Anthony Melillo... is a Singer-Songwriter performing Acoustic, Pop & Soft Rock music.
You may have enjoyed seeing this young man around Yorktown and Ossining playing his guitar for friends and fans at open mics and battle of the bands or at the pavilion in town. You may have seen him acting and dancing in shows at Yorktown Stage, the Westchester Broadway Theatre, Tarrytown Music Hall or singing with The Westchester Dreamcoats at Giant Stadium. Active in Yorktown High’s Drama Club, Choir and Dance Company, he has wowed audiences with stellar performances. He was recently nominated for the popular high school equivalent of the “Tony’s,” the Helen Hayes/Metro Awards, for Best Supporting Actor and Outstanding Duet as “Bobby Randall” in “Good News.” He won for "Outstanding Duet" at The Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill on June 8, 2009. See www.lohud.com/inthewingslive for a streaming video of the event.
And now, Anthony Melillo is making news in the local music scene, as well!
Anthony is an 18-year-old acoustic artist, singer/songwriter and composer. He is often compared to an early John Mayer, Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional and recently, to Jason Mraz. Some of his other influences include Ray Charles, Cat Stevens, Eric Clapton, Jack Johnson, Kenny Vasoli and Mike Rowe.
His passion for words come in beautifully vocalized love parables that take you on a musical journey with heartfelt rhythm and grace. Mixing it up with some fun, jazzy and upbeat songs, he continues to take you on a lyrical ride. Each of his transitions is quite unique and keep you listening for the next change. Both to the trained and untrained ear, he is a listening delight and a joy to the heart.
Although new to the music scene, this charismatic teenager should rise fast as a family favorite, developing fans of multiple age ranges and genres of music. Wayne Warnecke, President of Segue Records says, "It is so rare now-a-days to find such a young artist with an enormous amount of talent and ability. He's bound to go far." Marcus Cheong, Producer of “Angels-The Musical” says, “This music has a refreshing honesty and real emotion. Anthony writes from the heart and sings with great passion." Says Anton Evangelista, President of Comprehensive Films, "Every once in a while, a talent comes along and everything clicks - voice, lyrics, music, performed by a young man who makes it all look so easy. Be on the lookout for Anthony Melillo - a singer/songwriter who brings together all the elements of great original music, beyond his young years!"
He was originally influenced by his older brother, Joe (23), who is also a singer/songwriter, to begin playing guitar in the first place. "Joe was 14 when he picked up a guitar and started playing and composing. My other brother Nick was 12 and jumped on a drum set my parents gave him one Christmas, so I just wanted to be part of the band." says Anthony, "I was only 9 and to keep me quiet, the parentals bought me a bass and the rest is history!"
Brother Joe, is a recent graduate of Pace University Honor's College, is managing a restaurant when he's not performing and wows audiences with his soulful vocals and jazzy style originals. Nick (21) is a new graduate of SUNY New Paltz with his BA in Theatre Arts, which he acquired in only 3 years. He energizes this team of brothers with precision percussion and switches seemlessly from drums to keyboards and back again. When not playing an instrument, he adds another dimension to their 3-part harmonies. They are both talented and gifted in their own right and are committed to supporting their younger brother's dream. Together, there's a "magic" that happens when they hit the stage, an energy and honesty rarely seen, and with beautiful harmonies that leave an audience awestruck and wanting more. It's just plain good music that keeps all ages singing & dancing along. Their interaction with audiences is professional and mature, not typical of such young talents.
As a recent featured musician on the local cable television show "Alive with Clive - Turning Your Passion Into Profit," Anthony has made quite a stir with his appearance along with his brothers, especially with one of his songs, "That's My Son," which can be viewed on YouTube or heard above. Clive Swersky, host of the show taped weekly live out of White Plains Cablevision, has recently inaugurated the Alive with Clive Top 20 Music Chart featuring local musicians who are competing for the top slot on a compilation cd designed to raise over a million dollars for AIDS victims in South Africa.
Anthony and his brothers, becoming known more recently as "The Melillo Brothers," enjoyed a formidable 1st place lead for over a year on the Chart through the voting of fans at www.alivewithclive.tv and is hoping to have one of his songs make it to the Top 5 on the album. In a recent press release Clive says, "I believe every son wants his parents to hear ‘That's My Son,’ and I also believe it is destined to be a # 1 hit all over the world. Now, the question remains: Was Bon Jovi, Paul McCartney or Bruce Springsteen this good at seventeen?”
Anthony recently self-produced his debut album "Just Gettin' Started" and released it on August 24, 2008. One of the songs featured on the album “Kiss Me Sweetly” is now on Z100’s NEW! Discover web radio and is moving up the charts every day. It is currently in the top 129 out of over 6,000 new indie artists. It has also taken an Honorable Mention in VH-1’s Song of the Year Contest in September 2008. And in 2009, has also won the AWC Valentine’s Love Song for 2009.
“Just Gettin’ Started” has been received very well throughout NY, NJ, CT and PA, being brought to the public at the Westchester County CD Release Party and at live shows, concerts & charity events. It has recently enjoyed being highlighted on Hudson Valley’s #1 Music Station, WHUD, 100.7FM with “Fairytale” being played on “Artist’sSpotlight with Catherine Michaels.” Says Anthony, “Hearing one of your songs being played on the radio, has been an amazing and humbling experience for me as an artist and, hopefully, it is a sign of great things to come!” It also enjoyed play on Putnam’s WTBQ 99.1FM “Spotlight” on “Teen Talk Radio” along with a half-hour interview with all of the Melillo brothers with Teen Talk hostesses, Natalie & Shawna.
The Melillo Brothers are currently working with Producer, Tony Woodroffe of Noyz Boyz Entertainment, revamping the album, getting it radio-ready. He is adding 4 new tracks, one being the title song “Just Gettin’ Started” which is upbeat and sure to get fans up and dancing. Another soon-to-be-released single is “Attitunes” which mixes acoustic pop with rap, featuring rap sensation, Theory, who recently won BET’s Most Inspirational Music Video in 2008 for his music video “Change.” The other new single “Blanket” boasts an acoustic/reggae feel and is sure to be a 2009-2010 hit!
Finally, another new track is a beautiful tribute to fellow classmate and local musician, Justin Veatch, who recently passed at the age of 17, appropriately called “Justin’s Song.” This new single which can be heard on Anthony’s My Space, will also be featured on a compilation cd "Permagrin - The Ivoryton Piano Factory" the Veatch family is putting together with some national name bands. It will be sold to raise funds for The Justin Veatch Memorial Fund, which will provide scholarships to high school students planning to pursue music education.
Other collaborators on the re-vamp project are: Mark Mancini, Keyboards; Steve Geller, Bass; Chris Palmerini, Slide Guitar; Scott Hull, Mastering; Paul Logus, Mixing and Gerry Griffith; with Tom Hudak, upcoming tour manager.
The Melillo Brothers have recently shared bills with local greats, Petey Hop, Ken Veltz, Marc Von Em and Freddy Gillen, Jr. and also with some of today’s Christian artists, such as Day One, Zero-to-Sixty and pop artists such as Theory, School Boy Humor, Thee Armada, Phone Calls from Home, Thrash Unreal, Select Start and The Early November.
Anthony, Nick & Joe support and has performed benefit concerts for many local and national charitable organizations, such as The Harrison Apar Field of Dreams Foundation, Relay for Life, The Alliance for Safe Kids, Cherish Our Children International, VO1CE/Rock for Humanity, New York City Relief and Easter Seals, to name just a few. Anthony has also recently been accepted to Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts and plans to attend beginning Fall 2010.
Says Anthony, "My hope is to influence my peers through positive messages in my music, by telling stories using poignant lyrics and compelling melodies. My ultimate goal is to become a family favorite, bringing the generations together in a spirit of celebration of what we have in common. Maybe even help bridge the generation gap by reminding families that love, encouragement and respect from home is all we need to make it in the world."
See Anthony's My Space to preview his music, for shows, appearances, cd availability and contact information: www.myspace.com/melillomusicpro.
CD Available on iTunes, CD Baby, Rhapsody, Napster, Amazon and more
Awards:
VH-1 Songwriter's Contest - http://www.songoftheyear.com/webawards/a/AnthonyMelillo.htm
Z100 NEW! Discover Music -
http://z100.com/cc-common/artist_submission/all.html?page=2&gen=3
AWC 2009 Valentine’s Love Song of the Year – http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200902/1234588504.html
UK 2009 Songwriting Contest Semi-Finalist
JanSport 2009 Battle of the Bands Round 1 - 3rd Place Winner
2009 Metro Awards: free streaming live on 6/8/09
http://www.lohud.com/inthewingslive
StageBuddy.com "Tuesday Night Blowout!" 2009 Winner
www.stagebuddy.com/live
Cape May 2010 S/S Music Festival @ Congress Hall - Selected Artist!
For Booking Contact:
Manager/Agent: Joanne Melillo, Melillo Music Productions
Email: Melintdd@aol.com (914) 403-7782
Producer: Tony Woodroffe, Noyz Boyz Entertainment, Email: noyzboyz1@hotmail.com
Local Sponsors: Richard Scott Salon & Day Spa; Tom Falcone Photography; Erik Spink, E.S. Productions; Ossining Music Center
Webpage Design By: Brianne Farquar, Elizabeth Maxwell Media
Contact Info:
Anthony Melillo
Melillo Music Productions
P. O. Box 1284
Yorktown Heights, NY 10598
Call: 914-923-7495 or
Email: MelilloMusicPro@aol.com
Instrumentation
Anthony Melillo - Acoustic & electric guitar, Lead vocals
Joe Melillo - Rhythym guitar, bass, Backup Vocals
Nick Melillo - Percussion & Keyboards, Backup Vocals
Discography
Debut Album: "Just Gettin' Started"
1. Coffee
2. Drift Off
3. WiiOut
4. That's My Son
5. Kiss Me Sweetly
6. Her Song
7. Never Slow Down
8. Come Home
9. Fairytale
4 New Singles about to be released:
Justin's Song
Attitunes
Blanket
Just Gettin' Started (title track)
