Melt, formed by Joey Troupe, James May and J.J. Young, is a fuzzy-heavy psych rock collective based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their music traverses genres ranging from stoner and psychedelic rock, to '80s-era thrash metal, and touches everything in between. To date, Melt has headlined shows across the region, been named the WYEP Artists of the Week, held a featured spot on the Deutschtown Music Festival mainstage, and opened for Silver Synthetic of Third Man Records. Their second studio album, Replica of Man, will be released July 7, 2023.
How did you find your way to music?
Joey: My parents raised me with music (they have great taste, so it was good music), and I was constantly surrounded by it. Whether it was the cassette deck and my dad’s box of late 70s and 80s cassettes that I played to destruction, the nearly ubiquitous presence of MTV in my household, my first CD player and the resulting towers of CDs that we accumulated, or classic rock radio in the car any time the ignition was sparked, there was always music at nearly all times of my youth. When I began taking piano lessons around age 9, I very quickly wanted to move away from classical music and into Elton John, Billy Joel, and the Beatles. When my piano teacher was reluctant to take my instruction in that direction, I stopped playing music until one day I decided to teach myself guitar. Not long after, I started writing my own songs, primarily inspired by Jack White.
James: Some of my first memories are listening to 45s in my childhood living room with my Mom and Sister. It’s always been something I have needed for existence. Always will be. Not very long after getting my first bass I found very quickly that there is no other feeling on this planet than making music in a group.
JJ: My family is filled with big classic rock fans. My Uncles Larry and Bruce both influenced me with some of the best of the best. The first time I heard Led Zeppelin or The Beatles were with them. When I was in 6th or 7th grade I bought all the Beatles CDs, and my Uncle Bruce burnt me CDs with tons of mp3s that I would eventually fill my iTunes with. Jethro Tull, Rush, Rolling Stones, The Who, Deep Purple, etc. All thay stuff was shown to me by my family in my early teenage years. I get my pop affinity from my mom who was always singing around the house when I was a kid. Anything from Diana Ross to Mariah Carey to Whitney Houston to Madonna. I took those influences and ran with them, and in high school turned it into what would be my own taste, an amalgamation of catchy pop stuff and groovy and heavy classic stuff.
Previous musical projects?
Joey (lead guitar/vocals) has played in various bands around the city since 2007, including Blackbird Pie, The Electric Pear, and Paddy the Wanderer — which released several LPs and EPs, toured regionally, and had a song featured on a Netflix series.
James (bass/vocals) started Aberrant Kingdom in 2008 and has also played with Spare Arrows.
J.J. (drums/vocals) has played in or appeared with over 10 different musical projects, including Fortune Teller, Daisy Chain, and his own solo project, BITE. He is also a co-founder of Steel City Death Club, a Pittsburgh music multimedia collective.
First concert that you ever went to?
Joey: The first BIG concert I ever went to was Van Halen (Van Hagar at the time). I grew up going to see my parents' friends in classic rock cover bands, totally blown away by their ability to sound like Styx, REO Speedwagon, Boston, and all the bands I had heard on WDVE. This planted the seed that it is possible to be just a guy from nowhere and make cool music (even if these were covers). Also, it always looked like these guys were having so much fun.
James: First concert that wasn’t Marty Lawrence at the Cambria County fair? Or the first concert I wanted to go to which was Weezer at Mellon Arena in 2002.
JJ: My first concert was Paul McCartney with my mom in 2009. It was the peak of my Beatles phase and it was a borderline magical experience. To be in the same airspace as someone who has changed my life so much with their music was indescribable. Few shows Ive been to since have passed that experience.
What's your writing process like?
Joey: I generally start with a musical idea that comes from noodling on the guitar. I like to sequence riffs together, and then I present them to the band. Together we create the skeleton for the song, and then I write lyrics and a vocal melody to accompany the music. The genesis of all my ideas for Melt come from a deep, primitive, spinal feel. If I don’t feel something nasty and righteous, I put it aside.
James: I hear tunes all day and write a lot in my head. I normally don’t put anything to paper until I’ve taken those mental melodies and played them 1,000 times alone. At that point, I take them to the band for refinement.
J.J.: I thrive off of a collaborative process. Most of my ideas come through when we're all in a room talking things out. Lyrics and story narratives can come more independently, but in a band setting, us all working together and putting our thoughts out there tends to yield the best results for me.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
Joey: Black Sabbath, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Ty Segall, Fuzz, Sleep, ZZ Top, Thin Lizzy, UFO, Kyuss, Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats, The Sword, Wolfmother, Leaf Hound.
James: Les Claypool, The Hives, Death From Above 1979.
J.J.: Specifically on my additions to the playlist, I found Ty Segall’s Fuzz before I found sabbath and it was kind og my gateway drug into music that’s new and also heavy and poppy like the classic stuff I had gotten into. Pop melodies, heavy riffs. Rival Sons I chose because their use of groove and space has heavily inspired me recently. And Jay Buchannan is probably my favorite singer and has inspired me the most as a vocalist. I chose the Wand tune because on that record specifically their walls of sound are so mighty, but they do a nice job toeing the line between straight psych and straight doom.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be its own thing?
Joey: If I’m having a great time playing our songs, chances are the people watching me are having fun too. I’ve been inspired by seeing indie/on-the-rise bands I love play in front of like 13 people and still play their hearts out. It has convinced me that the fun and the energy in the music is 100% contagious. Our songs are visceral; I want the people seeing and hearing them to FEEL them. I want them to move their head and their feet. I want them to walk away thinking, “that was something.”
James would echo these sentiments
JJ: Like Joey said, our energy and intensity is something that not a lot of bands bring to the stage. For me personally, I am always physically spent and soaked with sweat after a Melt show, no matter what time of year it is. I want to bring that type of catharsis to our music and have people feel the release that I’m feeling. I come from the world of Zeppelin, and those dudes messed with their music quite a bit live, and I like that aspect. We’re the same band as the one on the record, but I like the idea of tweaking small things and keeping things fresh and our audience on their toes.
Have you toured? What has the touring experience been?
Joey: I have played regionally throughout PA, WV, OH, and some parts of upstate NY. I’d like to tour more.
James: Similar experience to both of us.
JJ: I also have played very minimal dates outside of western PA, but very much want to get out and see more and play for more people. Experiences have been limited, and somewhat hit and miss. Playing in Morgantown is always a good time.
What's up next for you and your music?
Joey: We are proud of what the Melt universe can bring to the stage. We want as many people to take the cosmic ride with us, and our goal is to open for national acts that we love, play big stages, go on tour, and get our music in front of as many eyes and ears as possible.
JJ: The sky’s the limit. I think our next move is to capitalize on our experience over the past year since I joined the band. We started writing ROM right when I sat down behind the kit for Melt, so now that we've been together for over a year, I think our comfort with each other and our chemistry will translate into a ton of new and technical work for the band in the future. To date, I haven't been in a band that has had more than two albums, so I’m very much looking forward to Melt breaking that streak with Melt LP III.
Melt will be releasing Replica of Man Jul 7, 2023 to all major streaming platforms, with vinyl available later in the year. Additionally, they will be releasing several videos, holding featured spots at a number of festivals and performing around the region. Follow @abandcalledmelt on Instagram to stay up-to-date.
Melt on Bandcamp: https://abandcalledmelt.bandcamp.com/
Melt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meltyourself/