Mellowdrone is an American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band from Los Angeles, formed in 1999.
Biography
Mellowdrone originated as Jonathan Bates' solo project, but expanded to a full band with Tony DeMatteo (guitar and keyboards), Scott Ellis (drums) and Greg Griffith (bass). Griffith and Ellis were later replaced by
Camila Gutierrez and Brian Borg respectively. The band's music encompasses a range of styles from
lo-fi
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...
,
indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
and
experimental
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a ...
.
Their debut album, ''Box'', was released in 2006 on
Columbia Records. Shortly after, Gutierrez formed
Uh Huh Her and left Mellowdrone. The band continued as a three-piece, with Bates taking over as bassist. Their follow-up album, ''Angry Bear,'' was released in 2009 on Coming Home Records.
Mellowdrone's music has appeared on several television shows, including ''
Project Runway
''Project Runway'' is an American reality television series that premiered on Bravo on December 1, 2004. The series focuses on fashion design.
The contestants compete with each other to create the best clothes and are restricted by time, mater ...
'', ''
Six Feet Under'', and ''
Cane
Cane or caning may refer to:
*Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking
* Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance
*White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are ...
''. "C'Mon Try A Little Bit" was featured in the opening scene of ''
Driv3r
''Driver 3'' (stylized as ''DRIV3R'') is a 2004 action-adventure game, the third installment in the ''Driver'' series. It was developed by Reflections Interactive, published by Atari, and released on PlayStation 2, Xbox and mobile phones i ...
''. Their song "Oh My" was featured on the ''
FIFA 07
''FIFA 07'' (also known as ''FIFA Football 07'' and ''FIFA 07 Soccer'') is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label.
It was the last game in the ''FIFA'' series to be relea ...
'' soundtrack and the horror movie
Prom Night. "Fashionably Uninvited" was included in the soundtrack for the 2007 film ''
The Invisible''. "Orange Marmalade" was featured in the 2008 film ''Never Back Down'' and in the film
Fling
The Struggle Front for the National Independence of Guinea ( pt, Frente de Luta pela Independência Nacional da Guiné, FLING) was a political movement in Guinea-Bissau. Founded by groups opposed to the Marxist doctrine of Amílcar Cabral and the ...
. "Beautiful Day" was featured on
Project Gotham Racing 2
''Project Gotham Racing 2'' is a racing video game developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released exclusively for the Xbox in November 2003.
As in 2001's ''Project Gotham Racing'', the route to advancemen ...
.
After becoming frustrated with the logistics of a full band, Jonathan Bates began a solo project in 2010, dubbed
Big Black Delta
Big Black Delta is a solo project of Mellowdrone vocalist/bassist Jonathan Bates.
History
Bates began the project in 2010 after becoming frustrated with the logistics of a band. Thanks to help from Alessandro Cortini, of Nine Inch Nails, he dis ...
. He has also played as a touring musician for
M83.
In 2017, members of
The Neighbourhood
The Neighbourhood (sometimes rendered as "THE NBHD") is an American rock band formed in Newbury Park, California, in 2011. The band is composed of vocalist Jesse Rutherford, guitarists Jeremy Freedman and Zach Abels, and bassist Mikey Margot. ...
who were fans of Mellowdrone contacted Jonathan and Tony for a collaboration. Both members accepted, leading to them meeting for the first time in eight years. The two were inspired to start writing songs together again, and Mellowdrone was eventually revived as a band, producing an EP in 2018.
Discography
''...Boredom Never Sounded So Sweet''
*
EP (1999)
#
8-17-6#Ride (Finish Me Off)
#Bitelip
#My First Love Song
#Monsters
#Justine
#Spoiled Boy
#Happy Together
''Glassblower''
*EP (2001)
# Fall On Your Knees
# You And I
# Glassblower
# It All Makes Sense Now
# #3
''A Demonstration of Intellectual Property''
*EP (2003)
# Tinylittle
# Fashionably Uninvited
# And Repeat
# No More Options
# Ridealong
# Beautiful Day
# Bitelip
''Go Get 'Em Tiger''
*EP (2004)
# Bonemarrow
# Worst Song Ever
# Motivation
# I'm Too Young
# Pretty Boy
# Anglophile
''Box''
*(2006)
# C'Mon Try A Little Bit
# Oh My
# Four Leaf Clover
# Fashionably Uninvited
# Beautiful Day
# Fuck It Man
# Whatever The Deal
# Madison
# And Repeat
# Orange Marmalade
# Amazing
# Bone Marrow
# Limb To Limb
''Maquina 7"''
*(2008)
# Maquina
# Machine (En Espanol)
# Settle the Hum (B-Side)
# Wouldn't Mind (B-Side)
''Angry Bear''
*(2009)
# Wherever You May Go
# Elephant
# Alone=In Your Face
# Esmeralda
# Big Winner
# Sugar
# Drinking Song
# Lady in Her Underwear
# Logged Hours
# Button
# Jumping Off the Pier
# DMT
''2018''
*EP (2018)
# I Don't Believe It
# Way Out
''3''
*EP (2018)
# Let It Out
# Pascal's Wager
# I Forgive You
References
External links
Mellowdrone website
{{Authority control
Rock music groups from California
Musical groups from Los Angeles
Electronic music groups from California
Lo-fi music groups