Melanie Devaney

Melanie performs a mix of covers and originals. She generally performs on guitar and piano while singing, but can also provide piano background music for an event as well. Covers include those by artists such as The Beatles, The Eagles, Adele, U2, Credence Clearwater Revival, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Carole King, Patsy Cline and many, many more. With appropriate lead time, Melanie can customize her performance to your requests. She is familiar with many different genres including pop, rock, classic rock, country and even jazz standards!

If you are looking for someone to make announcements of "MC" your event, Melanie can also provide that service.

Once booked, Melanie will request a timetable of events for the evening (announcements, dinner etc.) so she can prepare appropriate set lists for the required length of time, as well as arrange for load-in and load-out.

Melanie Devaney is a folk-Americana singer-songwriter from the small town of Epworth, Iowa (pop. 1,700). Clasically trained in piano and holding a degree in Creative Writing, her songs are stories from her own life’s adventures and the cast of characters she has met and created along the way. With a personal mission to “create beauty and change on song at a time,” Devaney strives to use to her music to inspire others to make the world a little better through simple acts of compassion and understanding. While her music can, at times, make her come across as vulnerable, Devaney is anything but weak. When called for, her songs exhibit a commanding strength and power that can take audiences by surprise. Devaney combines the values of her rural upbringing - integrity, authenticity and hard work - with her intellectual passion for learning. The result is elegant music that is nonetheless enjoyed by audiences from all walks of life.

Devaney was listed in Music Connection magazine’s Top 100 Unsigned Artists to look for in 2011. Devaney tours throughout the United States, with a heavy concentration of shows in the West and Midwest.

Some of Devaney's notable performances include The Red Gorilla Music Festival in Austin, TX, the Tucson Folk Festival, the Nowoodstock Festival in Ten Sleep, Wyoming and the Black Hill Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, as well as the Kimball Arts Festival in Park City, Utah; the Julian Music Festival (Julian, California) and Groovefest (in Cedar City, Utah).

Devaney’s most recent album, “Single Subject Notebook” is the third such independent release. “Single Subject Notebook” was produced by Grammy-nominated Jamie Candiloro (R.E.M/Willie Nelson/The Eagles/Ryan Adams/ Ed Kowalczyk).

Described by the San Diego Kensington News as “a real gem,” her music is “ At times country, at times pop, she’s like a mix of Carole King and Emmylou Harris with confessional lyrics and heartfelt music to spare.”

If you do not have your own sound equipment Melanie can provide:
- A two-speaker, six channel Yamaha P.A. system with microphones, cables and stands
- Provide background music during dinner, breaks or times when live music is not
required (by running MP3 player through the P.A. system)
- For smaller spaces or events that require no amplification, Melanie can perform
"acoustic" with just guitar.

If you are providing sound, Melanie requests:
-- A two-speaker PA system with four channels for audience
- a center stage monitor
- boom stand
- DI box
- All necessary inputs
- Melanie can bring her own microphone, cables and stand or a combination thereof