The first time my family encountered Mr. Jeff was Christmas of 2023 at Jilly’s Music Room, where he plays an annual brunch with Santa. We were just looking for a fun Christmas activity. Little did we know we would discover (not to be cliché) a true hidden gem.

The littles, particularly my almost 2-year-old, Zoey, were so enchanted by the performance that I followed Mr. Jeff on his social channels during the car ride home.

After his first single “Loud in the Library” dropped on YouTube a few weeks later, my husband started complaining that we were messing up his video recommendations. Little Zoey would have had the song playing on repeat all day if we let her.
 

Thus we found ourselves waiting patiently for his album release, because as each single dropped it became part of a never-ending YouTube loop. We as parents had to keep cuing up the videos, since Zoey couldn’t use the remote yet.

Sometimes she watched the videos and danced, sometimes she talked back to Mr. Jeff and gave her own brain a big kiss, but a lot of the time she just liked to have the music in the background while she went about her play.

We parents just couldn’t wait to have a bigger song rotation.

After Mr. Jeff released his fourth or fifth music video, I sent him a message on Facebook begging him to put the music videos in a playlist separate from his other videos so that I could functionally put it on repeat without needing to stand by, remote-in-hand, when Zoey would run through the songs. 

Yeah, I’m the kind of grown up firing off Facebook messages to anyone and everyone. I think that makes me an elder millennial?

I mentioned that Zoey was home sick (she had a cold), and after immediately creating the playlist we needed, he did something unexpected.

He sent a short video where he addressed Zoey by name, told her that he hoped she felt better soon, and did his signature move. “Give me a high five, and a fist bump,” he smiled through the mobile screen. “And a jellyfish!!! Now, give your brain a big kiss muaaaahhhh…” 

What struck me initially was how genuine Mr. Jeff’s excitement and friendliness was. He seemed so invested in this little fan he had only met once.

The first time she watched it quietly, frozen, taking it in. One word escaped her little mouth “again!” 

The awe turned into delight as she followed along doing all the motions, so tickled that Mr. Jeff knew her name. 

Here we are nearly a year later, and she still asks to see that video at least a few times per week. She still says “again” at least ten times, and she giggles throughout.

That small act of kindness towards my family, a family that Mr. Jeff had met one time at a Christmas brunch, made an unforgettable impression on Zoey and me.

While it was a special experience for us, for Mr. Jeff it’s just part and parcel of who he is - a seemingly unending font of kindness, joy, and good vibes.

The OG Family Band

It makes absolute sense that his journey from touring rock musician to award-winning children’s musician took him through the refining fire of fatherhood and teaching preschool.

For Jeff Klemm, the love of music was ingrained early. The son of two musical theater actors, he spent a lot of his time backstage and eventually on stage.

“Music was always a big part of my life because my parents were musical theatre people,” Klemm said. “We were always dragged to rehearsals, and we had free reign over the theatre.”

Klemm recalls running around the theatre, getting into trouble and being forced to sit and watch, and “take it all in.”

He didn’t sit in the audience for too long though – by fourth grade he had migrated to the musical theatre stage with his family.

What was his favorite role?

“I feel like every role that I’ve taken on in my life has become part of my personality in some way,” he said, “some more than others.”

Unsurprisingly, then, his favorite role was playing Puck in Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“I oftentimes feel like Puck,” he said. “Especially as Mr. Jeff – I show up to do gigs and I’m very hyper and a little bit mischievous.”

Part Puck, part Pied Piper of Hamlin and Part Elvis, Mr. Jeff’s energy is one of his hallmarks. The mischievousness might be more than a ‘little bit,’ and it likely predates the role as Puck.

“I convinced my parents and siblings to each get an instrument,” he said.

After musical theatre, he moved to choir and then around age 13, he discovered his love of Rock ‘n Roll.

“I convinced my brother to play guitar, and then I convinced my other brother to play drums,” he said. 

His motivation?

“I mean, the dream was a family band,” he said,” I wanted to play music with them.” 

But then, with a grin you could hear in his voice over the phone, he admitted that he had ulterior motives.

“I convinced them, you know, knowing that they might give it up and I could have all their instruments.”

Klemm started out ‘slappin’ the bass’ as it were, and teaching himself by listening, practicing and playing.

“So, my brother Kevin who got the guitar moved to drums, then piano, so I did get his guitar,” he said with another audible grin. 

The brothers would play in a band together for more than a decade as kids, and then Jeff launched into a total Rock ‘N Roll immersion that would define his teens and twenties.

“I always say that that’s where I established my work ethic,” Klemm said. “No matter what, we were in the drummer’s attic in Cuyahoga Falls practicing, working, writing, recording.”  This first band released one full length album, two EPs and a live record taken from performances at Peabody’s Down Under in downtown Cleveland – mostly during high school.

And yes, Peabody’s let them in to play before they were 21.

From there, Klemm went to recording school and started working in recording studios. His band Maid Myriad toured more than 41 states, opening for a variety of artists, including some big names like “Primus” and “As Tall as Lions” whose lead singer Dan Nigro produces artists like Chappell Roan and Olivia Rodrigo.

Other Mr. Jeff parents should definitely check out the back catalog from Maid Myriad and Mr. Jeff’s solo work as Jeff Klemm. The raw, emotional lyrics and early aughts arrangements will take millennials and xennials right back to college days crawling local venues and having the same opportunity that my kids are currently enjoying – being a fan on the ground floor of local acts with the juice to make it big.

The authenticity of Maid Myriad and Jeff Klemm projects came from a deeply personal space.

“Creating music was how I coped with everything and truly how I expressed myself,” Klemm said. “Like therapy.”

Klemm was in up to 11 bands at a time, working recording studios, writing, producing and struggling with something my kids can relate to – ADHD.

“I was diagnosed when I was a kid,” Klemm said.

In college, he stopped treatment for it, but the ADHD was still creating challenges. 

According to a 2020 meta-analysis of 27 studies on ADHD, individuals with ADHD are up to three times as likely to struggle with addiction than those who do not have the disorder.

Unsurprising with the prolific body of work, “in college I started self-medicating,” he said. The music scene is somewhat famously a minefield for neurodivergent individuals with access and pressure to imbibe.

“It’s a very common story,” he said. 

Maybe this is why my older two children click so well with Mr. Jeff. He is the positive embodiment of ADHD. 

Mr. Jeff offers them a role model to look at for how they can channel their creativity and find success in their own lives.

“That’s why Mr. Jeff music is so much fun to me. It really showcases the silly and fun side of me (which is way more prevalent than the sad, heartbroken side of me… nowadays anyways),” Klemm said.

Hello Mr. Jeff

The inflection point for Klemm was also a common tale.

“Mr. Jeff was born when my son was born,” he said.

That was when Klemm felt the pull away from playing in bars and back toward the family band he dreamed of as a kid.

He owes some of his success as Mr. Jeff to a leap of faith.

Not his own leap, but that of a local preschool who hired him to be a teacher. 

“The center took a chance on me with very little experience other than being a dad,” he said. 

He started out trying not to be “that guy with a guitar,” at the preschool, but the two were married quickly when he kept getting invites to play in a colleague’s classes.

“It became two classes and then it became all the classes, and then the entire school,” he said. 

That’s the beauty of Mr. Jeff’s family band. He sees the world through the eyes of his children and combines that with his own childhood nostalgia to make music that’s relevant to all ages. It’s the reason that I occasionally find myself listening when I’m alone in the car, even after dozens of rides with the album on repeat.

There is a deep meaning in the work. From silly dad musician jokes to helpful mantras, as a mom I get a lot from Mr. Jeff.

In the song “Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful,” Mr. Jeff sings:

“What if I spill juice on my shirt, what if my feelings get real hurt?” 

And then, “It’s ok, it’ll be ok – it’s still a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful day.”

I spill a lot of juice, and my feelings often get real hurt. I appreciate Mr. Jeff’s genuine words of encouragement.

Mr. Jeff’s useful advice on what to do when you have a “tude" has helped me explain how to approach difficulties to my kids and reminded me that sometimes things break and sometimes we experience loss, but it’s still so wonderful to be alive.

And yes, to go have a snack.

Part of the Mr. Jeff magic is that you believe he is genuine when he tells you “it will be ok.” 

It reminds me of the way it felt to be comforted by my dad when I was small. I trusted it. I trust Mr. Jeff.

Jillian Klemm’s art also makes the Mr. Jeff merch my children’s favorite t-shirts. They wear them so often that we’ve already bought a second shirt for each one to pull into the rotation.

Music being a family enterprise has brought Jillian Klemm a lot of joy.

“Our children play such a big role in the Mr. Jeff project. Full songs have been formed from silly phrases they’ve said or things we’ve said to them at breakfast,” she said.

The kids are also the “testers” for all Mr. Jeff tunes.

“Every Mr. Jeff song has been 'tested' on them,” she said. “If it doesn’t make the one-year-old bounce and smile, adjustments need to be made.”

While the kids have a big influence on the music, having a musical family has a big impact on them. They are so proud of dad.

“Juni constantly requests to 'listen to Dada on Spotify,' Silas is always showing off Mr. Jeff YouTube videos to his friends, and Jonah will instantly stop crying when he hears “Poppin’ Bubbles,”” Jillian Klemm said. 

She is as proud of dada as the kids are.

“It’s so wonderful for them to witness what it means to follow your passion and see him bringing joy to others through music,” she said. “It’s truly been a positive and special experience for them.”

Being part of her husband’s journey, both as the creative mind behind the brand and his life partner has brought Jillian a lot of joy.

“We are constantly bouncing ideas off one another, pushing each other creatively, and I couldn’t ask for a better partner in both art and life,” she said. “I’m incredibly grateful to stand beside him, contributing in my own way to something that makes such a positive and lasting impact.”

Hitting the Big Time

The Klemm family band, and “Mr. Jeff” project went from baby steps to long strides in 2024.

The first Mr. Jeff album, “Wonderful, Wonderful, Wonderful” debuted on March 22, videos released at regular intervals, the summer reading tour visited more than 30 libraries and Klemm also hit a major milestone.

He was inducted into the Recording Academy, which meant he got to start 2025 by attending his first GRAMMY® awards and accepting the World Entertainment Award for “Best Children’s Album.” (His most popular song from the album, “Loud in the Library,” was nominated for the WEA award for Best Children’s Song as well).

What does this mean for his future career? For now, he’s focused on making children’s music. But eventually, we can hope to see him back on adult stages as well.

The long and the short of it is this: Hurry. 

Hurry up and take your children to a Mr. Jeff concert. Go this weekend to see him at House Three Thirty for his post-awards celebration show.

Hire him to play your child’s birthday party. Trust me. Worth it.

This is a singular experience for a child – to become exposed to an extremely talented, genuinely kind, brilliantly creative and energy-filled children’s performer with the legs to make a national/international career.

For my kids, seeing Mr. Jeff perform at the library is exactly as incredible as it would be as running into Bluey and the Heeler family at the grocery store. 

It’s rare to have this kind of access to a performer. It has the potential to make a lifelong impact on your family.

But, don’t take my word for it.

Becky Murphy Chance is a mom of four in the Akron area. Her youngest, Lilly, might actually be Mr. Jeff’s biggest fan (sorry to my kids).

“Being born with Spina Bifida does not stop her from dancing and singing along to Mr. Jeff! His music instantly puts a smile on her face and gets her little self moving and grooving,” Chance said.

Chance and her children attended Mr. Jeff’s performance at The University of Akron’s ZipsGuide “Made in the 330 Monday” Holiday Market.

"Seeing him live was just as special as I guessed," Chance said. 

For Chance, the real magic was watching Lilly's reactions.

“To see her smile, clap, dance, sing along brings me such a sense of joy. Watching a child be free spirited, happy and truly enjoying themselves is priceless!”

So, one last time, hurry. Go see Mr. Jeff at local spot or at the library before he's playing the Forum. 

You’ll thank me later.