David Mello is an American musician known primarily for his work as drummer for the

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band

Operation Ivy Operation Ivy was the eighth series of American nuclear tests, coming after '' Tumbler-Snapper'' and before '' Upshot–Knothole''. The two explosions were staged in late 1952 at Enewetak Atoll in the Pacific Proving Ground in the Marshall Is ...

. Prior to Operation Ivy, Mello played in various bands local to the Berkeley and Albany areas such as Rabbi Conspiracy and Distorted TruthOperation Ivy Biography from Geocities Archive
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Editors note: This and the citation above it are far from the best sources available, I'm aware. Unfortunately after a while searching, they are all that I could find. If someone knows the primary source of this information, please add it or see the

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. Upon Operation Ivy's formation, their first live appearances took place sequentially one weekend in May 1987. They first played in a garage in

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that Mello had frequently used for his other musical projects. The same weekend, Operation Ivy with Mello on drums made their initial appearance at

924 Gilman Street The Alternative Music Foundation located at 924 Gilman Street, often referred to by its fans simply as "Gilman", is a non-profit, all-ages, collectively organized music club. It is located in the West Berkeley area of Berkeley, California, about ...

. Mello continued to play in Operation Ivy until the band's breakup in 1989, citing unwanted attention as the primary cause. Following the disbandment of Operation Ivy, the remaining members with the exception of

Jesse Michaels Jesse Michaels (born 1969) is an American songwriter, vocalist, guitarist, artist, and author from Berkeley, California. His lyrics deal with politics, racism, and general social issues. He is most well known as the vocalist for the ska punk b ...

temporarily formed another punk/ska band, Downfall. Downfall included Mello's brother Pat Mello, who previously assisted Operation Ivy with backup vocals on some songs during the recording of their only studio release, Energy. Dave and Pat Mello parted ways with

Tim Armstrong Timothy Ross Armstrong (born November 25, 1965) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and producer. Known for his distinctive voice, he is the singer/guitarist for the punk rock band Rancid and hip hop/punk rock supergroup Transplants. ...

and

Matt Freeman Matthew "McCall" Freeman (born Roger Matthew Freeman; April 23, 1966) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known for his bass work with the punk rock bands Operation Ivy, Rancid and as the frontman of Devil's Brigade. ...

, who went on to form Rancid, starting their own band Schlong. Additionally, Dave has toured with other bands as a stand-in when needed. Mello has also been involved in drumstick production with the company Twotone Drumsticks, contributing to the design of the Dave Mello signature variety.TWOTONE Signature Drumsticks
In more recent times, Mello continues to live in the East Bay area with his wife Sarah and son Maxwell. Still pursuing his musical aspirations, Dave regularly appears at 924 Gilman Street, playing with multiple groups including the bands Jewdriver and Un'Cus where Mello has traded in his sticks for a guitar.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mello, Dave 1969 births Living people American male singers American punk rock drummers American male drummers American punk rock singers Operation Ivy (band) members 20th-century American drummers Downfall (band) members Shaken 69 members Musicians from Oakland, California