Upcoming Events

December 5th

MELA featuring Concetta Abbate on Viola

Goodbye Blue Monday
1087 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11221

9pm- FREE

January 30th

MELA with Cydney McQuillan-Grace and Nidia Medina
sharing the bill with Inti and the Moon

LIC Bar- 45-58 Vernon Blvd.

8pm - FREE- plus a FREE Buffet!

Plus, stay tuned for a Kickstarter project raising money for our first EP, plus artwork by Scott Walsh

Wednesday, November 16th

MELA and Sea Teeth at Wicked Willy's!
Wicked WIlly's- 149 Bleeker st
8pm- MELA, 9pm- Sea Teeth (Philly based blues band!)
$5

This show has a few exciting things going on: MELA will feature just the lovely 3-part harmonies between Melanie, Cydney, and Nidia! Check it out! You will also be able to pre-order our EP to support our recording project! We might have some other treats for sale to compliment our EP project...so many things to look forward to!

And of course, check out Sea Teeth, with Dana Levin and the Philly crew, doing some old favorites and some original tunes by Dana himself.


Friday November 18th

MELA opening (solo) for The Orange Person- a musical by Laura Dunn and the Ghosts of Xmas Past!
The Gene Frankel Theater
21 Bond Street
New York, NY

8:00- MELA
9:00- curtain

For tickets and more information: http://www.theorangeperson.com/

And looking forward to December:
get ready for MELA featuring Melanie and Concetta Abbate on Viola, and a possible fund raiser party for the Green Theatre Collective project in India in Boston! And more album pre-orders!

Updates

MELA has gone through some changes, and have some interesting gigs coming up.

For one, we're adding an upright bass sound, by the lovely miss Lisa Dowling. We're creating a more solid sound with just upright bass, percussion, electric guitar, and Melanie's classic piano, guitar, and vocals. (and of course, her new featured love, Matilda the Marimachu.) In addition to the tighter simpler quartet, we'll be experimenting in our live performances with different combinations of duos and trios.

Our first experiment will be:

Wednesday October 12th 7pm
Wicked Willy's $5 cover
with Charlie Rauh- electric guitar
and Melanie Closs- piano, guitar, voice, Marimachu

We have plans to record an album and play small shows.

Look for another show at Wicked Willy's opening for Sea Teeth (blues) in November, and a house party fund raiser for girl's education in India in December. We're hoping to play in Boston at another fund raiser and Philly in the Spring.

Still working on the new website! Check back for updates and a link to the new site soon.

with love and peace and harmony and world folky-ness,
Melanie

Updates

Hello friends! This summer has been truly fantastic, the tour of As You Like It featuring MELA was a huge success. "A nature spirit appears -- Amiens, played alluringly by Melanie Closs, moves in and around singing the gentle, insinuating “Come Hither.” You bet!" - from Let's Talk Off Broadway, a Shelter Island publication.

We have a show on September 14th at good old Pirate-themed Wicked Willy's, and MELA's music will once again be featured in GTC's As You Like It for their brief relaunch on September 17th and 18th at Quail Hill Farm in Long Island.

This fall, besides playing shows, we will be working on our first album. Check for updates and follow our process. Also, check back for a link to our new website, once it's ready. Lot's of new fancy things to look forward to!

Right now it's time to take a break from all the touring, rehearsing and performing. Melanie Closs is heading off to Florida to visit her grandma and spend some time at the beach, and then she's off to Peru for 12 days! She has no idea what kind of adventures, epiphanies, inspiration and spiritual powers await her in the land of the Incas. You'll probably find out in some new songs this fall :)

September events:

September 14th, 9pm
MELA @ Wicked Willies
Bleeker st, NY

September 17th - 18th
As You Like It, featuring music by MELA, relaunch!
Quail Hill Farm
Long Island, NY

Thanks everyone for all your support and enjoy the rest of your summer!
Melanie

MELA with Green Theatre Collective

MELA had great June shows, taking in the beautiful outdoors of summer. I played solo at the Mutton and Mead Festival in Montague, MA, a great merry Medieval soiree! The whole band played with Make Music New York on the summer solstice, June 21st, outside of Grand Canyon Restaurant in Brooklyn Heights. It was a beautiful night and a great street scene of music making!

I (as MELA) have been busy working with Green Theatre Collective on their summer tour of As You Like It, with original music and playing the part of Amiens. We had a great first performance this past weekend in Newburyport, MA, soaking up the majestic fields of Maudsley State Park and the Dancing Waters of Plum Island.

You can hear original MELA tunes across the backdrop of Shakespeare this week when Green Theatre Collective brings As You Like It to Prospect Park in our very own Brooklyn! Come and laugh at Elizabethan wit and reckless lovers this Thursday and Friday, July 14th and 15th at 5pm in the Music Pagoda. You can find out more information at the GTC website: greentheatrecollective.org

I hope to see you this Thursday or Friday, and check back for more music updates soon!

Much love and gratitude,
Melanie

As You Like It in July!

After a great month of Medieval Faires and sidewalk shows, MELA (Melanie Closs solo) will be featured in Green Theatre Collective's July tour of As You Like It!



Saturday and Sunday, July 9th and 10th
4pm, Maudslay State Park
With Theatre In The Open
Newburyport, MA

Thursday and Friday, July 14th and 15th
5pm, The Music Pagoda
Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Saturday and Sunday, July 16th and 17th
5pm, Sylvester Manor
Shelter Island, NY

Saturday and Sunday, July 23rd and 24th
4pm, Franklin Stage
Franklin, NY

http://greentheatrecollective.org/season.html

Upcoming Events:

21 June
1-2pm- Brooklyn Bridge Park, Melanie plays a public piano!
7-9pm - Sidewalk of Grand Canyon Restaurant,
Montague Street, Brooklyn
MELA sidewalk performance as a part of Make Music New York
http://makemusicny.org/

July - 3 weekends-
AS YOU LIKE IT with Green Theatre Collective (featuring MELA original music)
9-10 July: Newburyport, MA
14-15 July: Prospect Park, Brooklyn
16-17 July: Shelter Island, NY
23-24 July: Franklin, NY

http://greentheatrecollective.org/season.html

Upcoming Events

Saturday June 18th
Mutton and Mead Medieval Festival
Montague, MA
http://www.muttonandmead.com/

Tuesday June 21st
7-9pm
Sidewalk of the Grand Canyon Restaurant
Montague Street, Brooklyn
As a part of Make Music New York
http://makemusicny.org/

3 weekends in July
AS YOU LIKE IT with Green Theatre Collective (featuring MELA original music)
9-10 July: Newburyport, MA
14-15 July: Prospect Park, Brooklyn
16-17 July: Shelter Island, NY
23-24 July: Franklin, NY

May 4th- Wicked Willy's

Next Show:
Wednesday May 4th
9pm
Wicked Willy's
Bleeker Street
Hope to see you!

Welcome to the MELA site!

Here is our new site. Check here for shows and events, music, videos, photos, bios, coming soon!