We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jessy Greene a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Jessy thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
I’ve taken a lot of risks in my life. Hitch hiking from western Massachuestts to Florida after graduating high school was one of the dumbest but felt worth it at the time as staying in my tiny home town was not an option. Turned out Fort Laurderdale didn’t have a good music scene so when I received a postcard of the sun shining on Santa Monica with a hand drawn arrow and the words “come live with me here!” written on it, I decided to jump at the opportunity. I arrived in Los Angeles with a violin, a guitar and a back pack. I had one friend and no plan except to find cool musicians to play with and to stay out of trouble. I bought a used bike and started looking for friends on the bike path. I met a talented singer/songwriter, Shayne Blue, and started playing violin with her around town. One day, when we were playing on Venice Beach, a music manager approached me and asked me to audition for Peter Himmelman. I got the gig. It was a summer USA tour playing theaters. We traveled in a fancy tour bus and stayed at nice hotels. It was an incredible experience. The leap of faith I made jumping on a plane and moving across the country had paid off. It was the beginning of an incredible musical career I could never have dreamed of back then. It was the break I needed to let me know anything can happen if you take risks, believe in yourself enough to put yourself out there and keep trying.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Jessy Greene. I was born in Sheffield, a tiny village in western Massachusetts. I am a lover of music and music has saved my life. I was classically trained on the violin from age 4. But by the time I was 16, I was a drug-addicted run away and classical music didn’t fit into that story, so I gave it up. At 18 I found myself in Los Angeles with a strong desire to play the violin again. I began my new musical journey from a totally different perspective, one of experimentation and non-conformity. This new path gave me inspiration and hope, enough to get myself together and be accepted into UCLA Ethnomusicology department. I began playing with fellow students in an art-punk rock band and continued to get gigs and start touring after I graduated. Since then I have been incredibly blessed with co-creators, amazing bands, and sound magicians such as the Foo Fighters and P!nk, who have taught and continue to teach me so much about the power of sound and intention, inspiring my lifelong investigation into these phenomena. We are all connected to one other and this extraordinary vibrating planet. I believe sound vibration and music illuminates this light between us. Years ago I began a sound healing voyage with Rami Jaffee, improvising with special frequencies and intentions to inspire investigation of the self and consciousness. We released an ambient meditation album at the beginning of this year, “Chakras Lumina”, and I am now playing unique ambient dance events combining high vibrational melodies, special tuned machines and effected violins with world beats. I am constantly amazed how music can heal and repair our bodies, mind and spirt. Life can be challenging, but these past few years have been especially chaotic for most of us. I am incredibly grateful to live here in Venice Beach and for the peace and security I have found in a daily mindful practice which includes music, dance, breath, nature, and bike rides on the beach with my dog and friends.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
I love sharing my joy and passion for life via sound frequencies. Everything is in a state of vibration. From the stars to our bodies, the world is sound! Music in all forms continues to be an essential healing tool for my heart and soul. I view my body as a transmitting and receiving device. When I am in tune I am a positive resonance generator. I can raise and tune my frequency with music, meditation, movement and breath work and I love sharing how these tools have improved my existence. My intention is to be a clear and open a channel for the highest frequencies to flow through my voice, stringed instruments and compositions.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
As most artistic careers go there are busy times and there are slow times. I have become a fan of minimalism and I like to keep my overhead low. This allows me to appreciate the slow times, to turn inward and take my version of vision quests. These journeys can feel like an eternity but the distance I travel is short. It can be a struggle to leave my mind and all the fearful and anxious stories of my life behind and end up in my heart where there is nothing but love, acceptance, and peace, but it is so worth it. When opportunities arise and life gets busy again I am ready to show up in my highest flow state and be fully present.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jessygreenemusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessygreene/
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jessy-greene-564aa152
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JessyGreene
- Other: https://linktr.ee/jessygreene
Image Credits
Kristin Burnes (https://www.instagram.com/kristinburnsstudio/) took all of them except the one of me playing cello which was taken by Dustin Rabin (https://www.instagram.com/dustinrabin/)