Hello Friends:
”That’s My Son” by The Melillo Brothers is the second song in The FIRST Alive with Clive Top 20.
The Melillo Brothers performed “That’s My Son” during their interview on Alive with Clive on February 22, 2008.
Here’s a picture of me with Anthony, Nick and Joe Melillo that was taken in the TV studio before their interview on Alive with Clive:
Clive Swersky with Joe, Nick and Anthony Melillo
As revealed in their interview, it all began for The Melillo Brothers when Joe, who was an accomplished baseball player throughout his youth, began beating on a set of drums at the age of 14 or 15 while Nick, two years younger, started to play the guitar. After a couple of years, the two decided to switch roles. At the age of ten, to participate with his older brothers, Anthony began to play with a bass guitar, but replaced that instrument after one year with an acoustic guitar, and has been writing songs ever since.
From the age of 13, Anthony has had an uncanny ability to use intricate lyrics to draw in his listeners. Musicians and producers alike are left amazed at the depth and perception that comes from his young, creative, mind. He is a unique personality being well rounded, yet passionate about his music and songwriting. An avid actor, singer and dancer, the energy he gives every project is nothing short of electric.
Now, fast forward six years. As mentioned in the Bio on their MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/melillobrothers:
Just 35 miles outside of NYC, 19-year-old Anthony Melillo and his brothers Joe (24) and Nick (21) are the next big thing to hit the NY music scene. Anthony began as a solo artist and in only nine short months, he was creating a stir throughout the Hudson Valley, the Tri-state Area and beyond.
After releasing his self-produced debut album, Just Gettin’ Started, in August 2008, which won accolades in the UK’s Songwriting Contest and VH-1’s Save The Music Songwriting Competition in 2009, this singer/songwriter is now teaming up with his brothers to fulfill their dream. Having left their potential careers in business and theatre behind to go full-time, the boys are finding that their fan base is swiftly growing and are now known as The Melillo Brothers.
Also writing for the group, Joe (vocals/guitar) adds his comfort at the mic and soulful voice to the stage, while Nick (vocals/percussion/keys) brings an energy and passion for performance that adds an exciting dimension to the trio. The harmonies overflow from their natural sibling chemistry, leaving their audiences with a perpetual smile. The depth and maturity of this family of talented artists is apparent in their vivid lyrics and strong heartfelt melodies that go beyond their years. Their new album, Something In Between, is a good example of their growing prowess, jam-packed with many bound-to-be-hit singles. It is a TMB collaborative effort reflecting some changes and maturing of their style and tells a couple of poignant stories, as well. They are also currently in the studio writing, recording and preparing for their upcoming release of 3 pop singles which will reflect even further changes as they become more adept musicians, songwriters and big-stage performers.
The Melillo Brothers’ musical style is often compared to John Mayer, Jason Mraz & Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional, but don’t let their youth fool you. Their eclectic taste in music and diverse writing styles show hints of an early Ray Charles or Marvin Gaye with a little touch of Eric Clapton to keep their fans rockin’. This makes for an amazingly diverse listening audience. To watch how they draw in young and old alike is almost mesmerizing…a true joy to witness.
Recently joined by Chris Palmerini (lead guitar) and Steve Geller (bass) for mostly large mainstage performances, they recently WON the 2010 Emergenza Music Competition National Finals, which took them to the 2010Taubertal Festival in beautiful Rothenburg, Germany, this past August. TMB made quite an impression gaining new fans in every one of the 17 countries represented there, as well as the attention of foreign industry professionals. Palmerini and Geller are sought-after touring musicians who have performed with many greats including Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, Peter Tork, Pete Best, Mick Taylor, Tiffany, Ray Manzarek, Taylor Dayne and Bobby Messano & Richie Ranno of Starz. Lending their talents when they can, behind the scenes and on stage, has proven to be both fun and certainly worthwhile for the boys. The bottom line is whether performing as a trio or full band, these young brothers are getting attention everywhere they go.
Despite being new to the scene, they have already shared bills with distinguished local artists including Fred Gillen, Jr., Marc Von Em, Ken Veltz, Kylie Edmond and Petey Hop; some of today’s pop artists such as Senses Fail, Theory, School Boy Humor, Thee Armada, Phone Calls from Home, Thrash Unreal, Select Start; and Christian artists, such as Day One and Zero-to-Sixty. This past Spring they joined young performing artists Chris Koon, Tyna Q and L2 (currently in the top 28 on the Billboard Club Charts with “Boys or Girls”) for a fundraiser that drew in a huge local crowd. They even had an impromptu jam session with jazz guitarist and Yankee legend, Bernie Williams, and shared the stage at the Pleasantville Music Festival this past July with The Bacon Brothers, Rusted Root, Carney and Jakob Dylan.
This has proven to be a “turning point” summer for TMB, as they also invented and spear-headed the very first Home Sweet Home Acoustic Tour 2010 which was conceived by Anthony, Nick and Joe after attending and performing at the 2010 SS Cape May Festival in March. The basic concept is that of artists helping each other in a more sophisticated style of gig-swapping, where they travel together along a tour route that includes each artist’s home town and fans. The concept was an enormous success taking independent artists, Adam Web (PA), Shane Cooley (VA), Adam Smith (TN) and TMB from Live at Best Buy NYC to the Hard Rock Café in Nashville and back. They performed at 17 venues in 16 cities in 7 states in 18 days. They traveled over 3,700 miles and the entire tour was basically free to the artists because of paying venues, merchandise sales, sponsorships and online pledges. They were interviewed and performed on local radio and TV along the way, as well. Learn more about the Home Sweet Home Tour in the Blog section on their MySpace page, and see the corresponding videos on YouTube and on YouTube.com/MelilloTV. Stay tuned for the second Home Sweet Home Tour this coming Holiday Season, which will take them from the snow-covered mountains in Vermont to the white sandy shores of Florida.
These self-starters and innovative artists have booked their own shows, over 250 in 18 months; charity, TV and radio appearances; and their own tours. Brother Nick solely booked their upcoming Borders BooksTOUR 2010, where they will be advocating literacy and staying in school to elementary and high school students. There are plans in the works for a 2011 College Tour including the Relay For Life Organization on the East Coast.
While music is the focus, these young men are always giving back to their community. They support and have performed benefit concerts for many local and national charitable organizations, such as Relay For Life, The American Cancer Society, Easter Seals, The Harlem Dowling Foundation, The Harrison Apar Field of Dreams Foundation, The Alliance for Safe Kids, Cherish Our Children International, The Hope For Change Foundation, New York City Relief and The Justin Veatch Fund, just to name a few. In fact, Something In Between’s “Justin’s Song” is also featured on the Polyvinyl Records album, “Permagrin – The Music of Justin Veatch.” Anthony wrote the song in memory of his classmate, friend and fellow musician, Justin, who was only 17 when he passed away. The boys help to raise money for the foundation’s scholarship fund through their efforts both on and off the stage.
Today’s music industry is an ever-changing, long, windy road and The Melillo Brothers are ready for the ride. They are surrounding themselves with key people who understand the business and can help them organize their efforts. On board “Team Melillo” are producer Tony Woodroffe of Noyz Boyz Entertainment; mixing engineer, Paul Logus; media designer, Brianne Farquhar; and core consultant, Kenny Ferracho, President of Pragmatic Digital Media, Inc. (formerly Director of Creative Affairs at ASCAP).
No matter what challenges they face, these boys will see them head-on with one thing in mind…“With God, all things are possible!”
From this up-and-coming and exciting family-friendly trio of young artists, be on the lookout for their new EP, Something In Between, which they are releasing on a national scale this year.
The Melillo Brothers, furthermore, were the headlining act at the first Alive with Clive Top 20 concert held at Waltz-Astoria in Queens, New York, on May 30, 2009, where they performed after Jessica Labus and Serotonen, and most appropriately ended the evening with a wonderful rendition of “That’s My Son” from Anthony’s debut album, Just Gettin’ Started.
In February 2009, another song from Just Gettin’ Started, “Kiss Me Sweetly” was voted The Alive with Clive Valentine’s Day Love Song For 2009. To see the Press Release announcing this accomplishment, click here.
Among other successes previously mentioned on their MySpace page, in the first round of a JanSport Battle of the Bands contest a while ago, The Melillo Brothers finished in third place out of 2,400 contestants! In addition, in the 2009 UK Songwriting Contest, out of 6,000 submissions “Kiss Me Sweetly” and “That’s My Son” were semi-finalists and “Never Slow Down,” another song from Just Gettin’ Started, was a finalist.
It is clear that over the past 2½ years since their interview on Alive with Clive, they have made incredible strides and touched the lives of so many people with their music; they are doing their part, and then some, to create an upward spiral of brilliance and joy in the world; and it is also clear that they are Just Gettin’ Started!
Personally, I regard the song, “That’s My Son,” as a timeless masterpiece. In my view, it’s a song every son wants his parents to hear, and the same can be said for every daughter too. I get goose bumps every time I hear it. It touches on a motivating force that underlies so many choices we make and actions we take in our lives without our even realizing it – and yet it’s a force people so rarely mention in their conversations with others. In essence, the song is about noticing that we want our parents to be proud of us, and as parents we want to be proud of our children. That sentiment is expressed eloquently and beautifully in the song.
To give you a sense of what I mean about the song, here’s the chorus:
I said I’d work real hard and I’ll do everything that you say
Cause all I wanna be is someone you look at, be led to say
That’s my boy, that’s my son
That’s my baby, my flesh and my blood
And he’s grown into someone that I can be proud of
That’s my boy, that’s the one
Doing his job and he’s having some fun
And you both look at me and be proud to say – yeah –
That’s My Son!
Needless to say, with “That’s My Son” and everything else Anthony, Nick and Joe are accomplishing at such a young age, they are making their parents, Joanne and Ray, very proud!
Here’s the video clip for you to enjoy of The Melillo Brothers singing “That’s My Son” on Alive with Clive:
You can find out more about The Melillo Brothers at http://www.myspace.com/melillobrothers.
The Melillo Brothers are currently in second place in The Alive with Clive Top 20. To vote for The Melillo Brothers to move into the top spot on The Alive with Clive Top 20 Chart, click here now.
To see who else is eligible to be in The Alive with Clive Top 20, click here now.
Best regards.
Clive
(914) 274-8280
www.alivewithclive.tv — raising at least a billion dollars for people affected by HIV/AIDS in South Africa!
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