Melonball told us a bit about their music and how they write their music. Melonball are down for anything! Let’s see what they have to say!
First off, What’s up with your name? Is there a story behind it?
When we searched for a band name we were discussing several options and in the end picked that one, that everyone thought of as the most “dorky”one. Haha.
Most of the members of Melonball have met at the legendary Punk Rock Holiday in Slovenia – and you may know that there is a signature drink called Melonball, it is fruity, sweet and tasty but also sneaky at the same time – it will eventually knock you off your feet. Trust us!
Tell us about your musical past, would you tell us about your early years?
We started Melonball in 2019, after writing songs and many hours in the rehearsal room we were finally ready to play live, but then of course the pandemic hit. Nevertheless we played some really sick shows right from the start – our first gig was at KNRD Festla (a smaller version of the festival) together with Heathcliff and our third show was at the Punk Rock Camp in Slovenia (smaller pandemic version of PRH). Then we quickly had some rad support slots for Bands like The Tosters, Belvedere and A Wilhelm Secream.
How would you describe your sound?
We sometimes feel like, the Melonball sound is nothing new – but on the other hand it is totally unique. So many people say, we remind them of some bands, but never quite know, which one. For us, that’s a good thing. Of course we combine the good old skatepunk tunes with melodic punkrock and harmonies in the back vocals. Having Oli as a singer also gives us some funky jazzy vibes to it, the guitar riffs sometimes also have a splash of metal or posthardcore. We don’t put every song into one corset and let every song have its own ambience and a unique sound.
Which artists have the biggest influence on your sound?
There are several influences and bands that we love and every band meber has his/her own musical past. Of course there are the punk forefathers like Bad Religion (obviously), Milencollin etc. – but the genre developed so many great new names in the past view years for example Not On Tour, The Dead Krazukies, PMX, DARKO and so on.
What’s the last song you listened to?
Writing these answers down I (Oli) literally listen to borts “Live, Music Again!” from their new album “Preach This”. A really chilled and good-vibey album – love it!
What’s your source for hearing new music?
The best source of course is going out on concerts, big ones, small ones, doesn’t matter – I always try to catch the support bands of course because there you can be hooked with new tunes. Social media also has a big influence in terms of discovering new stuff. We get in contact with bands from all over the planet, through tags and recommendations. This is so great and I really feel lucky, to be part of this very special genre and scene, were most of the people and bands support each other, help each other out and just like to have a good time and meet like-minded people.
Who is your dream producer?
We don’t really search for big names or high-class productions. We always try to work with people who get and like what we’re doing, share the same values and are fun to hang out with. But ok why not think big, when Tim Armstrong would knock on our doors, we would totally freak out.
What led you to music, and what motivates you to keep making it?
Music is essential and vital – just like breathing (see title of our album).
We are a band with a strong opinion and voice when it comes to certain topics. We take a straight anti-sexist, anti-racist, anti-homophobic, anti-discrimination stance and try to act as good as we can in this direction. These are not the only topics though. We also capture or deal with emotions or obstacles we encounter in live. Music is such a great vehicle to do that – it’s sometimes therapeutic or even live-saving to know, that you’re not alone and that there are so many like-minded people around you. Also meeting so many great and inspiring people at live shows, no matter if on or in front of the stage is also a big motivation.
If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Well … where to start and where to stop. Actually, we’re open for any stupid or not so stupid idea. As long as it come from cool people with the right attitude.
Tell us about the songwriting process. How does it all come together?
Most of the times Basti or Mally on the guitars come up with riffs or even whole arrangements we play them a couple of times and then record a first version. With the lyrics and melody, it then comes all together, we change or cut out parts and create the final track.
How do you connect with your audience? What is the easiest way for them to connect with you?
Of course, we love to hang out with people at our shows – normally we have enough time to chat and just hang out. But once again social media makes it so easy to build up an audience all over the globe. People write us or comment on our posts and releases. It is so overwhelming to see, where people listen to our music or share our stuff.
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/melonball
Facebook
Instagram @melonball.punkrock
Bandcamp
Spotify
YouTube
What’s next for you?
We can’t wait to share our very first album – Breathe is being released on March 31st on Thousand Islands Records and Lockjaw Records. It feels almost surreal to really have it out after months of work and effort, we put into it. After the release party on April 1st in our Hometown Nuremberg (with Drunktank, Heathcliff and Money Left To Burn) we will also be heading to our first Tour with shows in Saarbrücken, Antwerp, Brighton, London and at the Manchester Punk Fest. This will be totally rad and we can’t wait to hand out with our pals and tour buddies Heathcliff on the road and on the stages.
Anything else you’d like to add or let us know about?
We just released our last single “Sicker” before we drop the album. Sicker is about how family is not for everyone the warming and comforting anchor in life. Sometimes family history and heritage are also a great burden, which greatly influence one’s actions and also self-view. Often it is very difficult to shake off this burdensome heritage. With our friend Manuel Wieslhuber we produced a killer video to the song.
Video releases on 26th of January premiere on punknews.org then through Thousand Islands Records on YouTube.
Bio:
Melonic Skatepunk from Nuremberg Germany
Melodic skatepunk with fast riffs, three-part vocal harmonies, catchy hooks and lyrics with strong opinions: MELONBALL play their “melonic” punkrock and are present in different corners of the genre. A main feature is the striking voice of lead singer Oli, who is also active in other fields such as jazz and funk, which gives MELONBALL a varied and unique sound in the skatepunk spectrum.
#femalefrontedisnotagenre
Since their formation in 2019, MELONBALL have been travelling quite a bit and have been able to establish their name in the scene. Whether at Punk Rock Camp, Punk Rock Holiday, KNRD Fest or in front of audiences at shows with A Wilhelm Scream, Punk Rock Factory or Belvedere. And also for 2023 there are already scheduled many dates and festival slots. The debut album BREATHE is to be released on March 31st with Thousand Islands Records (USA/CAN) and Lockjaw Records (UK).
