Melanie Hammet

Melanie Hammet is a performing songwriter who's active participation in city government has influenced and been influenced by her music. Hammet's experience with community and government involvement draws directly from the eight years she served on the Pine Lake city council. While there, Hammet worked on the overhaul of the city’s zoning code to better protect the natural and built environment of the city. Hammet was the 2011 president of the Dekalb Municipal Association and worked to network intra-municipal relationships and resource sharing. Hammet has written and produced many recordings and singles: previous releases include an album of songs exploring urban design. Inspired by her years in elected office, "Edifice Complex," written during an artist residency in Seaside, Florida, reflects both her knowledge of land use issues and her talent as an artist, having composed songs that are as musically rich as they are vested in the tradition of songs about land, home, and place. Her popular single, "Little Pink Gun" takes an amusing and alarming jab at gun control. Her latest album (under construction), "Quantum Civics," is a song cycle inspired by Hammet's municipal service.