Biography
(2009 - Present)
Nocturnal Me is: Dave Melillo, Jeff Czum, John 'Tank' Viavattine, and Mikey Lasaponara.
Links: Official Website / Facebook / Twitter / MySpace / Youtube / PureVolume
Biography
If you need testament to the fact that diversity is a virtue, look no further than Nocturnal Me. The New York based four-piece combines an eclectic concoction of seasoned musicians from various backgrounds - such as the internationally-known pop-outfit Cute Is What We Aim For and nationally-known acts Roses Are Red and Streamline - with their talents and personalities fusing to create pop music that challenges the conventional boundaries that exist between funk and pop/rock music. The final result? Definitive proof that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Speaking of the motivation behind the formation of Nocturnal Me, frontman Dave Melillo comments; "We started Nocturnal Me as a genuine outlet for making music." That outlet has, since its 2009 inception, released two EPs to not only critical acclaim - being described by one critic as "poised to shine" - but, more importantly, an overwhelmingly positive reaction from the band's relentlessly loyal fanbase. Despite the duo of EPs - 'Nocturnal Me' and 'Too' - spawning addictive and reckless anthems á la "This Isn't Love" and "Smash It Up," it would be incorrect to describe them as a benchmark for the band's future output and success, for they are mere building blocks and a taste of what is to come from the quartet. As Melillo himself confidently asserts; "We want to make songs that are complex, yet accessible. We want everyone to be a fan.” With independent sales far exceeding many of their peers and a considerable online presence and following, Nocturnal Me are on the right track to achieving this goal.
After nearly a dozen records crafted between them and over 1000 live performances, some musicians would lose the collective ambition that is essential to succeed, and indeed, survive, in the modern music industry. This could not be further from the truth with the members of Nocturnal Me, as Melillo states; “We value our experience greatly, as it prevents us from making rookie mistakes; it allows us to focus on what’s really important about being a musician – our art.” The band cites Incubus, Jimmy Eat World, Jamiroqui, and Maroon 5 as their main influences and agents of inspiration to develop as both musicians and individuals, but with their combined musical tastes and influences ranging from classic 80's/90's rock to 00's emo to modern R&B and classic hip-hop, an open mind is certainly kept.
Having penned to independent label Apparition Records in mid-March, 2011 looks set to be a year of progression and prosperity for Nocturnal Me. “We wanted a label that matched our ambitions and was willing to work on a short term, record-by-record basis. We feel like we have a lot to prove as a band, and the people at Apparition Records have the same mentality – being a young label, they are desperate to prove themselves.” The band entered New York’s GCR Audio (Goo Goo Dolls, B.O.B., Jessie J) studios in April to record ‘Two Faced,’ a self-produced five-song EP that sees Nocturnal Me refine and expand their sound. Discussing the inspiration for the album and the meaning behind the album title, Melillo discloses “I've done a lot of things recently that made me question the person I was and the values I've had up until now. I saw a different side to me than I ever did before and a lot of these songs came about because of that discovery”.
‘Two Faced’ is out July 19th via Apparition Records.
Artist descriptions on Last.fm are editable by everyone. Feel free to contribute!
All user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply.
