Saturday, March 31, 2012

EP is released and ready for purchase and download!

Friends and fans-
Mela has finally released their first ever EP entitled Red Dust! You can get your download here:

http://melamusic.bandcamp.com/album/red-dust

Or if you come to a show or see me in person, you can buy a physical CD, each one labeled by hand, and stamped by a stone hand-carved stamp from China, with my name in Chinese.
The release party was so much fun, and I think everyone's favorite part was singing along with the new song my students wrote about a gust of wind that steals your money.

Upcoming shows:

Saturday, May 5th
2-4pm @ the Waterfront Museum
Hudson River Park, Pier 25 in Tribeca at the foot of N. Moore St

Thursday June 21st
Make Music New York
Sidewalk of Grand Canyon Restaurant
Montague St. Brooklyn Heights
time TBA

Looking forward to some awesome Mela music making this summer!
love,
Mela

Friday, March 16, 2012

Mela EP release party March 26th!

If you ordered an EP from the Red Dust Kickstarter, now is your chance to come on out, hear some music, eat some FREE FOOD, and pick up your album or Polaroid! We worked hard making some musical magic with the amazing talents of:
Robert Cowie (in addition to the other members of his Jazz Flophouse- Otto and Ella, and Mama Medina :)
Not to mention the amazing:
Cody "The Anvil" Rahn,
Charlie "The Blanket" Rauh,
Concetta Abbate (we're still working on her nickname- any ideas?)
Nidia "Mama" Medina
Cydney McQuillan-Grace.

ALSO obviously if you haven't pre-ordered an album, this is your big chance to come by and buy one! The album includes such mystical seaside hits as:
By The Sea
Chiarascura (that's the weird one with the singing bowl)
Goodnight Baby
These Are the Days (mixed and mastered by Aaron Cohen)
Red Dust

So come on out, eat some of the FREE BUFFET (Did I mention the free food yet?), hear some great music, and get your album or artwork from Scott Walsh!

WHERE: LIC Bar,
45-58 Vernon Blvd, Long Island City, NY 11101
(That's Queens everyone. It feels farther away than it really is- take the 7 or G train it's easy I swear.)

WHEN: March 26th, 9-10pm.
(Also, another talented singer songwriter Kelly Ash will be performing at 8 if anyone wants to hang out with me and listen to her beforehand :)

WHAT? THERE'S MORE?: Yes! Not only will you hear lots of great music and pick up the album and eat, but you will hear some NEW songs, including music for Green Theatre Collective's summer production of The Tempest, a song set to Lyrics by Kickstarter Backer (and talented singer and novelist) Lee Harrington, and other treats!

Please let me know if you will be coming to pick up your EP or artwork so I can put your name on a list!

CAN'T WAIT!!!

in musical love and harmony and worldly instruments-
Mela

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Kickstarter funded, recording sessions done, EP release coming soon!

Hi friends! Our Kickstarter for the EP "Red Dust" and a photography project by Scott Walsh has been fully funded! Thank you so much for your support and love!
Last week we had four fantastic recording sessions for the EP. Now Robert Cowie is doing his magic mastering, and we're hoping to be able to release the EP by the end of the month.

We'll be playing a show with the full band on March 26th at LIC Bar in Long Island City. Hopefully we'll be able to give out EPs and prints that were pre-ordered with the Kickstarter, and if not they won't be far behind!

Hope to see you on the 26th, and look out for out of town gigs and touring this summer!
love,
Mela

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

RED DUST: Kickstarter launch!

In February, we'll be recording our first 5-track EP titled Red Dust. My dear friend, and also our Ukulele player's husband, will be engineering the album from his home studio, with the assistance of Otto and Ella (the best dogs ever.) The album will feature percussion by Cody Rahn, guitar by Charlie Rauh, Viola/Violin by Concetta Abbate, vocals and Uke by Nidia Medina, vocals by Cydney McQuillan-Grace, and myself (voice, piano, guitar, marimachu)

In order to make this recording happen, we have just launched a Kickstarter, which is a fun new way of fund raising for creative projects. I'm collaborating with photographer Scott Walsh, who will be working on a series of Black and White photos of the subway and coney island. His artwork will eventually become the album artwork, but for now we are exploring the ideas of anthropology in music and photography; how culture influences landscape and human relationships.

How does Kickstarter work? For the increasing amounts that you donate, you always get something in return. For example, for $10 you will get a hard CD of our EP. For $150, you get an 8x10 original Black and White print from Scott, in addition to the CD.

To check out our Kickstarter page and make a donation, copy and paste the link below into your browser:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1472973675/red-dust-mela-and-scott-make-an-ep-and-a-photo-ser

AND check us out on January 30th in Long Island City:
Opening for Inti and the Moon
8pm
LIC Bar
45-58 Vernon Blvd. Long Island City, NY 11101

Happy New Year and thanks for all of your support in 2011!

Monday, January 2, 2012

January Events and updates

Dearest MELA fans!

Check here VERY soon (hopefully in the next day or so) for an update about our Kickstarter to raise money for the first Mela EP!

Melanie Closs will be teaming up with photographer Scott Walsh to create this debut EP titled Red Dust, plus a photo series by Scott exploring what transient traces we leave behind, whether human connection in Mela’s travels, impressions of a natural environment, or a mark of graffitti on a subway station wall.

We'll be posting soon about how to donate, and what you get in return.

Also, check us out on January 30th, opening for Inti and the Moon.

30 January
8pm
Free (plus Free buffet!)
LIC Bar (Long Island City)

Happy New Year! It's going to be a good one!
Mela

Monday, November 21, 2011

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

Thursday, November 10, 2011

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!