Biography
Leaving Haven is a modern rock band from Orlando, Florida. The band consists of lead vocalist Trevor Hastings, guitarist Luke Melsenti, guitarist Michael Strippoli, bassist Madison Macko and drummer Benjamin Melsenti.
Officially formed in the summer of 2011, Leaving Haven first got started when Trevor Hastings and Luke Melsenti met at Full Sail University back in 2008. Trevor and Luke instantly became friends and realized they both shared an enormous passion for music. However, it wasn’t until the fall of 2009, that Trevor and Luke decided to put a group together with their classmate Tony Quinn that they called Fading Blue. Although Fading Blue only lasted a handful of months, Luke and Trevor realized that they had chemistry and they wouldn’t let it go to waste.
Soon after the disbandment of Fading Blue, Luke asked his twin brother Ben if he would be interested in moving to Orlando and play drums with him and Trevor. Excited about the opportunity Ben left his post in Springfield, Massachusetts, where he was attending Western New England College, and moved in with Luke and Trevor in the summer of 2010.
Throughout the rest of 2010 and early 2011, Trevor and Luke pursued a Master’s degree at Full Sail while at the same time playing music with Ben. During this time was when Trevor, Luke and Ben decided on the name Leaving Haven. They wanted to pick a name that all three of them could relate to, while at the same time picking something that everyone who would listen to their music could relate to as well. They decided Leaving Haven was the perfect name because all three members (and even eventual fourth and fifth members Strippoli and Macko) are not from Orlando and left their own safe “haven” in order to pursue their dreams. Trevor moved down from Edgewater, Maryland, Luke and Ben moved from Shelton, Connecticut, and Mike and Madison are from Naples, Florida.
It wasn’t until after Trevor and Luke completed school that Leaving Haven made a splash onto the local music scene. They met up with acquaintance Michael Strippoli who expressed interest to be in the band. Mike’s previous band, Falling For Sarah, had just ended their two-year run in the Orlando scene, he was looking for a new project and it just so happened that Leaving Haven was in need of a second guitar player. Not long after, Mike became an official member in the summer of 2011, and Leaving Haven instantly started having success.
After the addition of Mike to the band Leaving Haven began to search for their final link, a bass player. Mike decided to call in an old friend, Madison Macko, to fill in the low end. Mike and Madison have been involved with music together since they were sixteen. Madison spent her childhood growing up around music, as her father, John Macko, is the bass player in Epic Records band “Fifth Angel.”
Leaving Haven’s powerhouse line-up resides in Orlando, Florida, where they are taking the scene by storm while they continue their writing and performing. They just released their first EP titled "Bad Luck Glory" on June 22nd 2012.
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