I know I’m about a week late, but Happy 2010!! I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday Season and that Santa spoiled the crap out of you. 2009 had it’s moments…but I am determined to completely own 2010. So far we’re off to a good start, here are the latest reviews from Germany:

Rocks Magazine (the 2nd largest music magazine in Germany!!!) gave “Brave” a 5/6 rating and says:
“…unbelievable is this young young lady…she sings her own songs…with a fervency that makes one sweat…a gun licenced voice”

Planet tt says:
“…her voice is strong, passionate and wise. Reminds me of Pink and Melissa Etheridge: Soul and Classic Rock underline her ray of light“

ALSO: This month I’m starting pre-production for a brand new album! Colour me totally pumped. Cannot wait to share the new material with you. I still need a couple more songs…and I’m going to see if I can get the creative juices flowing right now. Wish me luck.

Melissa <3

Ad in German Music Magazine "Melodie und Rhythmus", Nov. '09. "Brave" got a 5/5 Star Rating!!!

Just wanted to share some press clippings of album reviews from Germany:

“…her smoky and strong voice is seldom heard in the pop world of today. Her songs, part of them have been written when only 16 years old, are agile, rocking, funky and jazzlike, sometimes melancholy – always emotional, so that you can feel it when she sings about love and lovesickness” – Stadkind Magazine (www.stadtkind.de)

“With a debut like that success won`t be far away” – Mescaline Injection Music and Film Magazine (www.mescaline-injection.de)

“…she presents her songs with lots of feeling…as a newcomer, her songs are way better than the cheesy ballads of some superstars” – Schwäbische Zeitung Newspaper

Seriously Germany, just say the word and I will be over there in a flash!!!

P.S. TODAY I GOT FLOOR SEATS TO SEE JOHN MAYER!!! Cannot help but share my excitement. Actually, calling me excited would be an understatement…I’m totally freaking out.

So today I got the first album review of “Brave” from a German music magazine called “Melodie und Rhythmus” (”Melody and Rhythms”…but you guys figured that out yourselves didn’t you). I must say, I’m pretty darn excited about this. And I quote:

“…fortunately the marvellous talent from Burlington has commited herself to her career as a singer and songwriter. So we can enjoy the awesome debut…10 greatly produced and composed songs between classic Rock and pounding Blues…one day she could be the the follow-up of Janis Joplin.”

P.S. This magazine has a cirulation of 50 000! Boo yea!

So I feel like for the past year I’ve been saying “Oh yea, my album will be on iTunes in a few weeks”. But now after a few weeks x a million, my 10-song, European release “Brave” is available on iTunes all over the world! It features 6 songs that aren’t available on the EP I’ve been selling at shows (although the ones from the EP have been totally re-mastered for “Brave”), so check them out and let me know what you think!

Melissa <3

So I knoooow it's been awhile since I've written...but I will make up
for it with the following post because it is jump-out-of-your-seat-
and-run-around-the-house exciting - for me anyways  

This fall I'm going to be releasing a full length album titled "Brave"
in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland and Belgium! My official
release date in Germany is Oct. 30th, and as far as I know it will
be similar if not the same date in the other countries, but I'll keep
you posted! Now all I can do is hope that the European folk love
me so I can book myself a tour! I'm shooting for sometime in
November. So look out Europe, because here I come!
Thanks, as always, for all of your support, and hope to see all of you
soon in one continent or another!!

Muchos besos para mi!!

So I’m back from my travels to the Dominican Republic and the first thing everyone asks me is “Melissa, where is your tan?”. I’m fair-skinned, ok!! I tried to get a tan, I really did, but lounging on the beach wasn’t the main focus of this trip people! I’ve returned to good ol’ Ontario not feeling like I changed the world, but knowing that I made a difference in the lives of a few people who really needed it, and that’s where it all starts. Over the 10 days our group spent in the DR, I would confidently say that we accomplished quite a lot: We trenched through piles of garbage collecting recyclables  alongside Haitian refugees who call a garbage dump their place of work; spent a morning at an orphanage for physically and mentally handicapped children colouring, laughing and helping with lunch time!; started building a new house for an elderly woman and her grandson that won’t flood everytime it rains; painted a new children’s ward in a hospital and experiencing the true value of music as therapy; throwing a huge fiesta in one of the villages with a pork roast, soccer match, and gifts for all of the kiddies; and making tons of new little amigos that we’ll never forget. Without a doubt I’ll be returning to the Dominican and other places in need to keep spreading the love and giving hope to the people who need it the most.
Oh, and now that I’m home  I have a minor, but unnecessary, panic attack everytime I see toilet paper in the toilet…the things we take for granted.
If you guys want more info on how you can visit the DR, Mexico, Thailand or Haiti on the same kind of trip that I did visit www.heroholiday.com.

In other news, I’ve been selected as one of 6 finalists to play in the Toronto Blues Society Talent Search on August 13th in Nathan Phillips Square!! Yay! I’m admittedly kind of nervous, so I would love to have some friendly faces in the crowd for support!

Adios for now amigos <3

There are 2 things that I just can’t seem to remember since I’ve been in the Dominican:
1) DO NOT flush the toilet paper down the toilet, because it will plug without fail
2) Don’t use the tap water to brush your teeth

My roommate has very considerately posted a sticky note on the bathroom mirror that says “Melissa, don’t use the water to brush your teeth you goofy girl!”  I’m just starting to get the hang of this.

But other than that, I’m having the most amazing time!! Today we visited a hospital in Puerta Plata where we painted a room for the children’s ward and I brought a guitar and went around jamming with the patients. I’m always amazed by the way that music breaks so many barriers, whether they be age, culture, language…it doesn’t matter when it comes to music. I tried to play some of the most well-known covers that I know (The Beatles, “Stand By Me”, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”), in hopes that the patients would know the songs…which as far as I know was an unsuccessful venture…but it didn’t matter. I played “Hey Jude” and half way through the song a man, probably in his early 70s, began clapping his hands to the music in such a rythmic way – and man, do these people have rythm -  it began to feel like a total cross-cultural jam session in the middle of a hospital. I wish there was a way to describe the sensation of unity in words, but words just don’t cut it. So one of my friends who works at the hospital is bringing my CDs tomorrow to some patients there that asked for them! It was an absolutely beautiful experience to say the least.

But ah! It is midnight and I have to be on a bus by 8:45 am tomorrow (that sounds like a lot of sleep but I need all I can get) to head over to a school/community center and work on building a kitchen! I would love to go on and on about what I’ve done/seen/heard here so far but…zzzzzzzzzz.

So this afternoon I’m embarking (with my brother, Sean) on my much-anticipated trip to the Dominican Republic to do some humanitarian work. Our projects are going to be a couple of house builds, working on a school, visiting an orphanage and hospital, and working alongside locals in a garbage dump to help them collect recycleable materials. I’m soooo excited. My stuff isn’t in my suitcase yet because I’m a little bit worried it’s not going to fit. I went on the trip last year and about half way through the 10 days we were there I realized that I definitely wasn’t going to have enough clean underwear/socks/work clothes to get me through the duration of the trip…so this year I think I may have gone a little overboard. But having too much underwear is ALWAYS better than not having enough!! I am bringing a guitar by the way because I hope to get my butt kicked by inspiration over the next 10 days. I actually randomly ended up playing at a couple of bars in the Dominican last year, so I figure if I can get enough gigs this time I’ll just stay and never come back Kidding…kind of. I will try my hardest to blog about all of the amazing experiences I’m going to have while I’m there but between the 7-hour work days, beach-bumming, and rum guzzling…well we’ll see how it goes. But I’ll be posting pictures on Facebook so I’ll let you know when they’re up!!

As a side note…over the last week I can honestly say that I’ve never played so much in my life, and as a result I’ve been waking up in the middle of every night and my hands are completely numb!! At least I hope it’s because of all the guitar playing and not some bodynumbing disease…but I should get some relief this week and once I get over the pain/numbness my hands should be so much stronger!! Right?

Adios amigos!!

Hellooo everybody!

This is my first official post on the new site, and I’m coming to you from a hotel room in Ottawa where I am sipping bubbly with my wonderful mother who was nice enough to make the trip with me! Why am I in Ottawa you ask? Because tomorrow morning I’ll be filming a performance for “A” Channel Ottawa’s Canada Day program. Woo! I will share the details about what time it will be aired, etc., as soon as I find out myself!

Welcome to melissa-bel.com by the way, take your coat off and stay awhile

Loves,
Melissa xo