Stephen Melton Goes Solo
by Ryan Edwards
I’ve met hundreds of local musicians and I can honestly say that I remember every experience and wouldn’t trade any of those memories for the world. Around five years ago I was driving with an old college friend of mine and listening to a mix CD that he had. Yes, a time when we still owned and burned CD’s. The music on there was as eclectic as he is, but one particular song came on and really struck a chord with me. The song was called “Crazy” and the band was called The Northern Way. Not too long after that I landed a retail job and later discovered that I was working with the lead singer of that band, Steve Melton.
Melton’s band locally has done it all, playing at popular Colorado venues from the Fox Theatre in Boulder, the Bluebird Theatre in Denver and even Red Rocks. Also, getting lots of air time on KTCL, including a garage session with the popular radio station. Despite the success of The Northern Way, Melton had branched away and started his own project. Within the last few months, Melton has recently launched his own album, aptly titled Stephen Melton, a five song EP that speaks truthfully about relationships and shows off Melton’s skills on the keyboard as well as his strong vocals.
I listened to the five songs multiple times. I somehow felt that Melton not only had grown from this solo project, but also was able to appease The Northern Way faithful. Something that is hard to do, but Melton did really well. And when I asked him about his thoughts on the differences between The Northern Way and his solo project?
“The difference is that I focused an entire year of heart-and-soul exclusively into songwriting for Stephen Melton,” he says. “In a full year, there is a lot that happens and as a person, you go through a lot of transformation, so what you come away with is basically a musical story of what went on in that time period.”
Not only is Melton’s character and personality expressed in the songs from this EP, but also who he is on the outside. Melton plans on taking twenty percent of the proceeds and donating to the Denver Animal Shelter, where he adopted his dog. “I would love to just give the Denver Animal Shelter a check for like four or five thousand dollars,” says Melton.
After talking to Melton about his EP, I got the impression that this journey was priceless and that he was truly passionate about his work. I also believe that artists like Melton are what make Colorado’s music scene special and artists like him are why Colorado’s music scene is becoming recognized on a national level. And when I asked him about his overall thoughts on his first attempt at a solo career?
“To break old habits and change the game up,” he says. “It’s one thing to make a record and then play show’s hoping something great happens. It’s a completely different awakening when you make a record, start truly thinking outside of the box and using your innovation to do something very different and leave a real imprint. That’s what gets me up in the morning.”
Online: stephenmelton.net
Category: A-Sides
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