Houston's High Priestess of Punk seeks to settle down for a spell and focus on session work in some of the finest studios in the Gulf Coast area.
Nominated for Best Female Vocalist in the 2005 Houston Press Music Awards. Studied bass guitar under the late, great Phil DeVille, who was chums with Mojo Nixon and hired Alex Chilton to produce his band's album (Mustang Lightning). Specialist in all things rock, punk, soul, country and blues.
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Credits
Discogs verified credits for Mel HellLanguages
- English
Interview with Mel Hell
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: John Entwistle (The Who), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Suzi Quatro, Joan Jett, Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath).
Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?
A: I was especially proud to provide some lead and backing vocals (and sometimes bass when our bass guitarist was traveling) for the Texas Mod Crushers. Singing with those guys brought out this kind of Tina Turner/Janis Joplin voice I had never heard before.
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: A Gary Numan tribute band. Saving up money for a Minimoog!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Prefer analog, but Pro Tools is a huge time saver, and time = money, so...
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: When I'm recording, I'm at 100%, turned up to 11.
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: Playing bass makes me forget about all of the human suffering in the world. If I'm lucky, my playing might also make others forget about their problems for a minute.
Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?
A: Customers: Can you play _______? Me: Lemme hear it for a sec. Me: Yes
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: Do you have any water?
Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?
A: I'm professional, dependable, and versatile. If I had been born in a different generation, I would have been part of The Wrecking Crew (see Carol Kaye).
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: My Gretsch Electromatic My Ampeg head My Ampeg cabinet A good cable A picture of my dad
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: I've been playing bass guitar since 2002. I've been in local punk and rock 'n' soul bands in Houston since 2005. By day, I work with individuals with autism and other intellectual disabilities.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: The glue that holds it all together. When you're walking up to a music venue, the bass guitar is usually what you hear first. I kind of like that.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Anyone that understands that the bass guitar is not a little brother to the lead guitar. It's the big sister to the kick drum.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: Sound good, but stay out of the way.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: Rock, punk, soul, country, blues
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: Learning songs very quickly and remembering them effortlessly.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: Calm confidence, as all bass guitarists should. But I'm not afraid to unleash the beast when called upon
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I typically learn the music by ear and/or chord charts. I can either play specifically what the writer wants me to play or I can write/arrange my own bass lines and/or backing vocals.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I like working at Sugar Hill Studios
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I primarily play electric bass and provide backing vocals if required.
$75/hour, minimum 3 hour call
- Dead Kennedys
- Black Sabbath
- Led Zeppelin
- Gretsch Electromatic with a custom nut to accommodate an extra thick E string for a more thunderous sound
