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| Angelo M.'s New Concerts When the steel mill he worked at for decades went bankrupt costing him his pension benefits and chance to retire, Angelo Melasecca decided it was time to follow his heart. So, he laid down his hardhat, picked up his guitar and used the nasty blow of fate as motivation for a career change; from steelworker to performing songwriter. And that was literally "music to their ears" for Roadtrip Nation's producers who found two of Melasecca's songs a perfect fit for their TV Series, currently airing nationally on PBS. Melasecca who shortened his name to Angelo M. for the stage is book ending the television debut of his song, "Thirty Years" in this weeks episode (#9) of Roadtrip Nation with two notable gigs: October 25 at the Soul of the Blues Concert Series in NYC, Cornelia Street Café and November 3, at Pennsylvania's famous Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem. Reviewers are hailing him a "Brilliant Guitarist" with an "Excellent Voice" and calling his performance "Powerful", but not long ago this gifted musician could be found working toward his thirty year pension in a steel mill. That was until 2003 when the steel company dissolved in bankruptcy leaving him six months short of retirement eligibility; he had 29.5 years of service. Like many steelworkers in similar positions, Melasecca now has to wait nearly two decades before collecting a pension that will likely be a compromised version of the original. With retirement pulled out from under him, this accomplished finger-style and slide guitarist turned to music to sustain him. His song, "Thirty Years" expresses the circumstance best: "Now I'm not too young, but I'm not too old, and things didn't work out like I was told, I'm gonna take another chance, gonna make a new start for the next thirty years I'm gonna follow my heart…And if it's not too late, I'm gonna play my song, why did I wait thirty years too long?" Hearing those lyrics you don't have to be a TV producer to see how "Thirty Years" is a perfect fit for the soundtrack of Roadtrip Nation, a show which chronicles the cross county trips of college grads as they interview self-made individuals in an effort to find their own calling. Also featured in another RTN episode is the title track of Angelo M.'s debut CD, Far From Home; a road song written on his own cross country adventure shortly after leaving the steel mill. In keeping with the shows independent spirit RTN only uses music from independent artist and this year the show received a record number of submissions. Though previous seasons of RTN boast music from a list of name artist such as Jack Johnson and Sufjan Stevens those names at the time were as unfamiliar to most people as Angelo M.'s name now seems. And name recognition is something that's bound to grow for Angelo M. as more ears hear his eclectic roots mix that draws influences from Leo Kottke, Chet Atkins, Ry Cooder and Duane Allman. In addition to hitting primetime TV, Angelo M.'s songs, "Thirty Years" & "Far From Home" are getting FM airplay and "Thirty Years" won an Honorable Mention in the prestigious 2006 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |