Written by TonyLaSelva (Ugly Melon)
I ended Chapter 2 of “My Rock and Roll Journey” at the beginning of what would eventually become Ugly Melon.
A few months after Lu (Cachie) heard my audition tape for another band, he messaged me through Facebook and asked if I wanted to write a track for a new project that he was working on. He said that he wanted to write some blues tracks and some heavy metal tracks, and have a few different singers co-write and record the tracks. After we had written the first couple of songs, Lu (and I) knew that we had something really special going on. We picked up right where we had left off as teenagers, but now with a whole lot of life and musical experiences to pull from and express with our new music. We were writing songs as quickly as our work and family schedules would allow. It felt so easy.
The first few tracks that we wrote were a lot more bluesy (in the Led Zeppelin/Deep Purple vein). They were good tracks, but they were quickly eclipsed by the heavier tracks that we were starting to write. Songs like “Dead or Alive” and “Darkest Side” got us really excited; they would become the foundation of our new direction.
Our darker tracks were tempered by the slower, ballad/theatrical type songs that we were writing at the same time. “Leave It All Behind,” “Where Did I Go Wrong,” and the bitterly personal “60 Days” rounded out the “Ugly Melon sound.”
In 2016, we had a blast shooting the video for “Leave It All Behind” (where we were happily joined by our former band mates). Most of 2016 was spent finalizing the production on our debut EP (which came out on January 13th), promoting the completed tracks, and of course, writing new material.
The band recently recorded our first cover tune – “The Rose” by Bette Midler. The idea to do this cover came from Adam Waldman (Publisher/Editor of Hard Rock Daddy). Lu arranged an “uglier” version of the track, which has gotten an incredible response since we released it.
2017 is going to be a great year for Ugly Melon. We have started rehearsals for a big live show that will be taking place in May, and will be continuing to work on new material.
This part of “My Rock and Roll Journey” has been amazing. Ugly Melon has been (and will continue to be) an honest, straight-from-the-heart project that we are sure will be around for many years to come. We’re especially thankful to Adam Waldman and Hard Rock Daddy for the support that came from the very beginning after we submitted our music to be included on Music Discovery Monday.
In Chapter 4 of “My Rock and Roll Journey,” I’ll be sharing the story of our first big gig in our hometown of Toronto…
RELATED ARTICLES:
My Rock and Roll Journey: Tony LaSelva – Ugly Melon – Chapter 1
My Rock and Roll Journey: Tony LaSelva – Ugly Melon – Chapter 2
MORE “MY ROCK AND ROLL JOURNEY” STORIES
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JOEY “CHICAGO” WALSER – Devour The Day
MICHAEL DEL PIZZO – Sunflower Dead
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