Armand DeArtrane
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Congratulations on a great record
Sugartits & the Deciders
After being a fan of John Melendez from both The Tonight Show & The Howard Stern Show, I couldn\'t help but be curious to check out his first two albums, the 1st one, entitled \"Stuttering John\" after all, got a favorable review from Rolling Stone. They gave it 3 1/2 stars out of five, but quite honestly, after listening to it, it should have gotten 5. Quite suprisingly his 2nd release, \"Everybody\'s Normal But Me\" was even better than the 1st. I find it hard to bring myself to say this but Melendez is really a prolific songwriter. His lyrics cover topics ranging from his battle with O.C.D., suicide, religion, love, raising kids, guilt, to comedic songs, about beer, ugly children, & talking himself out of trouble. He his a competent guitar player & has a nice, raw, feel to his voice. So, when I heard of his new release, \"Sugartits & the Deciders\", I had to give it a listen. Again, I must tell you, I was pleasantly surprised.
The album is really a compilation of Melendez\'s work over the years. The fantastic song, \"Breaking the Rules\", was written by Melendez when he was 16. granted then it was called, \"I\'m Losing\". Melendez changed the chorus & made it one of the theme songs for his new movie, \"National Lampoon presents One, Two, Many\", which was originally titled \"Breaking the F-ing Rules\" then shortened to just \"Breaking the Rules\". The great rock song, \"One, Two, Many was specifically written for the movie. \"Just A Matter Of Time\", was a song from Melendez\'s band, Traitor, & was written by his singer & writing partner, Eric Moller. Melendez revamped the folk song making it more edgy with a punk feel. \"Cold Love\", & \"Stop and Stare\", are both songs from Melendez\'s band, Josie Sang which he formed with Mike DiMeo. DiMeo went on to be frontman for the heavy metal band, Riot. The comical track \"Budweiser Drinking Man\" was written by Melendez in 1984 & was recorded with his original bass player & drummer, Bob LaValley, & Bruce Valero respectively. Melendez, flew Valero along with longtime bass player, Nick Bencievenga to L.A. to record the three tracks for the movie. Melendez also includes tracks that he recorded with intention of putting it on his 1st Atlantic album. \"King\", \"Back of the Door\", \"I.N.Y.\" & his homage to the 80\'s hair bands \"The Kids Are Getting Heavy\". He includes some sentimental solo songs like, \"Where Ya Been\", & \"As Long As I\'m With You\" which he recorded in the early 90\'s. When Melendez moved from N.Y. to L.A. he penned the witty parody, \"L.A. Blows\" sung to the tune of, \"Let It Snow\" by Bing Crosby, mocking the hot Christmastime in L.A. He recorded another hysterical parody, \"I\'m Sorry\" sung to the tune of \"My Favorite Things\", where Melendez apologizes to all the celebrities he antagonized in the past. His, \"I Love The Jewish People But I Hate Their Food\" is an instant holiday classic. \"I Only Smoke When I Drink\" played quite often on XM radio, is simply Melendez at his best. The last but certainly not least is the track Melendez wrote for his 1st album with idol, Joe Walsh, entitled, \"I Don\'t Like You Either\". Joe came up with the tilte & He & Melendez wrote the lyrics while hanging in his billiard room. Joe wrote all the lyrics on a piece of paper then lost them when Melendez showed up at his house the next morning to record the song. Melendez in desperation wrote all the lyrics he could remember. Overall, the album, is a must listen. It\'s interesting to follow how Melendez has evolved as a songwriter. I had the chance to ask Melendez a few questions about the release.
A.D.
So where did you come up with the name, Sugartits & the Deciders?
J.M.
Well, it\'s a combination of two things, the 1st being when Mel Gibson got pulled over and went into a drunken rant & managed to call the female officer who was arresting him, Sugartits. I found that sad, but, hysterical. The Deciders name comes from our brainless President who once referred to himself as the \"Decider\". I swear this is the 1st president we\'ve ever had that I actually think that I\'m smarter than. I mean I know I can beat him in a game of Scrabble!
A.D.
What\'s your favorite track on the album?
J.M.
All of them!.. Just kidding... Actually they are all from a different time in my life so each of them brings back fond memories. \"I.N.Y.\" is one of my favorites because it was recorded on an 8 track & was for my 1st album, Atlantic passed on it. So 14 years later, here it is! \"Breaking the Rules\" is a favorite of mine since it\'s one of the 1st songs I have ever written!
A.D.
how was it working with Joe Walsh?
J.M.
Simply amazing. he is an idol of mine. He is a true song-writing legend & guitar virtuoso. He comes up with the tastiest licks.
A.D.
Well, congratulations on a great record. what\'s next for John Melendez?
J.M.
I just finished writing my 2nd film, \"Will Run\". hopefully we\'ll shoot that next year, then I\'ll fly my band out again to record some more tunes!
A.D.
Thanks, John, I\'m looking forward to it.
Get Sugartits & the Deciders at cdbaby & itunes.
By Armand DeArtrane
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