ABOUT
Melissa Chilinski is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and vocalist whose music carries the spirit of the land and the stories of the people who live close to it. With her articulate clawhammer banjo and rich, jazz and blues inspired vocals, she’s been called a pairing of Gillian Welch, Madeleine Peyroux, and Norah Jones – an old-time-meets-modern vibe that keeps listeners hanging on to every vocal and instrumental note. “Chilinski paves her own way,” reads a review of her self-titled album, “turning the timeless into something beautiful and brand new.”
A fixture on the Bluegrass and Old Time scene since her arrival in Salt Lake City, Melissa can be found on the area’s premier stages, filling the State Room, taking the bandstand at annual events like the Ogden Music Festival, holding court in the Gibson Lounge in the Grand America Hotel, and sitting in with a genre-spanning variety of bands including Pixie and the Party Grass Boys, Hot House West Swing Orchestra, the Elderblossoms, Pompe n’ Honey, and more. Over the course of multiple albums, she’s carved out a distinct sound: warm and resonant vocals layered over banjos and fiddles that move fluidly between heritage genres and modern ideas. Songs reflect her range and story-telling styles, from the love lament of “Could Have Had It All,” to the haunting true legend of “The Blind Miner”.
Picking up a banjo the first time over a decade ago felt like a perfect fit. “Even before realizing what any of it was called,” she says, “I kept being drawn to folk, old time, Irish, and bluegrass music.” Around the same time that she coveting her uncles Vinyl Collection, enamored by heady progressive rock and jazz, the earthy sounds of old-time banjo caught her ear too, inspiration coming from the likes of Tim O’Brien’s Fiddler’s Green, Dirk Powell’s Hand Me Down, and Songs from the Mountain. “Some people in the bluegrass/old time scene spent their childhood’s going to festivals,” she says. “They’ve played fiddle since they were in diapers. Which is so beautiful. But I think finding it organically, because something called to my soul, is also interesting and powerful.” The tug, she says, comes from the folk traditions, the sounds of the mountains where Melissa (a rock climber and farmer with a Master of Soil Science) is especially at home, as well as the unmistakable community vibe.
Melissa remains committed to all the elements of the folk music scene, notably the community, for which she created the Trash Moon Collective. Today Salt Lake City’s hub of old-time/bluegrass music, the organization hosts events, workshops, and performances around the area, welcoming people to be at once audience, participant, and community member. She’s hosted house concerts and workshops for well-loved artists in the scene like Brittany and Natalie Haas, Brad Kolodner, Jake Workman, Duncan and Lily Henley, Shelby Means, Maya DeVitry, and more.
“I’m bringing all the components of myself into one unique artistic voice,” she says. “Instead of choosing just one style to play, one identity to sound like, I’m making something new that reflects who I am. It truly feels very poetic to how I feel personally - weaving more pieces of myself into one.”
current projects
Melissa is a self-proclaimed, forever student of old time, bluegrass, country, swing, and jazz, and is a collaborator and creator at heart. She regularly finds new inspiration in funky corners of the regional and national music scene, and has a variety of local projects.
Pompe n honey
Pompe n’ Honey is a tightly knit acoustic swing band out of Salt Lake City that came together over a love of early 20th-century swing and folk music. Breaking down the wall between high-brow sophistication and raw artistic expression, they are comfort food for your ears. Drawing inspiration from artists like Django Reinhardt, Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, Madeleine Peyroux, and Hot Club of Cowtown, Pompe n’ Honey play a healthy dose of original tunes, American Songbook standards, and quirky pop covers to make a dynamic and positively toe-tapping good time. Melissa’s original songs can be found on both Pompe n Honey records, notably “Could’ve Had it All”, “Call Me on the Telephone”, “Desert Moon”, and many more.
pearly blue
Drawing inspiration from the front-porch traditions of bluegrass, old-time, and classic country, Pearly Blue centers around close harmonies, expressive fiddle melodies, and thoughtful arrangements that highlight the emotional core of traditional songs. The trio is made up of three established musicians who have long been part of Utah's folk and bluegrass landscape. Banjoist and vocalist Melissa Chilinski brings a distinctive voice and banjo style that blends old-time tradition with jazz and country influences. Megan Nay, a member of the Lower Lights, adds rich melodic textures shaped by her love for both old-time and bluegrass traditions. Mandolinist Brielle Petrie, a member of Stomping Cactus, rounds out the trio on octave mandolin with a warm, grounded, and precise approach to traditional music.
Melissa chilinski & the hearfolk
The Hearfolk is a Utah-based group of jazz musicians who are dedicated to exploring sounds, harmonic color, and textures that can blend into any genre. Their collaboration with Melissa and her original music creates a soundscape that combines elements of jazz, ambient music, old time, and blues into something fresh and uniquely theirs. They will be releasing an album together this Fall 2026.
