremendous amount of work to help protect chimpanzees, but by doing so, also inspired people to help conserve the natural world that we all share together. She has genuinely improved the lives of people, animals and the environment on an epic scale.