Music Discovery Monday – 7/4/16
Music Discovery Monday shines a light on artists that are not getting the radio attention that they deserve, while also showcasing new singles by established bands that are likely to get airplay in the future.
This week’s Music Discovery Monday features an exclusive interview with Ugly Melon frontman Tony LaSelva, who discusses the personal meaning behind the band’s latest single, “60 Days.”
In addition to appearing on the embedded YouTube playlist below, all songs featured on Music Discovery Monday can be listened to individually by clicking on the hyper-linked song titles above each review.
ADAM WALDMAN – (Publisher, Hard Rock Daddy)
UGLY MELON – “60 Days”
It’s the rare occasion that Music Discovery Monday falls on the Fourth of July. This being the first time since the feature was launched, you might be expecting a patriotic song to commemorate the occasion. However, having the opportunity to premier this powerful tune by one of my favorite new bands took precedence for personal reasons.
Canadian rockers Ugly Melon have been featured a handful of times in recent months on Hard Rock Daddy, and will continue to be featured in the coming months, including two unique ways that will be announced shortly.
So, why feature “60 Days” on Independence Day? The song is actually about another form of independence; the kind that comes from a loss. While this holiday is about celebrating freedom, we usually don’t think about the loss of life that is the cost of freedom as we gather with family and friends. In the case of “60 Days” the loss is about a dying parent.
Everyone can sympathize with this feeling, but only those who have gone through it can truly empathize. Sadly, I am one of those who knows the feeling of loss, a feeling that began in July of 2001 when my father tragically passed away. In 2013, I learned what it felt like to be truly independent when my mother passed away suddenly.
From the first note of “60 Days” to the last, frontman Tony LaSelva taps into the visceral feeling of loss that many people know all too well. Impending death has distinct way of ripping at your soul, making time both fly by and stand still simultaneously. In the 15 years since my father’s passing, I’ve never experienced anything that captures the emotion of this helpless feeling like the lyrics of “60 Days.” LaSelva’s vocals are always brilliantly powerful and emotional, but he takes it to another level on this song that is sung from the heart…a broken heart.
This song proves once again that the writing team of LaSelva and guitarist Lu Cachie is a force to be reckoned with. Listening to Cachie’s blend of beautiful acoustic guitar and wailing leads that cry out in pain, you would think that he found a way to tap into the emotions of the lyrics. However, the writing of the song was a bit more serendipitous than deliberate.
In an exclusive interview with Hard Rock Daddy, Ugly Melon frontman Tony LaSelva shares the deep personal meaning behind the lyrics (see below) to “60 Days.”
“This is song is completely personal. Lu (Cachie) gave me the music several months before I finished it. My father-in law passed away on November 18th. The night before he passed, I stayed with him in the hospital. During his last night, I thought about writing a song, and remembered the track Lu had sent me months before. I nearly completed the whole song in about 10 minutes.
60 days is the length of time between finding out about my father-in-law’s cancer and the day he died (Sept 18th – Nov 18th). The song is about him, and me and our family saying goodbye to him.
The lyrics in the verses are biographical. They describe his quick decline, and how he felt about facing his imminent death. We all knew it was happening, and we’re lucky enough to spend plenty of time together during those last two months. He was honest with us about mistakes he had made in his life, and was able to open up emotionally more than he ever had. It was a bittersweet time for everyone.
The chorus is less literal. It’s my feelings about his tragic and premature death. He was a bold and proud man, not obviously emotional, but very sensitive and full of love and spirit.
The line… ‘No perfect life is lived without a blood stained floor’ is, for me, the definitive lyric in the song. There is no such thing as a perfect life. My father-in-law, like all of us, was a flawed person. He was rough around the edges, and made a lot of mistakes in his life, but those who loved him looked past all the negatives. Those last 60 days reminded us about love, and forgiveness, and family. He will be missed, but never forgotten.
The song is hard to listen to sometimes, especially for my wife, and I couldn’t sing it for a few weeks after his passing. It’s been about seven months, and we lost my dad as well in May. Neither my father-in-law or my dad ever heard ’60 Days.’ I like to think they would have enjoyed it.”
“60 Days” Lyrics
Just 60 days was all it took
to turn a man into a boy
60 days to cast a soul into the void
Just 60 days to say goodbye,
to make amends, and then to cry
60 days of waiting for
someone to call
Just 60 days of unexpected ways
to rise and then to fall
60 days of wondering when
and 60 days of asking why
Is there no mercy
for the proud and for the bold
(Just 60 days)
No atonement for the one
you thought was cold
(Just 60 days)
No perfect life is lived
without a blood stained floor
(Just 60 days)
Took 60 days to make him pure
Just 60 days of fighting for
a little time to make things right
60 days to try to make it
through the night
Just 60 days of holding hands,
to leave your footsteps in the sand
Is there no mercy
for the proud and for the bold
(Just 60 days)
No atonement for the one
you thought was cold
(Just 60 days)
No perfect life is lived
without a blood stained floor
(Just 60 days)
Took 60 days to make him pure
Took 60 days
You’re gone away
Ahh
Just 60 days
You know it hurts so many ways
We’ll never be the same
ANDY CHEUNG – HRD Music Scout
BATTLECROSS – “Absence”
These relative newcomers to the thrash metal genre have released their fourth album (Rise To Power) in five years. When you listen to “Absence,” it becomes obvious why these guys from Michigan are a band to watch out for. They are fast, technically proficient, hard-working and filled with fist-pumping, angst-filled choruses. Drawing influences from Lamb of God and Pantera, Battlecross will not disappoint fans of the thrash metal and death metal genres.
VEKTOR – “Charging Of The Void”
Continuing on the thrash metal track is another great band from Arizona. “Charging The Void” is from Vektor’s new album, Terminal Redux. Formed in 2002, these progressive thrash metal musicians draw their influences from bands like Voivod, and even include science fiction themes in their music. This song is over nine minutes of speed-fueled, odd-time signature pounding, screaming thrash metal. Vektor is another super-talented band flying the thrash metal banner, hopefully for a very long time…at least several light years.
ROB DELL’AQUILA – HRD Music Scout
LANFEAR – “The Opaque Hourglass”
Vocal harmonies coalesce around a progressive metal beat in this single from Lanfear’s newest album, The Code Inherited, released just days ago. This German band has been putting out music for 20 years now, and remains in top form with great riffs and a commitment to rhythm paired with melody.
ROB MORATTI – “Lost & Lonely”
In February I had a very favorable review for singer Rob Moratti’s collaboration with keyboardist Ged Rylands in Rage of Angels. He is now releasing a new solo album with his trademark smooth, high-registry vocals. He’s also released some Journey covers in the past, and that influence really shines through on the new album, Transcendent.
CHRIS HERZEGOVITCH – HRD Music Scout
SUNBURST – “Symbol Of Life”
The prodigious Gus Drax shreds the heck out of this recent Sunburst track, “Symbol of Life,” off of Fragments of Creation. The guitar work is simply fantastic: fast, articulate and could very well carry the track all on its own. However, the supporting cast of Sunburst does a great job as well, making this an all-around terrific power metal tune.
CRIMSON FIRE – “Take To The Skies”
Relentless from the start, “Take to the Skies” is the latest from Greek metal band Crimson Fire (who’ve been around since 2004). The frenetic pace is matched with the skillful guitar work of Stelios Koutelis; the powerful voice of Giannis Britsas rises above it all. Dokken’s “Tooth and Nail” comes to mind as a comparative song (right down to the abrupt ending).
SUBMISSIONS
To be considered for Music Discovery Monday, please e-mail a link to the song being submitted on YouTube and an artist bio to – submissions@MusicDiscoveryMonday.com
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