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Mel Green: News

The end of 2011- 2012 begins - February 11, 2012

The last three months of 2011 included opportunities to play out at Open Mics around Boston, with no gigs planned. Appearances at the Lincoln Open Mic solo, and with friends Amy Lohman and Brad Meyer were a lot of fun and new three-part harmonies with them were great fun, sounded really good and inquiries when the new group would appear were asked. Very encouraging.

The beginning of 2012 was quiet, and now almost half way through February, I'm mulling over new directions, and ways to introduce songs that American audiences have never heard, including songs by my old friends from South Africa... this was brought about by an invitation for a couple of future radio shows which will center on music from the "hidden Years" when South Africa was blocked by an embargo that encompassed not only economic sanctions but also cultural.

Meaning: a lot of wonderful music was never heard beyond the borders of South Africa, and its a shame that it never was. I credit my old friend and colleague in folk music, David Marks for his never-yielding endeavours to make this period known to the world. (Visit 3rdEarmusic.com)

Every so often, I pull one of those old'ish South African songs out of my songbag when taking part at an Open Mic...  find it rather interesting that Americans tend to give the impression that they may be just a bit too xenophobic... that is, in my opinion they know very little about countries which have supported the USA in some way or other over the last century or two. South Africa was, and is still a resource for raw materials, especially mined ore. Gold, uranium, copper, and other rare metals to name a few. 

I sang "Mountains of Men" (about the gold mines) and "Shiny Fairy Gold" (about an old diamond prospector) by South African songwriter, David Marks recently at the Lincoln Library Open Mic to a hushed and interested audience.... and in the future I will present a few more by him and other writers, who never saw the limelight beyond South Africa's shores.

Watch this space for more.

Fun Gigs! - November 17, 2011

After Labor Day the Open Mic scene started up again, and there are many venues to consider to try out new material... while I was at SAMW (Summer Acoustic Music Week, I had the great pleasure of singing with my good friends Amy Lohman, Liz Buchanan, and Brad Meyer, who backed me up on my Student Concert song, the 50s classic "Twilight Time", which was the most fun to work on and perform. I also backed up Brad Meyer on "Take a message to Mary". We reprised those songs at the Lincoln Library Open Mic in September, and at the Rockport Peace Festival to great acclaim from the audiences. 

Since then I had a solo gig in Marlborough at the CoffeeLoft, suggested to me by my friend and wonderful singer-songwriter Jon McAuliffe. That gig was wonderful. The venue is perfect for an intimate performance with an audience that actually listens! Amy Lohman and I shared the hour time slot. I backed her on some of her wonderful songs and she reciprocated on mine. I hope we get an opportunity to perform there again soon. If I say so myself, our voices blend wonderfully...

Summer has been really quiet... other than a return gig in June at a retirement center, NewBridge, a retirement community in Dedham, MA, which was enjoyable to perform and judging from comments afterwards, enjoyable for the audience as well. Paul Lee did the honors on the beautiful grand piano, and occasional harmony. The set list was a departure for me: primarily old cover songs from the 30s, 40s and 50s, and which were songs I have heard growing up and beyond, in other words, old favorites.

The Singer-Songwriter gig at the Somerville Armory (5/14/11) was very enjoyable... sharing the stage with the inimitable Michael Troy, Perry Desmond-Davies and Chuck Williams, was an honor and a pleasure, besides being initially nerve-wracking for me, as it was the first gig in many years that I've done armed only with my guitar, and no supporting band. Kudos to the organizer, John Fuzek of RI, who puts on monthly singer-songwriter shows at this very warm and intimate venue.

Meanwhile I am looking for gigs, preferably the paying kind.

The gig at NewBridge, a retirement community in Dedham, MA, (12/4/10) was a most pleasant and unusual gig... accompanied by Paul Lee (grand piano, keyboard, electric bass & ukulele) and Hector Hambides (tenor and soprano saxophones, flute and bongos), who helped me present an unusual set of songs. We enjoyed ourselves and so did they... I would really like to do this kind of venue again!

The feature at The Emerson Umbrella was magical... I was warmed up, in the zone, and the guys were playing very, very  well! The set zipped past and I received some wonderful comments and compliments afterwards. A big thank you to Ellen Schmidt and the sound guys who helped us pull it all together for a memorable show! 

Our Feature at TCAN on October 25th was a great pleasure. Playing on a big stage with Eric, Paul and Hector in a venue that is perfect for listening was very enjoyable. Many Thanks to Phil & Trish Knudsen the wonderful hosts and to the audience and players that attended that Monday Night!

Mel Green and his Expanded Band featured at the Lincoln Library Open Mic on the 13th of September... this was their first gig as a quintet, and it all went down very well. There was a lot of love out there, and the feeling was mutual. Looking forward to the others coming up soon. See the calendar for more dates, if you missed this one.

“A delightful set – wonderful songs and arrangements. Bravo!” Ellen Schmidt

"I was there, it was a great set and the singing was sublime. No one wanted you to stop." Randall Kromm

Nice things people say about Mel's performances! - November 26, 2010

“A delightful set – wonderful songs and arrangements. Bravo!” Ellen Schmidt

"I was there, it was a great set and the singing was sublime. No one wanted you to stop." Randall Kromm

Mel's NEW CD! - July 15, 2010

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Mel Green completed his first solo recordings in July 2010... and the result, "I'm Taking My Time" is ready for a listen.  The CD is a purposely varied collection of songs. Varied genres... folk, ballads, folk-rock, blues, pop and even South African flavored beats and instruments!

All of the songs are originals, and two were co-written, with bass player Eric Luskin... and with Bob Littman and George Pultz, friends and co-members of their folk rock band, The Maple Street Project.

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