Crossing items off your bucket list can be a rewarding experience but some of us might not get to do this for years. The opposite is true for Joe Melillo, who will be able to cross producing his own album off his bucket list soon. As a junior biology major, Melillo keeps himself busy with his fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega and by being an Resident Assistant in Neumann Hall. It’s hard to imagine where Melillo would find the time to not only produce his own album, but to write all the songs on it as well. The album, currently untitled, is still in the process of being completed, with two out of the 10 songs having been fully recorded and finished. He said he spends on average three to four hours per week working on the album. The album includes songs titled “Close Your Eyes,” “No Worries,” “Take Me Back to Colorado” and “That Day.” “A lot of tender love and care is being put into it,” said Melillo. As a late-starter, Melillo did not begin playing guitar until his junior year of high school, but this does not hinder his passion for music. “Growing up, I was surrounded by music,” said Melillo. “My dad played guitar for years and has written over 80 songs.” After getting a grasp for the guitar in high school, Melillo figured the next natural step would be to create an album. The album features Melillo and his two friends from home, who have been working together since high school. “We’re keeping it new and interesting. It will be unlike what people have heard before, but at the same time familiar,” said Melillo. The album will feature different singers, including Melillo, though he mostly played a mix of guitar, keyboard or bass. The songs are all under the indie genre, with a little bit of folk and dance mixed into it. Melillo described the writing process for songs as diverse. Some songs would take only 15 minutes to write, while others would take weeks. Generally they would all start with figuring out the melody and go from there, he said. Some lyrics from “Close Your Eyes” read: “Close your eyes, it’s safer here Close your eyes, there’s nothing to fear Forget tomorrow, let’s live for today, the sky is blue so don’t make it grey.” After writing the songs, he would record a demo on his iPad and send it to his producer, who is a senior music production major at the University of New Haven. Lyrics from the song “No Worries” read: “Yesterday was tough, you couldn’t stop thinking Your feet were on the ground but you felt yourself sinking.” The name of his group is “Professional Grade.” You can expect the album to be released next spring for free on soundcloud, YouTube and on their Facebook page. Until then, you can watch Melillo perform live on March 26 at the Hall Council talent show, or at Alpha Sigma Tau’s Rockathon on April 11. Mackenzie Scibetta can be reached at mackenzie.scibetta@student.shu.edu
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