Toni Melton

Oh, hi there!

Did you have a good New Year Celebration?  I did.  I welcome 2012 with open arms!  I’ve got several of the proverbial irons on the fire and I’m excited to share them with, in bullet form no less!

• MUSIC!  Love In You Favor EP, my debut release is finished being recorded, mixed and the artwork has been designed!  So now all that’s left is getting it mastered and printed.  It’s so close I can almost taste it!  Sign up for my email newsletter here  and you’ll be the first to know all the details!
• SHOWS!  My first show of 2012 will be Jan. 21st, 2012 at Taylor Books in Charleston, WV w/my handsome, trusty companion Todd Melton.  Feb. 3rd, 2012 I’ll be playing a set with Rus Powell opening for and performing with a great bluegrass/Americana/jam band from Winchester, KY, Velvet Water at The Attic in Lexington, KY.  For more details check out my shows page.
• COLLABORATIONS!  As I mentioned, I’ll be performing with Rus Powell in February with will be a first for us.  We met at an open mic night and bonded over our mutual love of the amazing Americana/roots band The Civil Wars.  Also, I’ll be collaborating and recording with another great local musician, Jason Burton lending my vocal harmonies to his dark, swampy and beautiful folk recordings for his new release.  Lastly I’m trying my hand at putting together a all-female band!  It’s well underway and I’m extremely excited about it and all my new musical projects!  Start 2012 with a bang!
• OTHER STUFF!  I wrote a blog that got published on a popular website, I started booking for an amazing band The Greatest Of These, and I’m looking for more bands and venues to book live music performances for.

That’s about it, not too shabby.  2012 is shaping up nicely or nice and busily at least…  Take care and I hope you’re having the best year ever!

Hello out there!  It has been a while since I have last posted.  I have been busy, working, recording, playing, living, etc.!

I’m still working on my debut 7 song EP, which is going to be called Love In Your Favor (instead of Shades of Gray).  I’ve been working on it now for about 10 months, but I don’t want to rush the tweaking, mixing and mastering though I’m really anxious to get it finished!  When I do get it finished up I will have a big CD release party so stay tuned!

I have a show coming up on November 12th, 2011 at Main Street Cafe in Berea, KY from  6 to 8PM.  Hope you can make it!  It’s FREE!

Take care and have a fabulous fall!

I’ve had a crazy busy week…Last Saturday I played at Main Street Cafe in Berea, KY with the lovely Amber Melton and the incredible Todd Melton.  We had a great crowd and it was great to see everyone’s beautiful faces.  Later MSC owner, Sune Fredericksen, gave the 3 of us a tour of his gallery and auditorium, Berea Center for the Arts which, if you’re in Berea, it’s really worth checking out.  Some beautiful artwork and unique crafts in there.

photo by Marie Wilson

Tuesday night, was wonderful as well!  Todd Melton and I played at Natasha’s Bistro in downtown Lexington, KY with a touring band from Charleston, SC, Megan Jean & The KFB.  They put on an awesome show!  And the crowd was so attentive!  That room was a true listening room, which I hadn’t really experienced so much as of yet.  I play coffee shops a lot which is a lot like a listening room but there are always bean grinders going in the background and it never seems totally quiet.

I’ve working non-stop in between all those things in my various other jobs, projects, and household chore obligations but I’m going to be getting back in the studio next week to get some mixing done on some songs, which is really exciting.  Getting any progress done on the upcoming EP, which I’ve decided to call Shades of Gray, is really exciting.  Thanks for reading!

Oh, one more thing, I’m going to be playing a show at The Paddy Wagon Irish Pub in Richmond, KY on June 30th with the brand-spankin’-new band, The Beuze and then the next day I’m making my out-of-state debut in Charleston, WV, at Taylor Books, which will be an entirely SOLO show, which is rare for me.  So if you know anyone near those parts, please let them know.