[Mellani Day - vocals / songwriter] A gifted artist with many talents, Mellani Day has the intuition and drive to create great tunes which current & future generations will love and cherish.
[Jamie Krutz - guitar, electric violin, vocals / songwriter] Jamie is a Colorado-based performer, songwriter and media producer. He brings a whole new perspective to Dazed with his music and his skill at a variety of instruments.
[Keith Whiting - drums] Since 2002, Keith has been performing a weekly gig at the Experience, and has been playing with Dazed since November of 2003.
[Michael Willis - double bass] Michael has played with many notable jazz musicians as well as leading his own ensembles in and around Washington D.C, Baltimore, and Philadelphia.
[Jerry Weiss - keyboards] Jerry is an in-demand freelance musician and has played in many local groups. His compositions have been recognized by concert-selection and awards.
Buzz
Reviews of Mellani Day's debut EP, "Shy to Sure"
"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..." - Rikks Revues
"Impressive jazz and blues fronted by a strong vocalist with both sex appeal and powerful delivery." - Neo-Zine
"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." - Radio Mike
"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 Magazine
You are influenced in some way by everything you hear. 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 taken inspiration from such varied artists as: Don Henley, Bernie Taupin, 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, other classic rock artists, an odd list of international artists from my years in Europe, reggae artists like Boney M and Bob Marley, more recently I've been soaking up classic jazz and blues.
People have said we sound like: Steely Dan, or Macy Gray meets Carol Carpenter, Peggy Lee, Basia, Suzanne Vega, Diana Krall.
In trying to find the right genre, so far "lounge" is the closest, like what you can find on the new Denver station, 101.5 Martini on the Rockies, but of course also "jazz" 89.3 KUVO played "Shy to Sure" a while back, and "blues/rock" which is something for 99.5 The Mountain, I'm happy to say they've been playing my song Losin'.
Colorado-based Jazz chanteuse Mellani Day has the intuition and drive to not only create great tunes which future generations will love and cherish, she has the potential to develop a wide audience as the music unfolds. Her first full-length CD 'Mostly True', set for release in August 2006, features renowned jazz pianist Eric Gunnison as co-producer. Joining Mellani on the 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. The whole album is rich mix of genres... from smooth jazz & blues to reggae & calypso.
Mellani previous three song EP, 'Shy to Sure," was welcomed with rave reviews. Two of the songs - "Shy to Sure" and "Jade to Sapphire" - won honorable mentions in the 2004 Billboard World songwriting competition, while the third song, "Losin'" received extensive airplay on Denver's radio station 99.5 The Mountain. All three tracks also received regular Internet radio play in the US, Canada, Europe and Japan.
It was when Mellani went to college that she started writing songs. She soon began to seek out musicians to back her up in a variety of settings. She played keyboard and sang covers at student and community events with The Administration Blues Band at the international college she worked at in Heidelberg, Germany in 1992. Living in Europe exposed Mellani to a variety of world-musical styles which she incorporates in her songs. She relocated to Denver in 1994 and continued to write and perform at various songwriter sessions. In 1998, she joined Live Wire a working blues band in Denver that included some of her original songs in their sets. Since 2002, Mellani has also been playing a regular weekly gig in Aurora, Colorado with the Experience Band.
Eventually, the drive to focus on original music that incorporated all of the musical influences she loves - classic vocal jazz, rock, blues, Latin and reggae/island beats - led her to form her own band, Dazed, comprised of five musicians with backgrounds in jazz, folk and rock. Dazed beautifully expresses the joy, life issues and intelligence featured in her songs.
'Mostly True', co-produced by Eric Gunnison, and featuring the Dazed Band, consists of original vocal jazz-centric tunes that range from blues to island/reggae to yes, jazz by Mellani Day, and one cover - a bluesy version of Huey Lewis' "I Want a New Drug." Mell's music has been deemed "lounge-y."
Thanks again for the add! We really would love to have you and your group down for a free haircut this month if you have time. As an active element of our neighborhood's scene, we will host local bands on our website and allow you to blog and post up show dates… Its not done but we will let you know when!
~ Leon
"Local's Barbershop"... Adopting the sense of community that barbershops are known for through Arts, Music and Fashion, as well as getting the best haircut service possible at an affordable price .
Thank u sooo much for commenting me! Please if u would like to add my "MAIN PROFILE" that i use most often, please go to this profile and click on "ADD FRIEND" it will redirect the friends request to my main profile. Any of the buttons on my profile here such as ADD FRIEND/COMMENT/MESSAGE/BLOG and all that will be redirected to my main profile. I really never check this profile anymore, it is my old, "GALLERY XZANTHIA" Profile from when I owned a art gallery in Denver. Instead of deleting it when i closed my gallery and moved, i just put "writeover code-skin" that redirects all the buttons to my other profile.. get it?? lol.. wow... that was complex! Well, that's how i role! ;) You ever check out BLOGS? I write Blogs often and love comments there. If ya get the time please check out what I got posted and if ya like it comment or even SUBSCRIBE. I respond to blog responses more then anything else. ;)
Looks like myspace got hacked! Florida's great, We were going to come out to Colorado for christmas,but flights are kinda expensive, but I heard you'll be in Hawaii anyways. I'm thinking of heading out there in February... are you going to be around? Well anyways happy thanksgiving & take care!
Soulstice will be perfoming at the Buffalo Rose in Golden on Nov. 14th at approximately 9:15pm. If you know anyone that might be interested in our sound, please pass along the date.
