Melissa Cox Music

New music video, bitches.

2012-03-01T18:28:00.000-08:00

Watch it, rate it, share it, repeat.

Rave revie from GotAUkulele.com: "Carrie Fisher? Ukulele? Kazoo? Video all shot in one take? What is not to love? Big thumbs up to Melissa Cox for this - love it."

New FREE song for download!

2012-03-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

The best things are free, so here's a FREE song for you! To download it free, click the "Download" button, then enter $0 (zero) and download the mp3 for free! (Donations above zero are welcome!)

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://melissacox.bandcamp.com/track/hearts-so-sweet-song-for-tree"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Hearts So Sweet (Song for Tree) by Melissa Cox&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

"Harmonious Maladies" is out now!

2011-12-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

After a year of writing and recording, my first solo album in nearly 10 years AND my first concept album ever - Harmonious Maladies - is out! Thank you to all of my Album Angels who donated to the fundraising campaign and helped make this dream come true.

Here's how you can get your sexy little paws on the album:
Order the CD through PayPal
Order the CD through CDBaby
Download the album or individual tracks

The cover art was done by my sister Kellie Cox.

Track listing:
1. Courage
2. The Shallow Deep
3. Ireland
4. Valedico
5. Gone Away (Heaven's So Far Away) - cover of the Offspring
6. To Carrie Fisher, with love (for all you Star Wars Princess Leia lovers)
7. Explode
8. Petty Gun
9. Late to Say
10. Maluaka Beach
11. Vicarious (remix of the Mythica version)

Featured on DailySingle and Weekly Indie

2011-06-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

Been a busy day, week, month...... check out my Q&A interview with the DailySingle (not a dating service! I still have a ring on my finger), and my song "For Patrick" was also featured on Weekly Indie. Yay for press!

New videos from Sacramento & San Fran

2011-05-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

Check out my new videos from my Odometer Destroyer Tour with Reign Lee. These were taken in Sacramento and Cotati, CA (near San Fran):

Videos from Santa Fe - "Courage" and "Vicarious"

2011-05-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

Live performance of my newest song "Courage" and my remix of "Vicarious" at Santa Fe Performance Exchange in New Mexico. It was a triple bill with lovely ladies Celia and Reign Lee.

Odometer Destroyer Tour w/ Reign Lee: The End

2011-05-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

Tour wrap-up:

I learned a lot through this tour about performing, about touring, and about myself. I'd like to share a few of my insights with you now:

- Objects on the map are NOT as close as they appear!
- Camping at the top of the Grand Canyon in April will be cold...very cold.
- The most important thing to take on a road trip: stand-up comedy on tape.
- Toyotas are indestructible.
- 10% of life is what happens to you. 90% of life is how you handle it.
- UFOs exist.
- The second most important thing to take on a road trip: GPS.
- Do not underestimate, and always cherish, the generosity of strangers.

And finally...
- There are still genuine music lovers in this country who support and like independent music.

And for that, we thank you all.

Ten-four,
Melissa

Odometer Destroyer Tour: Days 16 & 17

2011-05-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday, April 23, 2011 (Day 16)
Collective miles: 10,469
Venue: Hacienda del Sol, Tuscon, AZ
Written by: Reign

(Blog post by my tour partner, Reign): This was a show that was very important to me for a number of reasons. The night was dubbed ‘Music for the Soul’ and benefited Integrative Touch for Kids. The purpose of the organization is to maximize wellness for children with special medical needs and their families. (www.integrativetouch.org) What an inspiring event to be a part of. It was a double-blessing for me since one of my dearest and oldest friends was one of the organizers for this event and is heavily involved in ITK. Although life set us on divergent paths for a while, fate (aka facebook) saw it fit to finally bring us together again and it was amazing to pick up where we’d left off as friends 10 years ago. I hope to be involved with more ITK events in the future.

Once again we shared the stage with some amazing players – Bandjax, Amy Rude and the Heartbeast and Silver Thread Trio. But it was the reaction of the many children who came up to me after the show to ask for CDs that absolutely made my night. On an interesting note…the venue came to talk to us because they were a bit concerned about how loud the music was going to be. Apparently there were expecting quite a few senior citizens in the crowd, so we were asked to keep levels down. My question was this: if there’s a bunch of seniors in the audience, shouldn’t we be turning UP rather than down? Just something for you all to ponder…

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Sunday, April 24, 2011 (Day 17)
Collective miles: 11,090
Venue: The Laughing Goat, Boulder, CO
Written by: Reign

So this was our last show. What were we thinking? Saturday night in Tuscon, Arizona and Sunday night in Boulder, Colorado? Who the hell booked this thing?! Oh yeah, we did.

Perhaps we should’ve teamed up with people who were more map-literate than us. So immediately after the Tuscon show at Hacienda del Sol, we packed our gear and hauled it out of there. We had a 15-hour drive to get us back to Colorado and we were hoping it would give us a chance to grab some kip (sleep) before the final show at the Laughing Goat. What is it they say about best laid plans?

Anyways, there was one noteworthy thing that happened on the drive. I was driving through New Mexico at about 2am. (Apparently we were near Area 51.) I was driving along and I noticed a light in the sky. It wasn’t moving so I assumed it was a tower of some kind. But it seemed to be in an odd position, since it would put the tower right in the median area of the highway. Then, another light goes on of a different colour. Then 2 more blink on. At this point, I’m wondering what it is. I put on the high beams, but it doesn’t illuminate enough of the sky. Then Melissa wakes up and says, ‘What the hell is that?!’ It was too low to be a plane and it didn’t have the shape of a plane. It wasn’t making any noise and it was stationary in the air, yet it wasn’t tied to anything. Hmmmm…. I’m choosing to believe it was a close encounter of the third kind.

(Melissa's two cents on this UFO sighting: "I had been drifting in and out of sleep for several miles. When my eyes were open, I too saw the stationery light in the sky, and also thought it was a tower of some kind. When we got closer to it (about a mile away) I realized that it wasn't a tower. Then, within a few seconds, we were right underneath of it. I got a good look at it. It did indeed look like it was hovering (and I say look like, because it could have very well been an optical illusion) at approximately 800 feet or so, really not that high up. And because it was so low to the ground, I was amazed that there was absolutely no sound. If it was a plane or jet, it would have been very loud. I could see directly under its belly. It was white, with two jet engines on each side, positioned slightly under the body, and a pointy nose. It looked flat, like a cockroach. The closest similar craft I can come up with is the Y-wing in Star Wars. Looking through the back window at it, I saw a pulsing red light, which is standard on aircraft (red lights on the back end of craft means they are moving away from you - this helps pilots figure out which direction aircraft around them are traveling). So my only guess is that it was some top secret military craft that somehow can hover and make no noise at a low altitude. My only regret: that we didn't stop, get out of the car, and take pictures!)

Moving on to the last show…. We got into Denver before 1pm and were completely exhausted. We tried to crash out but probably only got about an hour or 2 of sleep before the show. Then we headed down to Boulder. This was my first time there and I have to say, I loved it! The Laughing Goat had a gorgeous smell of roasted coffee running through it and a chill atmosphere. I liked it immediately although I was completely delirious with lack of sleep. But it wasn’t long before I was able to get into the swing of things.

Melissa brought her drummer, John and her bassist/husband, Matt and they backed me up for a rocked out version of ‘Built to Last’. They did a stellar job of backing up Melissa through her sets and it was very cool to see the Mythica band dynamic in action. The audience was fantastic. They were attentive and into the music and we were able to carry on conversations with people from the stage. My favourite comment came from a very attentive audience member sitting front row and center. I said something along the lines of ‘Thanks for being such a great audience.’ And he responded by saying, ‘You’re not bad looking yourself.’ It was completely not related to anything I’d just said, but it’s a compliment and I’ll take it where I can get it!
To be honest, I wasn’t sure how many people were going to be out on Easter Sunday, especially considering how empty the streets were. But the place was full and it was an outstanding way to end the tour. I love you, Laughing Goat!

Odometer Destroyer Tour: Days 12 & 13

2011-05-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, April 19, 2011 (Day 12)
Collective miles: 10,083
Venue: Shakespeare’s, Henderson, NV
Written by: Melissa

"What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." Well, except in this case. Wait, we are not even in Vegas. We're in Henderson, which is 20 minutes south of Vegas. (There go my Ocean's Eleven jokes). Anyway, we said goodbye to Reign's friend who so generously put us up for the night in her home in Mission Viejo, and set out to haul ass five hours across the desert to Henderson, where we were greeted by Karen, the owner of a fabulous pub called Shakespeare's Pub & Grille, and her fantastic staff. Ah, now this is my kind of venue. Good beer on tap, Irish music playing over the speakers, and loud Irish soccer players in a fiery darts battle. Slàinte mhòr!

After figuring out how to patch into the pub's built-in speaker system (which luckily saved us a trip to Best Buy), I launched right into Tolkien's Fever, tacking on a speedy version of Flowers of Edinburgh. The table of eight -- the Irish soccer players and their wives and kids -- were about to leave, but after hearing the music, one of the players loudly declared "Okay, we're stayin'!" and proceeded to stick around for another four hours, playing darts and buying round after round of Guinness (and two Car bombs for Reign and me) while Reign and I played on.

The rest of the crowd filled out and we met many more nice and enthusiastic people, including an Irish chap named Raymond who despite being in Nevada for over 20 years, he never lost his thick Irish accent. I asked him about this, and he told me the reason: "When I married my wife and we moved to the US, she told me if I ever lost my accent, she'd divorce me!" Ray also gave me another great Irish joke: "What's the difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish funeral?" "There's one less drunk at an Irish funeral." Hardy har har..... at least it's a clean Irish joke! Thanks Shakespeare's for the memories. Cheers! Next stop - Phoenix!

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Wednesday, April 20, 2011 (Day 13)
Collective miles: 10,354
Venue: The Compound Grill, Phoenix AZ
Written by: Reign

(Written by my tour partner, Reign): Although this wasn’t a huge gig, it was one of my favourites on the tour. The Compound Grill is an amazing venue with a fantastic stage that was built for rock stars. The walls are lined with pictures of famous musicians that have graced the stage and it always feels good to walk within hallowed walls. The evening got off to a hilarious start. I was kicking off the night but didn’t want to start until my grandparents got there (they live in Phoenix). They were very concerned about not missing any part of the show. But of course, start time came & went and there was still no sign of them. I don’t know why I was surprised. These are the people that somehow missed their first ever flight to Hong Kong and ended up in Japan instead. And then, from Japan, somehow ended up in Thailand where my mom finally had to go to retrieve them since they weren’t getting any closer to Hong Kong. I imagined that they had somehow taken a wrong turn and ended up in Canada looking for the venue. But lo and behold, they turned up about 15 mins late and we were able to start the show.

The space was great and the sets felt good. Unfortunately, in my glib way, I started talking about how the night before the audience members at Shakespeare’s had been buying us Car Bombs. So of course, I started commenting that I was expecting nothing short from Phoenix. I probably should’ve kept my mouth shut. Because the Car Bombs came…and kept coming. There were more on offer, but we finally had to turn them away since there is only so much Guinness, whisky and bailey’s that one person can consume in one fell swoop. Next time, I should probably comment on something sensible, like Chardonnay or a nice Pinot Grigio.

Next stop, Tuscon!

Odometer Destroyer Tour: Days 10 & 11

2011-05-09T11:31:00.000-07:00

Sunday, April 17, 2011 (Day 10)
Collective miles: 9,565
Venue: Unity Church of Merced, CA
Written by: Reign

(This blog entry was written by my tour partner, Reign): This was a little community church venue in Merced and I had no idea what to expect. People that were a part of the community were invited to come and join us for a night of music. For some reason, it reminded me of John Lithgow preaching from his pulpit in Footloose – I have no idea why but that was my frame of reference. (I was hoping everyone was going to start rushing the aisles and start shaking their moneymakers.)

As we tried desperately to figure out how to hook everything up to run the sound, slowly people started to file in. There were people of all ages and whole families that came out after dinner to see what the cat dragged in. Once again, I felt privileged to be playing to a captive audience. People had come out of their way on a Sunday night to simply hear music. The energy in the room felt strong and genuine as people cheered throughout the night. Afterwards, we made our way back to the Osborne’s – our host family. They treated us with warmth and we sat down that night to some good vino, good food and even better conversation. We put the world to rights then retired to bed, hoping to get some much needed rest before heading back to LA.

Monday, April 18, 2011 (Day 11)
Collective miles: 9,815
Venue: Redwood Bar, Los Angeles, CA
Written by: Reign

(This blog post was written by Reign): This was an interesting show. For some reason, the place reminded me of something straight out of a David Lynch movie. And I loooooove David Lynch movies. We walked in to see Phil Alvin on stage, sitting on a chair, holding his guitar almost like an upright bass and singing with a fiery intensity reserved for only the most hard-nosed bluesman. I was confused though because I thought we were supposed to be opening for him. I soon found out that he just gets bored sitting around, so he tends to jump on stage whenever he can to do a few songs. I’m glad he did! I felt like I was getting an education simply by being in the line of fire. The place was packed with what I’m assuming were LA Times writers. Apparently, they had won a bunch of awards or something earlier that night, so they came to Redwood to partake in Hollywood delights and debauchery.

The Lynchian similarities didn’t end there. Pretty soon Exene from X showed up. Along with some other notable people of rock n roll history. I ended up talking to Mercy (that’s Miss Mercy, for most of you) from the legendary GTO’s. Let’s just say that my conversation with her became a rock education that we are continuing through email and facebook. Redwood – thanks for the memories!

Odometer Destroyer Tour: Days 9 & 10

2011-05-09T11:26:00.000-07:00

Sat. April 16 & Sun. April 17, 2011 (Days 9 & 10)
Collective miles: 9,404
Venue: House Concert, Cotati, CA + Church Service, UU Church of Petaluma, CA
Written by: Melissa

The next day, we hit the road for Cotati, a little town in the SF Bay area. We were greeted by Karen, who runs the house concert series at FrogSong, a co-housing community in the town. You may be thinking "commune" right now, but we assure you, it's not. Cotati Co-housing is a community of like-minded families who have private lives but come together in the spirit of community to share meals and grounds duties, like gardening. People can choose to participate, or not. It was a very cool thing, and I wished that places like that existed out on the East Coast. (Maybe they do? Google will know!)

We played to a packed house of about 40 people. Karen's sound system and tech abilities were stellar. Reign had never played a house concert before, and she shared with me that it was a very cool experience for her. Having played to small rooms and house concerts in the past, I felt very at home. We met David Dodd, who hooked us up with Karen. David is the lay-minister at Petaluma Unitarian Universalist Church, where we played the next day.

The church holds their services at the Women's Club in Petaluma, the most adorable little town I've ever been in. Victorian era homes complete with picket fences and roses bushes lined the streets, and everyone was out in their Sunday best, or walking their dogs. We were very honored to be a part of the UU's service. Reign and I sang three songs - Closer to Fine by the Indigo Girls, Earth Song by Michael Jackson, and One More Day by Ritchie Havens / Sinead O'Connor - and I gave the homily, Music in Nature, Music in Spirit, during which I focused on the historical, cultural and spiritual importance of music, on the slow yet palpable "corporatization" and dumbing-down of music by the hands of greedy record labels in order to rake in profits, and on the importance of taking music back and making it once again of the people, by the people, and for the people. It was a joy to take part in such a wonderful and tight-knit church service. Thank you everyone who made us feel so welcome and at home.

Unfortunately, Reign and I could not linger long, because we had to jet down to Merced, CA to play a show that evening...

Odometer Destroyer Tour: Day 8

2011-05-09T11:24:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 15, 2011 (Day 8)
Collective miles: 9,337
Venue: Shine, Sacramento, CA
Written by: Melissa

PICTURES ARE UP!!!!! Go check them out! Videos coming in the next week.
Go here to view the album: http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/media/set/fbx/?set=a.971991589014.2482536.11307548

If you are familiar with the life of a touring musician, then you know that we spend 10x more time in the car driving than we do on stage. And the little spare time we do have left over is set aside for sleep. Drive, play, eat, sleep. Drive, play, eat, sleep. Now, I had heard lots of wonderful things about Sacramento and the surrounding Northern California region. And if I had the choice, I'd leave my guitar in the car and hit the pinot like I was in the movie "Sideways" (sans the adultery). But, we had a job to do -- after all, you didn't donate to the tour just so Reign and I could go frolicking around Northern Cali drinking on a winery tour -- so northern Cali will just have to wait another year, at which point I can return for a proper vacation (and with a designated driver!)

We got to Sacramento's Shine Coffee & Art cafe to find it empty despite our best promotion efforts. Then we remembered -- it was Tax Day, April 15th. So that's why no one was out -- they were either scrambling to get their taxes in by midnight, or they were at the bar drinking heavily (Shine doesn't have a liquor license yet, but they will within the month).

The cafe wasn't completely empty. Our opening act, Roger Wolf, was there to perform, with his two groupies/sidekicks/friends in tow. We really liked Roger's dark, edgy style, and we liked him even more when he and his two friends sat through our entire two hour performance, whooping and clapping like they were in a stadium filled with fans. We also had a great time getting to know the staff of Shine - Rena, Jake and Joe - whose quiche, coffee and tea were off the chain.

A few people did trickle in though. We sold some cds, gave away a few tshirts and bags (compliments of our sponsor Presentation Graphics, www.pggifts.com), then we hopped back into the car to drink some more Honest Tea and head back to crash at Reign's in-laws.

Days 6 & 7: The Odometer Destroyer Tour (Melissa Cox and Reign Lee)

2011-04-21T17:04:00.000-07:00

Wed., April 13, 2011 (Day 6)
Collective miles: 8,875
Venue: TRiP Bar, Santa Monica, CA
Written by: Melissa

This tour represents a lot of firsts for me personally: my first time to the southwest US, my first time doing a tour this long, and my first time witnessing a burlesque show live and in person.

When Reign told me months ago that she got us booked at a place called TRiP Bar in greater L.A., I thought cool, just a regular gig at a bar. But then she told me we were opening for a tasteful burlesque show, and the first thing that popped into my mind was: "What in the hell will I wear?" Or, maybe more fittingly, "What will I NOT wear?" Luckily, we were the ear candy for the night, and not the eye candy, so in our normal clothes we trekked over to TRiP for a very interesting evening of entertainment of both the naughty and nice varieties. Then it was back to Terrence's place to crash for the night before getting back in the car and driving up to Santa Cruz for the SPCA benefit show.....

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Thursday, April 14, 2011 (Day 7)
Collective miles: 9,223
Venue: The Crepe Place, Santa Cruz, CA (benefit for the SPCA)
Written by: Melissa

Driving to northern California, we were faced with the reality that is the state's growing water crisis. Farmland stretched as far as the eye could see, yet much of it was devoid of crops. Large signs that read "Stop the Congress created dust bowl" dotted the highway, while dust devils dozens of feet high whirled through the landscape. Water conservation billboards and posters were everywhere. My heart went out to the farmers whose lives and livelihoods depend on the abundance of water, and it made me reflect on just how lucky we are in Delaware to have abundant rainfall. I can only hope that Congress will act and help Californians in their struggle.

We arrived in Santa Cruz, which reminded me a lot of my home state's beach town of Rehoboth. We were greeting by Cathryn, events director for the SPCA, and Adam, the GM for the Crepe Place. Keith our awesome sound guy helped us out with getting our sets professionally recorded (since my computer was out of commission). The event successfully raised a significant amount of money to help the SPCA build their new shelter and adoption center. As proud parents of four-legged kids, Reign and I were very happy to help the SPCA in their efforts.

We couldn't hang out for long because we had to drive an hour north to meet up with Reign's aunt & uncle in law at their beautiful home in Walnut Creek, where we stayed the night. Next stop: Sacramento.

Day 5: Odometer Destroyer Tour - Update from the Road

2011-04-21T16:28:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, April 12, 2011 (Day 5)
Collective miles: 8,846
Venue: Blue Cafe, Long Beach, CA
Written by: Melissa

By this point, Reign and I are getting a big lesson in topography. Going from 6,000+ foot elevation down to sea level in less than a 100 miles did a number on our sinuses, and my car. Besides the natural roller coaster that is the road, we're learning a whole lot about distance. Growing up in Delaware (the second smallest state), I really didn't know quite what I was in for when I booked this tour. Grand Canyon to Long Beach in a day? No problem. They look close enough to each other on the map, right? Wrong.

Eight very tiring hours later, we arrived in Long Beach to play our show at the Blue Cafe. We had a nice intimate crowd, which included two awesome So Cal guys named Swoop and Peter who host the popular internet radio show "Swoop's World." Swoop and Peter very graciously invited us on their show to interview live via phone the week prior. You can listen to the interview (and Swoop's addictive laughs) here: http://www.swoopsworld.com/2011/reign-lee-melissa-cox-swoops-primetime/

It was at this show that my computer got the grey screen of death, so unfortunately we did not get it recorded, but we did get some pictures, to be posted soon. After finishing up in Long Beach, we met up with Reign's friends Kyle and Scott for drinks, then we headed to L.A. to meet up with Reign's friend Terrence. Tomorrow: TRiP Bar in Santa Monica, opening for.... a burlesque show?!

Odometer Destroyer Tour Update

2011-04-21T01:37:00.000-07:00

April 10, 2011 (Day 3)
Collective miles: 7,882
Venue: Santa Fe Performance Exchange, Santa Fe, NM
Written by: Melissa

We drove six hours to Santa Fe, NM, with my car’s wheel wells precariously hovering over my rear wheels due to the weight of our cargo -- cds, merch, cables, microphones, and tshirts & canvas bags, posters, and bottles of tea (compliments of our sponsors - Presentation Graphics, ABC Repro, and Honest Tea, respectively).

When we got to Santa Fe, we were amazed by the beauty of the landscape. Hues of red, orange and deep brown grounded me, and made me feel like I was floating on Mars. We played at the Santa Fe Performance Exchange (formerly Mike's Music Exchange) and we played to a great group of avid music lovers. We were very lucky to be joined by the beautiful Celia, an amazing musician and songwriter. (Celia and I met years ago through a movie project and Go Girls music). Celia floored us with her live looping capabilities, lyrics, and vocals.

After the show, Celia generously opened her home to us and gave us a place to sleep for the night. We enjoyed amazing food, prepared by the hands of her partner and amazing chef Paul. (The guacamole was to die for.) At the dinner table, Celia shared her alter-ego with us: Trestle the Faerie, an adult humor performer, whose many songs include “Doctor Bronner’s Makes Your Whoo Whoo Tingle.” If you know what Dr. Bronner’s is, then “ladies, you know what I mean.” If you don’t know what Dr. Bronner’s is, then we recommend you go buy some as soon as possible (from your nearest natural foods store).

Our stay in Santa Fe was regrettably too short, because we had to get to Los Angeles as soon as possible to meet up with Reign’s old friend Terance and play a show at the Blue Café….

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April 11, 2011
Collective miles: 8,342
Written by: Melissa

Even though Reign and I didn’t have a show to play this Monday evening, that didn’t mean we had the night off. Our route to L.A. naturally took us through Arizona, and since neither of us had seen the Grand Canyon, we knew we had to not only stop, but camp there as well for the night. With our sleeping bags and camp fire food in tow, we drove the 400+ miles to the Canyon, first stopping in Flagstaff to eat, grab a coffee, and buy a six pack of microbrews.

The drive to the Canyon floored me. White capped mountains contrasted against the desert reds and browns to create something out of a dream. The sky was spotted with wisps of clouds, creating the most amazing sunset. When I saw the canyon itself, my jaw literally dropped. Not only could I not believe the size of the canyon, I could not compute its vastness in my brain. It was the first time I truly felt infinity, and vertigo.

We camped in Mathers Campground. Because there was wet snow everywhere, it took us an hour to get the fire going. I’m a closeted pyromaniac, so building a fire on my own out of nothing but wood and dead pine needles was awesome, and even more awesome since I beat the elements. We ate our food and went to bed, wishing we had remembered to pack marshmallows and chocolate.

At 6am the next morning, we woke up, struck camp, and went to the canyon to see it in all of its glory in the morning light. The sheer size of the canyon didn’t hit me until I saw a barely noticeable white dot – a helicopter – hovering within the void. My brain quickly realized the scale of what I was witnessing. My knees buckled, and I got dizzy. I snapped my pictures, then had to leave.

California, here we come.....

Odometer Destroyer Tour: Days 1 and 2

2011-04-11T16:51:00.001-07:00

April 7, 2011 (Day 1)
Collective miles: 7,478
Venue: McMullen’s, Parker, CO (sponsored by Open Stage Denver)
Written by: Melissa

This is it: the tour that will kill Melissa’s car, Reign’s guitar, and both of our backs.

Reign arrived in Denver on Wednesday, after 22 hours in the air. I immediately whisked her back to my and Matt’s place for some hot Thai soup (the best comfort food). But neither of us had much time to relax before we had to hit the road packing and shopping for our journey across five states – Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California and Nevada.

Our first show was on Thursday, April 7 at McMullen’s Irish Pub in Parker, CO. We were honored to be included as the featured performers of Open Stage Denver (www.openstagedenver.com). OSD is run by my good friend and fellow musician/Taylor guitar owner Dave Widlund, and administered by my friend and helper/researcher extraordinaire Melynda Whiting. The host that night was Steve “Doc” Wilson (whose Bose speaker rig we totally envied).

McMullen’s (formerly Pogue Mahone’s) has recently made a great comeback since it was acquired by a new owner (of the same name), who has really turned the place around and has grand plans for expansion, weekly Irish and folk music sessions, and possibly even a mini Celtic festival in his pub and parking lot. (You can bet you’ll be seeing Mythica there in the coming months). We want to thank everyone at OSD and McMullen’s for being so awesome and helping Reign and I kick off our tour with a bang!

THANKS TO OUR IN-KIND SPONSORS:

Honest Tea (sustenance /caffeine / health sponsors) http://www.honesttea.com

Presentation Graphics, Philadelphia Metro area (swanky schwag sponsors) http://www.pggifts.com

ABC Reproductions, Denver CO (poster sponsor) http://www.abcrepro.com

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April 9, 2011 (Day 2)
Collective miles: 7,500
Venue: McKinner’s Pizza Bar, Littleton, CO
Written by: Melissa

Two words: JET LAG. I recall an Embassy Suites door sign for the housekeeping: “To knock is human. To let sleep in, divine.” And that is just what we did. With Reign on Hong Kong time, and me on Hawaii time for the past 10 days, we were totally “knackered” (that’s British/a Reign-ism for “tired”).

On Friday, we headed out for some major food & camping gear shopping, followed by a trip to Honest Tea warehouse where we met Megan and Mario to pick up a few donated cases of Honest Tea’s amazing tea varieties – green tea, mate, pomegranate white tea, and many more. I’ve been a tea drinker for a looong time, and Honest Tea is one of the best brands in terms of taste, quality, and most importantly, caffeine levels! If you haven’t tried Honest Tea yet, what the heck are you waiting for? Go get some!

After all the shopping and car packing was finished, we headed to McKinner’s in downtown Littleton (about 30 minutes southwest of the City of Denver) and played a great show while enjoying their amazing pizza. I am a huge pizza snob, and I can honestly say McKinner’s is the best pizza in the Denver Metro area, and the second best pizza in the country (the #1 prize going to my cousin’s pizza business, Pizza Primo in Columbus Ohio). Thanks to Keven at McKinner’s for booking us, and to Jesse for rockin’ the sound system for us.

Next stop: New Mexico!

New MP3s available for download through Reverbnation!

2011-04-06T21:58:00.000-07:00

My three latest songs are finally available for download through Reverbnation. Click the link below to download Vicarious (remix), Petty Gun, and The Shallow Deep for just $1.29 each!

http://www.reverbnation.com/store/store/artist_255980?item_type=music

New mp3s coming soon!

2011-01-05T14:55:00.001-08:00

New tracks are coming soon for download, including my new song "A Shallow Deep" and a remixed version of "Vicarious." Check back soon for details!

Hello 2011!!

2011-01-02T15:41:00.000-08:00

Happy 2011 everyone! The new live CD is in the works and I'm very excited! If you pre-order the CD by January 18, you'll get an autographed copy of the CD with your name in the liner notes & free shipping. You can pre-order the CD by donating $25 to my April tour.

Also please check out our official tour website