Mellani Day and Dazed

The old adage “smooth jazz” certainly sums up Mellani Day’s latest release, “Mostly True”. This cd is great listening from start to finish! Mellani’s powerful voice combined with highly talented musicians including Eric Gunnison and The Dazed Band create an amazing sound. “Mostly True” is a must have for the collections of not only jazz fans but for everyone who loves great music. - GoGirlsMusic

"Mellani Day and her Music will seep into your Soul like a good slow wine, and it is, too. This is great slow sensual Blues rock and Listening to her and that Voice just feels right." - http://thefeveredbrainofradiomike.com/comments.php?id=952_0_1_0_C)

The MusicDish Network to Provide Saturated Online Exposure for Mellani Day's Sophomore Release "Mostly True" "Mostly True," co-produced by renowned jazz pianist Eric Gunnison and featuring her band Dazed, consists of original jazz vocal-centric
tunes that range from smooth jazz & blues to reggae & calypso.

New York, New York, July 14, 2006 - MusicDish, an Internet music magazine publisher and artist marketing/development firm, is proud to announce the addition of Jazz singer Mellani Day to the MusicDish Network roster. Combining a variety of online viral marketing
strategies, the MusicDish Network will be coordinating a broad campaign in support of her debut full-length release "Mostly True." Co-produced by renowned jazz pianist Eric Gunnison, and featuring her band Dazed, "Mostly True" consists of original jazz vocal-centric tunes that range from smooth jazz & blues to reggae & calypso.
Available August 8, the 12 tracks album includes Billboard honorable mentions "True Love" and "Progress" as well as a bluesy version of Huey Lewis' hit, "I Want a New Drug!" The MusicDish Network will conduct an extensive saturated marketing campaign, combining PR/brand development, syndicated marketing and online street teaming. In addition, Mellani and her band will be aggressively pushed on social networking sites such as MySpace, Live Digital and TagWorld.
Joining Mellani on the "Mostly True" CD are members from the Dazed Band including Jamie Krutz, guitar and electric violin; Michael Willis, bass; Keith Whiting, Drums; on selected tracks Sky Canyon, vibes and congas; Phil Garcia, guitar; Bob Rebholz, sax; and Dirk Mewes on the bonus track playing the Uilleann bagpipe and a whistle made out of a ski pole.
Mellani’s previous three song EP, 'Shy to Sure," was greeted with rave reviews. Two of the songs - "Shy to Sure" and "Jade to Sapphire" - won honorable mentions in the 2004 Billboard World songwriting competition. http://www.mellaniday.com
MusicDish has been at the forefront of the digital music sector, publishing some of the industry's leading music magazine, including MusicDish.com and Mi2N.com. Through the MusicDish Network (http:// www.musicdish.net), it supports the development of artists and labels through saturated marketing and online brand development, whether online street teams or p2p viral distribution. http://www.musicdish.com - MusicDish

WW: Hey Mellani, welcome to WildWritings.com! How are you?

I’m great, thank you! I’m excited to share with WildWritings everything that’s going on with me and my music.

WW: Tell us about your childhood. Did music always play an important role in your life?

Yes very much so. I am blessed to have grown up in one of those families where Dad sat and played guitar most nights and sang and Mom and all us sisters (there were 5 of us) joined in. I also sang in church and school choirs every year as I grew up. I started learning piano at age 4. I did a brief stint at the violin in 3rd grade, and then a year of guitar in high school. When I started college I started out as a music major. Life got in the way and that changed, but I’ve always had the music.

WW: When did you know you wanted to become a singer?

I’ve never actually put that in a future tense – I’ve always been a singer. To want to be a singer with my own music and band, I guess is what you mean? Well I guess that kind of evolved a few years ago. I had been writing songs for a while, and singing lead for a cover band, Live Wire, in Denver. We incorporated a few originals, and I wanted to do more. I kept writing and the songs started piling up, and I just thought I need to do this!

WW: Who were your musical influences while growing up?

I have to say that I have an eclectic group of influences. I have to believe that in some ways you are influenced by everything you hear from the old to the new. You take what moves you and leave the rest. As a singer/songwriter there are two sides, the lyrics and the music. On both sides I have been inspired by such varied songwriters and artists as: Don Henley, Bernie Taupin and Elton John, Johnny Cash, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, the Carpenters, Sade, Cher, Tina Turner, Sting and the Police, Peter Gabriel, the old hymn writers, old show tunes, old country and folk tunes, other classic rock and R&B artists, an odd list of international artists from my years in Europe (I lived in Germany over 13 years), reggae artists like Boney M and Bob Marley, more recently I've been soaking up classic jazz and blues.


WW: When did you write your first song? What was it about?

Yikes, my first song – I keep those early ones stuffed away only to bring out once in a while and shake my head at them. I started writing poetry as an assignment in college – required – and found out that I loved it. I was driving in my car one day, I was living in Germany then, and started singing the first line of one of my poems. The melody just popped into my head. I realized then that I could put the poems to music. It was a long road though to learn about song form and writing memorable melodies and learning the rules, so that you could know when to break them, all that. What was it about? Well, the lyrics started like this: “Sometimes it seems you’re stumbling blind, what more is there to see? How can you know the way to act, what should you’re choices be?” Kind of schmaltzy, but amazingly I do remember them still…

WW: Where do you draw the inspiration from to create music?

It’s an internal creative drive, I guess, an outlet for ideas and thoughts that otherwise could get jammed up inside, HA! It’s also very therapeutic and spiritual for me at times. I get ideas from all sorts of places in life from personal experiences to news articles to conversations and so on. You just have to be aware and be looking for them. For example, “Yesterday’s Lei” was written after I was driving down the highway in Hawaii, and I saw a beautiful partially wilted lei on the street. The thought popped into my head: “used up and thrown away like yesterday’s lei” – metaphor for a relationship, and the song idea was born.

WW: Your solo debut received rave reviews from the independent music industry. Tell us about your debut record.

I had been writing for a few years, and decided to test the waters with a 3-song EP of my own (then added tracks without vocals as an experiment). I wanted it to do double duty – act as a demo to present to sell the song itself, and use it as a CD as an artist. Industry people say that could be confusing – are you a songwriter or an artist? I just say, yes! I met Eric Gunnison who agreed to produce it and hired the best musicians I could to record. That was before I had the band Dazed. I had to learn all the ropes on the business side as well. I hired a local promotion company for press, and an on-line promotion company for Internet-promotions and went through an Indie distribution outlet. I also entered two of the songs, “Shy to Sure” in the jazz category and “Jade to Sapphire” in the world category, in the Billboard songwriting competition and they both won honorable mentions. I have received a lot of Internet radio play, and note that a couple of my songs have been downloaded as podcasts as far as Japan, France and Switzerland! I also submitted to 99.5 The Mountain a Denver commercial radio station that has a “homegrown” program to support local music. They loved “Losin’ “ and it ended up being played on other shows of the station as well.

WW: How would you describe your music?

I describe my music as jazz-infused vocal originals with blues, jazz, island/reggae and world influences. Seems awkward doesn’t it? But because of my varied background, I have actually come to jazz later in the game (there’s a lot to catch up on), and I enjoy spreading the jazz approach over various other styles. Which to me is the way the spirit of jazz works. The musicians I work with are so talented that they really do “get” what I’m trying to do cross-genre. Of course, that makes it really tough for the music industry that wants to categorize it – does it go into jazz vocal? or pop? or blues? or world? Well, put a little bit of me into all of that!

WW: You're also a part of a band called Dazed. How did Dazed form?

Along with the decision to put together the CD “Shy to Sure,” I gave myself permission to be an artist as well as a songwriter. Does that sound strange? Once I crossed that hurdle, I reached out to the best players I could find. I had a few changes in guitarist and keyboardist, however the band now seems to have really gelled. In the band Dazed, I have Keith Whiting who plays drums, he’s been with me since the beginning and plays on Shy to Sure as well. Then there’s Michael Willis, an amazing jazz bassist, Jamie Krutz a versatile guitarist who also plays electric violin and is a singer/songwriter in his own right, then the newest member of the band is Jerry Weiss, a jazz keyboardist (who studied under Eric Gunnison for 5 years by the way). All of these guys (yeah, I’m the only girl) also play solo and with other bands as well, so we have a lot of talent to share all the way around!

WW: What are your plans for the future; where can we catch you?

I’m still writing and playing and recording, just begun, really, so there will be more to come. For now, the new CD “Mostly True” is available as of August 8, you should be able to find it on all your favorite on-line music stores, you can walk into your favorite music store and order it, or you can get it directly from me at www.mellaniday.com. Also if you are in the Denver area, we play regionally about once a month, so go to our website for the latest show info.

WW: Thanks Mellani! Best of luck to you.

Jimmy TickeyWildWritings.com: Connecting Teens & Entertainment!
- Wildwritings.com

The mere fact that this is a debut EP is enough to make you wonder. Mellani Day has more talent than some seasoned professionals. Her songwriting has a solid air that generates a smooth flow.... The vocals are sultry and sexy as Mellani Day wraps herself around each track. The light sounds are a blend of smooth jazz and blues that captures your attention from the start.

The elegance of style and grace prove that Mellani Day is in this game to stay, and she should have no trouble whatever gathering a following. The tracks are well written and arranged beautifully to create a seasoned jazz sound. The lyrics are pure blues.... - rikksrevues.com/EZlisten.htm

"Damn is this a debut release? Surely you jest I think to myself as this sounds like the work of a seasoned jazz artist of no less than 20 years. Mellani's sultry voice flows over the jazzy blues rock and Eric Gunnison's lush piano. Lyrically she tells us intimate tales of what's on her mind the night she penned them...."
J-Sin, Editor - Smother.net

Mellani Day is a gifted vocalist with obvious talent....

For fans of vocal blues-influenced jazz. - FreshNewTunes.com

"Mellani Day 'Shy to Sure' -
Impressive jazz and blues fronted by a strong vocalist with both sex appeal and powerful delivery. The pianos and guitars make up the bulk instrumental sound, with screaming solos and toe tapping interludes backed by the ever-present sway of the light brush of drumming. The singer takes front stage and keeps the attention focused right there. Guess that's why her name is on the cover of the recording." - neo-zine.com