L.A. band Melotia rocks the flightline

  • Published
  • By Kenji Thuloweit
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The roar of jet engines and the sound of planes screeching across the sky took a back seat to the music of Melotia Feb. 23.

The Los Angeles-based hard rock band came out to Edwards to film a music video for their new single "We are the Chosen".

"The song is about the military and going to war," said Ryan David, singer and lead guitar. "I think people who go to war and then come back will like the song."

Mr. David said Melotia's entire new album is conceptually based around the lives and experiences of two real-life servicemen from World War II - Quentin C. Aanenson and Major Richard "Dick" D. Winters.

Mr. Aanenson was a fighter pilot and flew the P-47 Thunderbolt in Normandy and subsequent European campaign.

"Richard Winters (the main character in the HBO mini-series 'Band of Brothers') commanded Company E of the 101st Airborne Division during World War II and parachuted into Normandy on D-Day. So obviously the 'air' and 'sky' are huge undertones in what we're writing about."

Mr. David said overall the album has strong connections to flight, with words like "air" and "sky" painting a backdrop for the listener's imagination.

Although the band had to put up with chilly trademark high desert winds, the natural phenomenon actually provided a nice special effect, whipping through the band members' hair and blowing Mr. Skelton's mohawk to the side.

Melotia spent the morning filming at South Base in front of the Air Force Flight Test Center Museum's aircraft storage ramp before moving to the wash rack in the afternoon.

"Since the song is about the military we wanted to film the video either here or at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.," said Clark Skelton, Melotia drummer. "We chose Edwards because of the scenery and there's a lot of history here too."

"Although the songs don't specifically mention WWII or Mr. Winters or Mr. Aanenson, their experiences of tragedy, bravery, romance, courage and victory are what inspired the lyrics and sound of our new album," said Mr. David. "The song 'We Are The Chosen' is about standing up and protecting that which you love, fighting for what is right and never giving up. I think that says it all."

Melotia formed in August 2004 when Mr. David parted with his Australian group.

They have produced two albums since.

Melotia's first album, "Every Waking Moment", was released June 15, 2007. They proceeded to tour through 2007 and 2008, performing in hundreds of cities in over 14 states according to the band's Facebook page. The band's second album came out in Apr. 2009, titled "Saving August Divine".

Their new album will be released in three parts free on the band's website. "We are the Chosen" will be the first single of Part I. Melotia pride themselves on the raw energy of their live show.

"We write music and lyrics based on honesty and truth. There are no gimmicks," says Mr. David on Facebook page. "We've all been through a lot and it shows in our live show.

What you see is what you get and what you get is honest, in-your-face hard rock music."

You can check out more about Melotia on Facebook as well as on their website www.melotia.com.