Talented Australian vocalist and songwriter Melissa Jane Dichiera came to the United States 11 years ago to follow her rock and roll dreams. A born entertainer with a powerful, dynamic, and versatile voice, a compelling stage presence and remarkable sense of melody and songcraft, she has parlayed these skills, alongside a driven and focused temperament, to be a significant player in the success of three Los Angeles bands.
First, she is the long-standing frontwoman of the progressive rock act Final Gravity. Second, she is the lead singer for metal band SYNN, and she is also the driving force and focal point for the all-female Led Zeppelin tribute act Lady Zep. With training in a broad cross-section of genres, including opera, blues, Gospel, pop and rock, Dichiera is able to use her malleable primary instrument to great effect in all three, and all three acts are on the rise – thanks in no small part of Dichiera herself.
Music was always a part of Dichiera’s life as by her own admission she began singing before she could even talk and found herself to be more comfortable on a stage performing in front of people than offstage.
“When I am not onstage, I usually like to be left alone, not like a rude person or a recluse, but I am usually the person who likes to sit in the background and be peaceful. I am not a crazy attention seeker by any stretch of the imagination. But when I am onstage, when I have an audience, I now have their attention and I know that they want to hear from me, then it’s different. Then I will flip a switch and okay, let me out there, let me share this, let me be that performer. It’s like all of a sudden there’s this energy force that pours out of me. I don’t know how it works. I don’t know why it happens. People always ask me if I get nervous before shows. No. Actually I feel much more comfortable performing onstage than I do just walking around in everyday life,” she said, adding that she also began composing music at an early age and continues to value the therapeutic, sometimes cathartic role this artist impulse has in her life.
“There have been times when maybe I have to go home to Australia to visit my family, so I am kind of forced to take a break from it. And when it gets to be like a month or two months, something happens and I just don’t feel like myself, and I go into a kind of depression and I can’t pinpoint it. I just feel kind of empty; I feel like there’s something missing. And then when I get back into it and talk to my band members, they say the same thing. So, what we have discovered is that whenever we are away from music, it’s like there is a piece of you that isn’t really alive.
“It’s not just about writing a poem, it’s not just about making sounds. There really is a connection, at least for me and the musicians that I work with, where the creative process is really tapping into your soul. It really is sharing that energy in you that is not like anything else in this world. It’s not an everyday thing. It’s a power than comes from you. And with performing, that’s a huge part of where you get to release this great energy and that’s where you really connect with people. Because for me, onstage, I am not phoning it in. I am really tapping into something and sharing my whole soul and essence with that audience, with no holding back. There is something really amazing about that.”
Final Gravity is set to release its new album Surviving Humanity in October of 2019, but a number of singles have already been released, and it’s a record that, although touches on the tough times we are all seeming to endure, has an overall more hopeful and empowering message. The song No Love came out in January, followed by Sincerely Satan this month, with Leaving coming out in March. When the album is issued, it will be released in both digital and physical formats, including possible a short vinyl run.
“The Final Gravity album definitely takes you on a journey where, at the end you do feel lifted, you do feel ready to take on the universe. You’re inspired. We start with the song New Day, and it’s about not giving up and that it’s always darkest before the dawn of a new day. So, we’re talking about not giving up and staying positive. Then from there we start taking you through the journey of all the things that happen to make you want to give up. At the end, we bring you back to where we started, showing you that you don’t have to accept it, and now you’re able to find that strength within yourself and the positivity to push through it all. And the last song My Eternity is the one where you’re really finding your strength and energy to just soar,” she explained, adding that she feels the band does a good job of balancing its virtuosic and more accessible aspects both in their playing and compositions.
“I think it’s definitely got strong elements of prog rock. There is a technicality to it, there are odd meter and time changes, but we do it in a way where we’re not compromising the song, where we’re actually adding to the energy and the translation of the story. We kind of construct songs like how an opera or symphony would be constructed where, if you’re going to do syncopated things, you do it because it’s going to create an energy that needs to be there right now. You’re not doing it because you want to say, ‘hey, look at what I can do.’ Then the band has a definite metal infusion too it. We like to have the heavier drums to go along with that prog rock kind of feeling.
“I also believe my vocals add something a little different to it. I believe they have somewhat of a rock soulfulness where you’re tapping a little bit into not just rock and roll, but a bit of old school soul and blues too. I do like Led Zeppelin a lot – they’re one of my favourite bands. And what I do for this band is a little bit like Robert Plant I would say, because he’s not just rock and roll, he has a lot of soul and blues to his voice too, although I think I am a different type of soul, more like Aretha Franklin, who I have also idolized my whole life.”
As mentioned already, Dichiera has also been a significant part of the L.A. based metal band SYNN since joining the group. Although formed about 15 years ago, the band only released its debut album Venom in April 2017, garnering significant airplay on metal radio stations throughout the U.S. as well as critical acclaim from metal press in North America and Europe. Dichiera said it took time for the band to find a solid lineup and come up with the right material before heading into the studio. It was while with SYNN that she came in contact with Chominsky, who was looking for a singer for a solo project and found Dichiera.
When his band Final Gravity lost their singer, he tapped Dichiera. When SYNN lost their drummer, she tapped Chominksy. In many ways, Dichiera sees all three bands that she is in like a collective, sharing resources, as well as musicians. And the rest has been musical history for Dichiera and all her burgeoning projects.
Besides Dichiera, Final Gravity is comprised of drummer John Chominsky, guitarist Mike Clark and bassist Charles Mumford. Coincidentally, Chominsky also drums for SYNN alongside bassist Mike Status, and the guitar duo of Albert Ortega and Angel Navarez. Lady Zep also features lead guitarist Marija Krstic, bassist Clarissa Darlin and drummer Leanne Lagoyda.
“I am happy with the way things have gone and where I am in my life and my career right now. It’s been difficult and frustrating at times. It’s not like things just happened; I worked tremendously hard for everything I’ve got. I guess I just feel so driven by music that I will do as much as I can and take advantage of every opportunity that music offers me. I can’t imagine doing anything else. It’s an obsession, I guess. And it’s because the number one thing that I love, that I get out of music is the travelling and the connections I make and the creativity. So, it’s definitely the job for me,” she said, adding that she loves the travel component of being a working musician.
“I am the sort of person where I could live in hotels forever. I love just always being on the road, and I know that’s not for everyone. I hear so many people say they hate being on the road, but I love it.”
For more information on Final Gravity, any upcoming tour dates and Surviving Humanity, visit https://www.facebook.com/finalgravitytheband.
For more information on SYNN, visit http://melissadichiera.wixsite.com/synn.
For more information about Lady Zep, visit http://ladyzep.wixsite.com/all-female-tribute.
- Jim Barber is a veteran award-winning journalist and author based in Napanee, ON, who has been writing about music and musicians for a quarter of a century. Besides his journalistic endeavours, he now works as a communications and marketing specialist. Contact him at jimbarberwritingservices@gmail.com.
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