Wishing, waiting and floating with Mel Monaco
Release party will serve as debut of act that’s mondo Mel
Mel Monaco may be a child of the ’90s, but these days her head is in the ’70s.
The music. The attitude. The variety shows. Oh, those variety shows. Songs followed by comedy skits followed by monologues. Sixty-minute samplers of everything.
“There was a time when if you couldn’t sing, dance and act, you couldn’t be a performer,” says the versatile Niagara singer. “That’s what I expect of myself.”
So she’ll put herself to the test at Odd Fellows Temple Nov. 3 with a release party for her new EP “Wishing Waiting Floating,” debuting a live act that’s mondo Mel. Part concert, part theatre, she promises a show to reflect “all the moving parts in my head.”
“For me, it all comes down to … I want to make and do what I would want to see. Whenever I go to a theatre show or music performance, I’m captivated by the ability of ‘the flow.’”
The 75-minute show will include Monaco with her band, dancers, actors, etc. In total there will be 12 people on stage, performing a story Monaco whipped up reflecting the “journey” of a career that has seen her become one of the region’s busiest, most recognizable singers.
Nearly a decade into her career, she says the new EP sums up her life: Wishing, waiting and floating. There have been highs — winning two Niagara Music Awards last month — but getting to the next level is constant “baby steps.”
“There are some who are super duper lucky, get signed, and get all their dreams come true,” she says. “Or it’s just a lot of hard work, little by little, inch by inch,
and then eventually you realize you made it to some place you thought you never could.
“While it might have taken you 10 years, 15 years, you eventually got there. That’s what I have to constantly remind myself of. I’m doing it because I love it, even though there are some moments you want to pull your hair out.”
Admission to the Nov. 3 show includes a download card for the EP, and Monaco’s annual calendar. As always, local businesses support each month of the year.