U-Melt

The spirit of the progressive rock era – the readiness to experiment, the premium on precision and the openness to move beyond preconceived boundaries – lives in the music and ethos of U-Melt. The new decade brings fresh challenges for the always-evolving band: keyboardist Zac Lasher, bassist Adam Bendy and drummer George Miller are welcoming guitarist Kevin Griffin into the fold while, at the same time, introducing Perfect World, their third studio album, to their ever-expanding fanbase. An accomplished and inventive guitarist, Griffin brings a fresh voice and a robust tone, enhancing U-Melt’s already distinct sound.

Since their initial gig together in the parking lot of an Air Force base in Maine, U-Melt has grown in stature at the same rate as their fanbase has grown to a nationwide level, becoming the center of a burgeoning community of fans and musicians who feed off the band’s generous and creative spirit. Perfect World, like U-Melt’s past studio albums, puts U-Melt’s superb songwriting skills on display, featuring a wide variety of catchy hooks and creative musical passages. The journey from the intricate twists and progressive rock turns of “Panacea,” “Question Matters” and “Elysian Fields” through the eminently danceable riffs of “Pura Vida” and “Clear Light” to the exquisitely rendered title track, “Perfect World,” brings you through the many facets of U-Melt’s personality. Those prior studio releases, The I’s Mind (2006) and The Unbelievable Meltdown (2004) were both warmly received, with “Schizophrenia” from The Unbelievable Meltdown and “Air”, “Escape” and “415” from The I’s Mind receiving significant airplay on Sirius Satellite Radio and commercial radio stations around the country.

U-Melt’s live shows, which include a marathon seven hour set at the Garden of Eden festival, their traditional New York City New Year’s Eve celebrations and Halloween tributes to cinematic masterpieces Pulp Fiction and Almost Famous, showcase U-Melt’s innovation and depth. A wise fan knows to expect the unexpected once U-Melt hits the stage. Grabbing the crowd with undeniably infectious grooves, they reach new levels when the mind-bending guitar progressions and the entrancing keyboard rolls are given room to roam amidst innovative bass work and brilliant drumming. U-Melt’s creative, free-flowing interplay creates wide canvases ripe for improvisational ingenuity. Disciplined without lapsing into rigidity, U-Melt displays a finesse not typically found in a band that plays so freely and is as flat-out fun to experience. U-Melt’s music will enter your brain, please your psyche at its deepest emotional level and speak to the part of your existential soul that responds to music performed at its apex of perfection. Infusing their deep knowledge of music theory together with progressive sounds, prosaic lyrics and imaginative wordplay, U-Melt’s dynamic voice is one that is unique in the rock world.

From the U-Melt site, “We would like to take a minute and thank, from the bottom of our hearts, every one of you for listening to our music, and being a part of what was an absolutely amazing journey for all of us. We will all be forever grateful to all of you for giving us the opportunity to be a part of something truly fantastic. We currently have no plans to perform together.”