SPICE OF LIFE
TONErecords trio, "Spice of Life", includes JANELLE DONOVAN, TONY PERRINO, and JOE MELE. JANELLE is an accomplished vocalist and songwriter with a New York / Georgia musical heritage. Together with seasoned, internationally experienced co-writers/musicians/producers TONY PERRINO and JOE MELE, they create a unique and appealing blend of musical influences. TONY has been on stage and /or recorded with such greats as Delbert Mc Clinton, Dan Toler (formerly of the Allman Bros.), Dickey Betts, Savoy Brown, Larry Correyal, Matt Smith, Orleans, Toy Caldwell , Blue Oyster Cult, and Blues Noir to name a few. JOE has made beautiful music together with the Dan Toler and Dickey Betts(formerly of the Allman Bros.), B. B. King, Aretha Franklin, and Buddy Guy. They bring a power house of experience and talent to whatever project they join.The trio's music draws from a crossover of blues, jazz and Americana roots creating a charismatic blend of country and city sounds. A bit like Sarah Vaughn meets Shania Twain.
The appeal of their songs is demonstrated by the numerous awards they have won. They won the North East Songwriter of the Year Award for 2000 and 2001. Janelle won Female Vocalist of the Year for 2001 as well as the Sunrise Award (for up and coming vocalists). They have also received awards from "Billboard" and other song writing contests.
In the spring of 2001, she was named as one of the top female vocalists in the New York Capital Region in a "favorites" poll run by the area's largest news paper, the Times Union. Janelle has received multiple nominations over the last several years for Best Female Vocalist. JANELLE, TONY and JOE have been frequently nominated for Songwriters of the Year and Song of the Year. In addition, their band was also nominated as Entertainer and Instrumental Group of the year.
They have also received awards from "Billboard" and other song writing contests.
They are currently contracting with Triple Scoop Music for a variety of publishing opportunities.
A recent reviewer writes about TONY and JANELLE on their work on the blues CD "What I Am” by Blues Noir:
“What I Am” Album Review
By Pamela Polston
Seven Days Vermont
"BLUES NOIR, WHAT I AM (self-released, CD) - The blues has little competition in the Sexiest Music Department; there's something about that slinking, slow grind, the steady-driving boogie that heads straight for the first chakra and plays the devil.
"Sweet Mama Big Legs" reminds me of the '60s British blues band Cream; something about its driving arrangements and the way the guitar and bass - in this case, a tuba played by producer Tony Perrino - play in unison.
On "One Red Rose," though, the inspired choice to invite a vocalist Janelle Donovan just makes me want to hear more of her. The song is an achingly slow grind, and she wrenches the most out of her too-short turn at the mike. Can anyone give me a good reason why this woman isn't in the band full-time?"
Their successful Nashville tours have brought their seasoned performing skills to the nationally acclaimed Bluebird Café on numerous occasions.
Their band in a more country mode has also entertained audiences at shows, which included such greats as Vince Gill (Grammy winner), John Berry (Grammy nominee) and Bobbi Cryner.
Janelle Donovan, Tony Perrino, and Joe Mele have also enjoyed outstanding reviews:
• "Modern country mixed w/ roots - the more I hear it the more I like it" Hit 94.5 FM Radio Sweden
• "Brilliant vocalist and songwriters!" RPEM-FM, Spain
• "Modern and Powerful, Great Stuff" Carinzia Radio, Austria
• "Can't find better words than fine crossover-inspiration for much of the music world" Oestjaelland Radio, Denmark
. "Sparkling originals..." Greg Haymes, Times Union, Albany, NY
• "I think this pretty lady has an enormous amount of talent. She is a superb lyricist.
Her words have depth and meaning and they flow like warm honey - smooth and sweet." Tammy Childs, Cyber City Magazine
Joe Mele - Co-writer, musician, producer, engineer
Joe Mele Bio:
Throughout the 70's and 80's Joe Mele performed locally, regionally, and internationally with the finest unsigned bands as well as many noteworthy artists. These bands included Joe's own original project bands, Breakfast of Champions, Merlin's Minstrels and Emerald City. Joe's collaboration on writing and performing with the talented co-members of these bands launched him to new levels. This led to periods of showcase work in New York City, Los Angeles, and London for such well known record magnates as Dee Anthony.
Joe also helped build and design the club J.B. Scotts in Albany. Installing his sound system, he was house engineer for 1 1/2 years, engineering bands The Ramones, Pat Benatar, Annie Lennox, Buddy Rich Orchestra, Count Basie Orchestra, and many more.
Entering the 90's, Joe continued recording and performing with his many original projects. He toured constantly, playing shows across New York State, New England, and throughout the U.S. and Canada, performing in bands at the prestigious Boston Blues Festival, New York Blues Festival, and Chicago Blues Festival, Buddy Guy's Legend's nightclub in Chicago, L.A. House of Blues, Boston's House of Blues; and New York's Manny's Car Wash, Kenny's Castaways, and The Bitter End.
In Joe's nearly forty years of performing he has shared the stage with such acclaimed artists as B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Junior Wells, Warren Haynes, Dickey Betts, Dan Toller, Johnny Copeland, James Cotton, John Hall, Orleans, Luther "Guitar" Johnson, Eddie Clearwater, Alan Woody, Savoy Brown, Joan Osborne, NRBQ, Dr. John, Little Feat, Lonnie Mack, Honey Boy Edwards, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Commander Cody, Queen Ida, Debbie Davies, Sam Lay, Mighty Sam McLain, The Holmes Brothers, Johnny Johnson, Blue Runners, Janelle Donovan, Ernie Williams, and Kenny Neal. Joe has also participated in clinics with drummer Carmine Appice.
Joe's studio work includes development work for producer Dee Anthony and many independent record labels. He has a wide ranging studio background, playing and producing on many independent and intermediate record label projects in New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles and London. While performing with Janelle Donovan at the Blue Bird in Nashville, Joe recorded with Billy Cox for Gene Golden who was the musical director for Kenny Rogers.
In 2001, Joe received the Northeast Country Music Award for songwriter of the year with fellow musicians Janelle Donovan and Tony Perrino.
Tony Perrino - Co-writer, musician, producer, engineer
Tony Perrino
Tony has been playing music since a very young age, becoming serious in bands by the age of twelve. Always being interested in many instruments Tony has continued to this day to be a multi-instrumentalist, but his main love and only real threat is the Hammond B-3 organ. Organ, lead and Bkg.Vocal, and Primary focus on songwriting/producing with partner Dan Toler, formerly of “The Gregg Allman Band” and “ The Allman Bros. Band”, out of Perrino’s N.Y. based 24 trk Digital/Analog studio, as well as Toler’s 16 track studio in Sarasota Fla.
Throughout the 1960’s Tony groomed his regional NY bands playing Rock, R&B, Soul, Gospel, digesting these styles, growing and learning, live performance, as well as recording techniques of this music.
Continuing through the 70’s he blossomed and spread out into the realms of funk and jazz, and even southern rock, and Swing. The 80’s and 90’s kept Tony on call as one of the NY area’s busiest tour and studio B-3 players, (and Drummer). Tony was also well known for organizing, and leading some of the regions finest bands and driving them to success or eventual prestige of some sort.
Discography
Studio tracks on Independent CD’s
National level demos
Bekka Bramlett
Tommy Byrne (Guitar Billy Joel/Enrique Eglesias)
Mike McAvoy (1999 Traffic tour)
Gary Burke (Joe Jackson)
CD’s for release
TGZ “Living Dangerously”
Dan Toler Live
Year of Tears (Toler/Perrino)
Heaven Forbid (Blue Oyster Cult)
The Albert Carey Project (Albert Carey)
Caroline Doctorow
The Matt Smith Band (Matt Smith)
Independent CD’s for release
Too numerous to mention, (search Tony Perrino, to find credits, as studio, producer, player etc. or contact)
Tony has performed with artists ranging from, Orleans, The Winters Bros. Band, Larry Correyal, Matt Smith, and Toy Caldwell, to Dan Toler (from the Allman Bros. Band)….as well as opening act slots for world famous artists all over the country. He has truly paid his dues on both sides of the live and studio sides of the coin.
Janelle Donovan - Singer-songwriter
JANELLE DONOVAN BIO by Scott Yanow
During the past 15 years, Janelle Donovan has gained a strong reputation as a very talented singer/songwriter. Her beautiful voice and her intelligent and often-insightful lyrics are always an infectious combination. While she is most known by her fans for her country and rootsy Americana songs, in recent times she has opened up and included blues and swinging jazz too.
Janelle was literally born around music. “My mother said that when she was pregnant with me, she would put a record player on her stomach and play Beethoven.” Born in Brooklyn, she remembers hearing a variety of music while growing up. “I listened to a lot of classical music which was played in the house, and then I got into my mother's record collection which included Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Johnny Mathis and Peggy Lee. I would take those records into my room and sing along with them, trying to master the masters.”
She began performing when she was just five years old at summer church schools. Throughout her school years, Janelle was often the lead in whatever productions were taking place. She also began writing original music at the age of six. In addition to composing lyrics and music, she wrote stories and plays, winning a regional play writing contest in high school that had renowned novelists as judges. She also wrote her school's graduation song.
Janelle attended Syracuse University as a performing arts major, taking classical and formal voice lessons, acting and writing classes. She performed as an acting intern in the Syracuse Repertory Theatre which hosted off-Broadway productions. She also began performing at a piano bar when she was a freshman, working as both a cocktail waitress and a singer who performed jazz standards.While she performed jazz and pop standards at clubs off campus for a time, she soon grew tired of singing other people's music when she had original ideas of her own. She became a regular performer at a folk club, Captain Mack’s Clam Shack, that featured some renowned artists such as Dave Van Ronk, and also performed her own material at civic events and showcases.
A turning point in her career was when she met Tony Perrino. “He became my comrade-in-arms in music. I would ad-lib the melody and write most of the lyrics. He would then take the melody, play around with it, come up with other ideas, and we would work back and forth to create songs.” Perrino's long list of associations include Delbert Mc Clinton, Dan Toler, Dickey Betts, Orleans, the Blue Oyster Cult and many others. The duo was eventually joined by Joe Mele, a very versatile guitarist who is also a writer and has worked with B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Buddy Guy as well as Dickey Betts.
Ten years ago at Janelle's instigation, the trio formed Tone Records. Among their releases since then have been Take Me On A Moonlight Ride, the EP Christmas Love, and the Spice Of Life love song collection “Love Songs for ...Only You”. Janelle performed a guest vocal on the recent Blues Noir CD, “What I Am”. She sang on the duet “One Red Rose” with composer Peter Corrigan, and received rave reviews. A project very close to Janelle's heart was Monahan's Old Truck, a memorial CD that was released at the one-year anniversary of 9/11. It includes interviews with many of the firefighters (the proceeds go to the firefighters' families) and it features inspirational music. In addition, Janelle uses her songwriting abilities to help kids who have disabilities, motivating the children to work with language and be creative. “I find it incredibly rewarding.” During their years together, Tony, Joe and Janelle have continued to write and record a wide variety of material including more than enough blues and jazz songs to fill an additional CD to be released , “Magnetic Eyes”.
While gaining many fans for her songs and her singing, Janelle Donovan has won quite a few awards including the North East Songwriter of the Year awards for 2000 and 2001. the Female Vocalist of the Year for 2001 and the Sunrise Award for up and coming vocalists.
As can be heard on her gutsy vocalizing on the lowdown “One Red Rose” from the What I Am CD, Janelle has developed into a powerful blues singer. Other recent songs find her swinging (“Magnetic Eyes”), bluesy (“First Falls The Heart”) and performing the uptempo party song “I Cant Help It Honey (I Was Born That Way).” After urging from her fan base to expand their holiday album and a recent move to LA, she initiated collaboration with Mark Cargill CEO of CCI Media (producer/violinist with famed recording associations such as Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Michael Buble’, and Outkast) and Greg Cook(engineer/producer for CCI Media) to expand her Christmas Love EP into a full-length CD (it will be released soon), singing like a 1950s jazz vocalist on “Good King Wenceslas” (aka “Good King Jazzman”). Yet on “Christmas Eyes,” she sounds quite at home on a pop classic love ballad. In fact, that original song could become a standard in the future.
Janelle's eclectic nature is natural. “My mother was born and raised in a small town in Georgia and loved Johnny Cash. My Dad was from New York, and loved Beethoven and Mozart, and my older brother, Chris, was into all types of soul music and r&b. I had a broad exposure to music including gospel, and it has all woven itself together. Ray Charles is an inspiration to me because he could sing and write in many different styles. That is what I aim for. I've written a lot of Americana and country songs but now I think my strongest suit is in bluesy jazzy pieces. My fans don’t expect me to fit into one style all of the time.”
Janelle Donovan sounds like herself no matter what the style, and her consistent high quality and growing body of work are quite impressive. “For the future I have no intention of stopping my writing. I hope that someday when I'm long gone, a little girl somewhere will be sitting at the piano listening to my songs and using them as a guide for her own musical growth. I hope that the music I leave behind will inspire people.” And we all hope that there is a great deal more to come from Janelle Donovan.