Vinnie Mele
Encyclopedia
Vinnie Mele is an American singer, actor
, composer
, and instrumentalist. His style is influenced by the blues, southern rock
and country music
. Mele's songs contain humor and pop culture references.
Mele started playing guitar in his early teens. His love of the blues, rock, and soul music flourished as he started collecting records. He attended Marietta High School and Washington State Community College in Marietta. During High School Mele worked at a local music store selling and repairing musical instruments. Mele also worked for a sound-rental company and a recording studio during this time. After an unsuccessful attempt to study music academically, Mele acquired a position with the local cable company.
of cover songs by the Cure
, Rush
, Eagles, Green Day
, Poison
, U2
, Eric Clapton
and Mister Black. Members of Quantum Placit were: Aaron Curran, James Keaton, Jeremy Harmon, Todd Elliott, Jessie Paige, Vinnie Mele, Todd Richards, John Richardson, and Emily Welch.
Quantum Placit became QP3 in 1995 when many of the members went off to college. In 1999 the drummer, Aaron Curran moved from the area. Mele and Harmon posted ads on the internet for a drummer. Dean Vellenga who recently moved to Athens replied and auditioned for the position.
Mele, Harmon, and Vellenga had that in the pocket sound. It inspired music veteran Dave Martin to hire QP3 as his backup band. For the next three years, QP3 performed as the Dave Martin Band. Mele learned a lot from Martin's guitar playing, he also credits most of his musical influences were created during this time.
In 2003, Mele formed "Vinnie and the Lubricators", performing a variety of music styles: rock, funk, blues, jazz, and reggae. Mele also performed with other local groups. To keep busy as a musician, he also hosted a weekly open mic at a local pub.
In 2009, Mele started his solo career with the release of his album Painting Pictures. This was Mele's first studio release on the Elem label.
Mele continues to record and tour. He appeared at the Brickstreet BBQ Festival, and was a supporting act on the MBC's 2008-2009 concert series. Mele has worked and performed with artists such as Koko Taylor
, Hubert Sumlin
, Lucky Peterson
, Stella
, Merl Sanders, Exile
, Pierre Bensusan
, Hank Williams Jr. & III, the Grass Roots
, Peter Dickinson
, Jimmy Rogers
, Trace Adkins
, and B.J. Thomas.
Vinnie's Stratocasters are set up by David Martin who owns an authorized Fender custom and repair shop. Mele is also known to use a Dr. Z Maz 38 Combo, sometimes paired with a Fender amp, such as a Blackface Super Reverb or Vibrolux Reverb.
Mele's current band comprises:
Mele also performs with: The Swinging Orangutangs, Vinnie and the Lubricators.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and instrumentalist. His style is influenced by the blues, southern rock
Southern rock
Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music, and genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues, and is focused generally on electric guitar and vocals...
and country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
. Mele's songs contain humor and pop culture references.
Early life
Vinnie Mele, was born Vincenzo Seraphino Mele in Marietta, Ohio, the son of Anthony Mele Sr., who was the founding executive director of Washington Morgan Community Action Agency from 1967–1987, and Ada (Casto), a beautician. His parents owned a Mel's beauty salon. Mele's father is Italian-American, and his mother is Irish-American. Mele has a sister and a brother. Mele was raised in the Norwood neighborhood of Marietta, Ohio. Mele's musical talents soon came to the fore when he learned the saxophone at the age of nine. Mele loved singing at an early age, his first public performance was at age fourteen, and he recorded with a local rock band at sixteen.Mele started playing guitar in his early teens. His love of the blues, rock, and soul music flourished as he started collecting records. He attended Marietta High School and Washington State Community College in Marietta. During High School Mele worked at a local music store selling and repairing musical instruments. Mele also worked for a sound-rental company and a recording studio during this time. After an unsuccessful attempt to study music academically, Mele acquired a position with the local cable company.
Career
In 1993 Mele formed his first band, named "Souls of Silence" which later got renamed "Quantum Placit". He often describes Quantum Placit as "the best band from Marietta you never heard of". Mele's guitar and vocals contributed greatly to Quantum Placit's set listSet list
A set list, or setlist, is a document that lists the songs that a band or musical artist intends to play, or has played, during a specific concert performance...
of cover songs by the Cure
The Cure
The Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
, Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, Eagles, Green Day
Green Day
Green Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, Poison
Poison (band)
Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,...
, U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
and Mister Black. Members of Quantum Placit were: Aaron Curran, James Keaton, Jeremy Harmon, Todd Elliott, Jessie Paige, Vinnie Mele, Todd Richards, John Richardson, and Emily Welch.
Quantum Placit became QP3 in 1995 when many of the members went off to college. In 1999 the drummer, Aaron Curran moved from the area. Mele and Harmon posted ads on the internet for a drummer. Dean Vellenga who recently moved to Athens replied and auditioned for the position.
Mele, Harmon, and Vellenga had that in the pocket sound. It inspired music veteran Dave Martin to hire QP3 as his backup band. For the next three years, QP3 performed as the Dave Martin Band. Mele learned a lot from Martin's guitar playing, he also credits most of his musical influences were created during this time.
In 2003, Mele formed "Vinnie and the Lubricators", performing a variety of music styles: rock, funk, blues, jazz, and reggae. Mele also performed with other local groups. To keep busy as a musician, he also hosted a weekly open mic at a local pub.
In 2009, Mele started his solo career with the release of his album Painting Pictures. This was Mele's first studio release on the Elem label.
Mele continues to record and tour. He appeared at the Brickstreet BBQ Festival, and was a supporting act on the MBC's 2008-2009 concert series. Mele has worked and performed with artists such as Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor
Koko Taylor sometimes spelled KoKo Taylor was an American Chicago blues musician, popularly known as the "Queen of the Blues." She was known primarily for her rough, powerful vocals and traditional blues stylings....
, Hubert Sumlin
Hubert Sumlin
Hubert Sumlin is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist and singer, best known for his celebrated work, from 1955, as guitarist in Howlin' Wolf's band. His singular playing is characterized by "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic...
, Lucky Peterson
Lucky Peterson
Lucky Peterson is an American musician who plays contemporary blues, fusing soul, R&B, gospel and rock and roll. He plays guitar and keyboards...
, Stella
Stella
-People:*Stella , a feminine given name** Stella McCartney, English fashion designer** Stella , Singaporean-Taiwanese singer** Stella Maessen, Dutch singer, sometimes going under the singular name of Stella-Fictional characters:...
, Merl Sanders, Exile
Exile
Exile means to be away from one's home , while either being explicitly refused permission to return and/or being threatened with imprisonment or death upon return...
, Pierre Bensusan
Pierre Bensusan
Pierre Bensusan is a French-Algerian guitarist. As a sephardic Jew, his family came from Spain, Spanish Morocco and French Algeria. The genre of his acoustic guitar music is often characterized as Celtic, Folk, World music, New Age, or Chamber jazz. He has also published three books of music and...
, Hank Williams Jr. & III, the Grass Roots
The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots is an American rock band that charted between 1966 and 1975 as the brainchild of songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri.In their career, The Grass Roots achieved two gold albums, one gold single and charted singles a total of 21 times. Among their charting singles, they...
, Peter Dickinson
Peter Dickinson
Peter Malcolm de Brissac Dickinson OBE is an English author and poet who has written a wide variety of books, notably children's books and detective stories, over a long and distinguished career.-Life and work:...
, Jimmy Rogers
Jimmy Rogers
Jimmy Rogers was an American Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player, best known for his work as a member of Muddy Waters' band of the 1950s.-Career:...
, Trace Adkins
Trace Adkins
Tracy Darrell "Trace" Adkins is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1996 with the album Dreamin' Out Loud, released on Capitol Records Nashville. Since then, Adkins has released seven more studio albums and two Greatest Hits compilations...
, and B.J. Thomas.
Equipment and members who perform with Vinnie Mele
Mele has generally played Fender Stratocaster and Paul Reed Smith guitars.Vinnie's Stratocasters are set up by David Martin who owns an authorized Fender custom and repair shop. Mele is also known to use a Dr. Z Maz 38 Combo, sometimes paired with a Fender amp, such as a Blackface Super Reverb or Vibrolux Reverb.
Mele's current band comprises:
- Vinnie Mele - GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Andy Hall - DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Michael Tobar - KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Danny Parsons - Bass GuitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Mele also performs with: The Swinging Orangutangs, Vinnie and the Lubricators.
See also
- List of blues musicians
- List of electric blues musicians
- List of contemporary blues musicians
- List of soul-blues musicians
- List of guitarists
- List of celebrities who have appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine
- Chicago Blues FestivalChicago Blues FestivalThe Chicago Blues Festival is an annual event held in June that features three days of performances by top-tier blues musicians, both old favorites and the up-and-coming. It is hosted by the City of Chicago Mayor's Office of Special Events, and always occurs in early June...
- Long Beach Blues FestivalLong Beach Blues FestivalThe Long Beach Blues Festival, in Long Beach, California, was established in full in 1980, and is one of the largest Blues festivals and is the second oldest on the West Coast . It is held on Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend. For many years it was held on the athletic field on the...