Melee talks about their deeply personal music, awkward fans
By Mariana Ochoa
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At first listen, Melee’s latest album Devils and Angels sounds like a typical California product, full of sunshine and suburban bliss. After all, the band started in 1999 at a high school in Orange County and gained recognition for their work on The O.C. soundtrack.
However, pay closer attention to the deeply personal messages in their songs with the piano based melodies and you will notice that this is anything but another California pop rock band.
Melee sets themselves apart with their ability to avoid writing generic relationship songs that so often fill our airwaves. For example, the song “Imitation” is told from the point of view of one of guitarist Ricky San’s girlfriends when she found out that her sister was schizophrenic. This song contains emotionally raw lyrics like, “Been spinning around now / The phantoms embrace your fears / Wrapped up in the eyes of the pictures you scattered all throughout your room / No one’s there, who you talking to?”
I recently had a phone interview with Sans to ask him about their latest album. Throughout the interview, I got a sense that Melee’s priority was to create genuine music that fans can relate to.
“We realize that writing about girls and guys is an easy topic, but we often think that people need to hear other stuff,” Sans said. “We want our fans to have another voice to listen to and help them get through different times.”
That’s why listening to Devils and Angels is a refreshing experience: It feels as though Melee is not another neatly packaged product that is being spoon fed to listeners by a big label. They love to make music that mirrors what they are about.
“Today, everything is about the image and the attitude, artists have lost the art of songwriting,” Sans said.
Melee is made up of four guys in their twenties: Sans, singer Chris Cron, guitarist Ryan Malloy and drummer Mike Nader. Therefore, a number of their songs pertain to their experiences of being in their twenties in America. For instance, the song “Stand Up” questions the rules we must follow upon entering adulthood, with lyrics like, “I’ve been trippin’ over all the rules / Living my life somebody else’s way / I’ve been sinking on a ship of fools / following honors that I can’t obey.”
“For us, coming of age on our own is an eye-opening experience,” Sans said. “These songs are about what it means to be human and active in society, where you are not safeguarded and you have to accept the good, the bad and understand that balance,”
Melee has attracted dedicated fans that have gone as far as tattooing themselves with Melee’s logo. According to Sans, the fans aren’t just getting tattoos to represent the band, but more of a state of mind.
However, the band has also experienced awkward incidents with over-the-top fans.
“We had this one girl that let us sleep at her house. I woke up in the morning [and] all I could see was her face. She was just staring at me, so I pretended not to notice and went back to sleep!” Sans said.
Maybe with the exception of that particular fan, it seems Melee wants to make themselves accessible to their fans. One example is the sympathetically sweet “Rhythm of the Rain,” which deals with Hurricane Katrina.
“When I was younger I had my house taken away from me, so when Hurricane Katrina happened, something clicked inside my soul because I understand what the word home really means,” Sans said.
It’s that passion for compassionate and personal music that ultimately distinguishes Melee. With piano-based songs that are reminiscent to the work of legends such as Elton John and Billy Joel along with thoughtful lyrics, Melee continues to offer a new side of Orange County rock.
Melee is set to tour in January in Japan and they are continuing to record.
Are you a fan of Melee? Tell us about it: outloud@outloud.com..