Meet Mel Symphonic

Mel, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I bought my first guitar when I was 15 and started learning how to read music. In the near-20 years since then, I studied at two music academies and played in some bands, but spent too many years working jobs that made other people successful. About ten years ago, I really started to feel like I had found my musical voice and “my sound,” but it took a while for me to really invest myself mentally and emotionally into realizing what I have to offer. I’m now concentrating on my passions, with music at the forefront and photography a close second.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
At the risk of sounding like a cliché, I really am my worst enemy. I scrutinize all of my work, but at a certain point, I have to get out of my own way. As an independent musician, everything comes from me, and that’s been a reticent undertaking. I long viewed myself as the guitarist in a band, for the benefits of collaboration and community. While there were some great experiences and growth, that idea didn’t take shape as I’d hoped.

All of this frustration and disappointment became fuel for me to rearrange how I want to present my music. Not having another person there to tell me if something sounds good or not is a challenge that I welcome now. That being said, I’m a staunch believer that there is always room to grow and would love to collaborate with like-minded artists.

What should we know about your work? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Upon deciding to focus my time and energy on my passions as a career, I had to do some branding. Not wanting my full name to become the brand itself, I crafted an identity that represents each project. I wanted my name to play a part, so I used my initials (M.E.L.) and a word that represents my view of music in life. Hence the name Mel Symphonic.

While I intend to write for other instruments and larger arrangements in the future, my music today is exclusively recorded with guitars, amps, and effects pedals. Everything is done in performance. I only use a computer for tracking and mixing. Considering the overproduction and lack of real instruments in a lot of modern music, I think creating a genuine performance with some wood and metal is refreshing.

Despite my seemingly bare-bones approach, I’m not making songs just to play guitar solos. I’m a big fan of film scores and emulate similar qualities in my work that convey deep emotion, tell a story, or transport the listener to a new place. Therefore I would love to compose for film, television, or video games.

My photography and other visual art I am planning to produce is named M.E.Lendo Imaging. I have done a lot of nature and macro work, but am venturing into portraits and abstract subjects. I want to specialize in black & white, noir, and eventually analog film.

While I am not a graphic designer at all, I did create an original logo for Mel Symphonic wherein the M, E, and L are conjoined into one continuous symbol. Design may be another endeavor in the future.