Melefluent

Melefluent is a 5 year old power-trio from Coeur d’Alene, and Leap Before You Look is the bands first release-an 11 track effort that flows together harmoniously without sounding repetitive. One reason might be that Darren Wilson and Joe Welk trade off on guitar and bass, imbuing just about every other song with a slightly different feel. Melefluent merges distorted guitars, big sounding drums, reggae beats, a little rap and honky-cow-funk into an addictive lo-fi garage sound.
For instance, “Dub-uh-lo-seben” opens up with a deep, rumbling bass line, followed by a rap resting on a bed of Hendrix-y funk and fuzz guitar-there’s even a backward guitar solo toward the end. “Dangerous World” is an enticing blend of ska-beats and funk-rock hooks that steers you toward the dance floor.
Leap Before You Look is a collection of album-oriented songs, but Melefluent has a reputation for jamming out in concert. “Coronahh” hints on the band’s unusual, though deft, abilities in that field. If you like bands like Sublime, Leap Before You Look might be your bag. - Missoula Independent

When I popped this disc in the first time, let’s just say I was impressed on many different levels. The first thing I noticed is the musicianship of the band. The North Idaho band has their modes and theory down well and can jam for days. All three members add vocals to the mix and I’m not sure who writes the lyrics or if they all do, but wow! This band has the clever gene for sure.
The messages, humor, relevance and sheer delivery of the words are some of the best we have heard; and the Inland Northwest has great lyricists. On a record of 11 songs, I wouldn’t skip over more than a couple if any. “Statistical Bliss”, “Dangerous World”, “True Feelins” and “Waitin for Change” really stood out to me.
The mixture of styles and sounds is enough to make this band appeal to almost anyone in the mood for a little fun and a little thought. - Nightlife Network

Melefluent comes from the word mellifluous, which according to the Webster means “sounding sweet and smooth, honeyed.”
Darren Wilson, 26, Joe Welk, 28, and Joe Kresge, 26, make up Melefluent, a hardworking local band on the cusp of releasing its second CD.
Wilson and Welk, who trade off on playing guitar and bass, started playing together six years ago, jamming with different local musicians, and playing in a band called Saturated Phat. Through a circle of friends in common they found Kresge, who was also playing guitar, who switched to drums.
“Their drummer left, so I sold my guitar and amp and bought a drum set, “ Kresge said.
So, Melefluent was born.
Wilson was born in Coeur d’Alene, Kresge arrived at age 12 with his family from Pennsylvania and Welk, who was born in Orofino, lived in New York for awhile with his mom but they were back in Coeur d’Alene by the time he reached middle school.
They describe their music as funk-rock with a twist of reggae. Dance able, tight with a contagious groove, these three have forged a fan-base from coast-to-coast with their relentless touring.
The group performs its own original material.
“We all chip in; certain songs one person is the lead, and other ones are more collaborative,” Wilson said.
Welk said that usually whoever is playing the guitar is writing the song.
“The last one started out as an instrumental jam that we were playing on the road, and Darren wrote lyrics to it and kind of put it together,” Welk said.
Whoever is singing wrote the lyrics they said, as each of the guys have their own unique style. Yet they get along great, and even live together to save on expenses since they spend so much time on the road.
Last year Melefluent played 166 shows in 19 states, traveling in their 15-passenger Chevy van. They travel with their own sound system and all of their instruments.
“We’ve conquered the western U.S., “ Welk said.
They have a good fan base in Northern Calif. And Oregon. Their fan base runs from young kids to the 50's to 60's crowd.
The group is self-managed, but they could use a booking agent, a responsibility that Welk has taken upon himself. They usually play restaurants and bars, but they have also played at the Panida Theater in Sandpoint, the Domino Room in Bend, Ore., and other larger venues. They will be playing at the Big Easy in Spokane Thursday night.
“The first real road trip we took, we drove to L.A. in Joe’s Toyota Tacoma before we even had a van,” Wilson said. “We drove straight down in 24 hours, played the show, then 24 hours back. It was an experience.”
They drove all that way for one gig, to play at the infamous Whisky a-go-go, the oldest club on Sunset Strip in Hollywood, established in 1964. The Whisky a-go-go’s legendary past has seen names like The Doors, Otis Redding and Janis Joplin perform there.
That trip convinced them that they should line up shows along the way.
Kresge and Wilson have had an interest in music since high school. Welk didn’t start playing guitar until the last semester in high school.
“I just started jamming with these guys, and that’s what made my decision,” Welk said. “That’s all I did for awhile was just play-make up for lost time.”
Their first CD, “Leap Before You Look,” released in September of 2004 was sold at Hastings, The Long Ear and online at Melefluent.com. About 1,000 units have sold to date.
“Leap” was self produced, but this time they are working with Joe Varela of Black Lab Studios in Spokane, who also produces Side Project, a popular Seattle band.
Melefluent said Varela is in tune with what the band is trying to get out of the record.
“We approached it different this time, it’s a lot more solid of an album,” Kresge said.
The yet unnamed CD will have 14 new cuts. The release is scheduled for sometime in April. The concert at the Big Easy is part of the “Hardest Working Band” showcase which will feature about 20 bands total. But they won’t be around to find out the results. They hit the road again Feb. 10th.
They hope to eventually get into a position where an investor will help them take it to the next level, or even open for bigger bands. Whatever happens, they are a career-minded band, but they want to maintain their independence.
- Coeur d'Alene Press Feb. '06