ShareThisSummer Updates
Greetings!
Things are brewing in my musical world and I couldn’t be more excited! I’ve been recording and writing demos all summer hoping to find the right handful of tunes for my album. Live dates will be coming in a few months along with a few new tracks.
I just finished writing a track with Arielle Silver and Kristian H called “On My Way,” for MegaTrax here in Hollywood. Hopefully you’ll be able to hear the tune featured in a major motion picture or network TV show this year! I’ll keep you posted on the status…
I’ll be heading to Minneapolis next month to record a track with Kevin Bowe. I’m really looking forward to working with Kevin and spending some time in Minneapolis. This will be my first visit to the city. There are also some extremely talented songwriters and producers in Nashville with whom things are developing. I have a feeling I will be traveling there very soon. More to come…
-Melinda
WesFest 3 In Berklee Today Magazine
Below is an excerpt from Berklee Today, Berklee’s alumni magazine, about the WesFest benefit concert. I’m honored to have been a part of the event this year, playing with my friends Danny Mo, and bassist Claire Finley, who also happens to be this year’s Wes Wehmiller scholarship recipient.
The Wehmiller Legacy
The third annual WesFest concert was held on February 25 at Paladino’s in Tarzana, CA. The WesFest annual concert is a fundraiser that not only brings together a community of great musicians and friends but also raises money for the Wes Wehmiller Endowed Scholarship at Berklee. The scholarship is awarded each year to a bass player who best exemplifies the unique musicality and spirit of Wehmiller, former bassist for Duran Duran and others. Wehmiller was a remarkable talent, who in 2005 died of thyroid cancer at the age of 33. Each year, many of his friends reconnect to celebrate his memory. Judging by this year’s response at Paladino’s, it seems that WesFest 3 was the best yet.
The music was fantastic, the performers were on top of their game, and the production was impressive. Mother Eff, an all-star ensemble that includes Colin Keenan ‘93 and Griff Peters ‘93, opened the show and set high expectations for a great evening.
Led by Berklee Professor Danny Morris, Danny Mo and the Exciters featuring the 2007 recipient of the Wes Wehmiller Endowed Scholarship, Claire Finley, performed with Melinda Colaizzi ‘04 (vocals), Kristian Habenicht ‘05 and Rick Musallam (guitars), and Joe Travers (drums). The set by former Frank Zappa guitarist Mike Keneally was amazing. His band featured bassist Bryan Beller ‘92, who produced the event and shared emcee duties with Stacey Ferguson. Kira Small ‘93 performed a tight set from her latest CD, Love in a Dangerous World. The music combines southern soul and r&b with a bit of Nashville in the mix. Small’s band featured Dave Cowan ‘90 on drums. The headliner, renowned gospel/r&b bassist Andrew Gouche, delivered an inspired closing set, leaving many fellow performers quite content not to have to follow his performance.
With the help of event sponsorships from Epifani Custom Sound, Mike Lull Custom Guitars, Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, and D’Addario & Company, WesFest 3 raised more than $10,000 for the Wes Wehmiller Scholarship fund. WesFest producer Bryan Beller ‘92 has already begun planning for WesFest 4, which will take place in early 2009. -Peter Gordon
Melinda is a Semi-Finalist in Gather.com’s First Tracks Contest
Thanks to all your votes I am a Semi-Finalist in Gather.com’s First Tracks: The Search for America’s Best Music Talent.
Now, I need your vote to be a featured artist in the final 5! Only the top 25 contestants with the most votes will move on to the next round. Rounds one and two will be reviewed by the Celebrity Judging Panel. The Panel will then narrow the field down to 5 finalists, and those five finalists will perform live in New York City, where you will have the chance to decide who should win a major label record deal!
Please spread the word to all your friends, and thanks for your votes!
Click here to vote!
“What If” featured on Pittsburgh’s 91.3 WYEP
Bumble Bee Slim’s Saturday Night Blues show on 91.3 WYEP in Pittsburgh debuted my song “What If” for the first time on national radio.
I grew up listening to this great blues music in Pittsburgh, and it’s an honor to be played along side all these artists I’ve loved for years…
Slim’s show airs every Saturday from 5pm – 8pm EST. You can reach the station at (412) 381-9900, or you can e-mail them at info@wyep.org. Drop ‘em a line and ask to hear “What If” again and again and again and again…
And don’t worry if you’re not in the Pittsburgh area, you can stream Bumble Bee Slim’s show on iTunes and Windows Media Player. Just click here for the iTunes feed or click here for the Windows Media Player feed…
Be sure to visit the WYEP site sometime, too.