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by Richard Clarke
12/5/2006

This question comes up frequently: can an improvisational rock band known for powerful performances capture the magic of a live show on a studio CD? Plenty of excellent live performers do a great job producing quality listening experiences in the studio. The best studio recordings come from artists that embrace the technology, time, and atmosphere a studio can provide yet avoid the dry, sterile sound that is the downfall of too many studio recordings.

With The I's Mind, U-Melt's second studio release, the band captures the essence of their exuberant live performances brilliantly (gyrating and sweaty bodies not included) in the pristine quality of the studio setting.

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by David Schultz
12/4/2006

2006 has been an extremely eventful and productive year for Zac Lasher, Rob Salzer, Adam Bendy and George Miller, collectively and better known as U-Melt. After securing February's New Groove of the Month from jambands.com, U-Melt closed out April's Jammy Awards show with one of their signature high-octane late-night sets. Later in the year, U-Melt celebrated the late September release of their second studio album, The I's Mind, with, what else, an after-hours show at New York City's Knitting Factory. In addition to lighting up the Big Apple, U-Melt has been exponentially broadening their fan base through constant touring, headlining clubs as well as pairing up with their brethren in Tea Leaf Green and moe. As the year comes to a close, U-Melt will be beginning 2007 as it began 2006: ringing in the New Year on stage in New York City with a set starting right around the same time most other celebrations will be winding down.

On The I's Mind, U-Melt effectively captured their sprawling, free-ranging sound within the confines of the studio. Out of necessity, the songs are shorter than their live counterparts but they hardly feel edited. Highlighted by the interplay between Lasher's lofty, soaring keyboard rolls and Salzer's precise, focused guitar solos, The I's Mind is nice showcase for the band, nicely showcasing the various twists and turns that are identified with U-Melt. On the whole, The I's Mind has the feel of an early Phish album: the opener "Air" and "Different Things" come with a nice catchy hooks; "Escape" and "Cloud Box" feature numerous interesting musical passages and "415" shows that not every song needs to be amped up in order to groove.

In addition to giving U-Melt their distinctive sound with his oftentimes luxurious keyboards, Zac Lasher also assists in giving the band its voice as one of their songwriters. Always open, friendly and humorous, Lasher's not just a student of the music but a keen observer of the scene that surrounds it. Over an increasingly rare break in U-Melt's schedule, Lasher took some time to answer some of Earvolution's questions about U-Melt's new album, the never ending tour schedule and their evolution into the kings of late-night.

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by Jeremy Sanchez
2006-11-19

Quite possibly the best thing a band can do for itself, and its potential fans, is to make albums representative of its live routines. On U-Melt’s latest, they come in jamming and it’s hard not to get up and dance a jig; if only we were all in a field somewhere. While a studio setting lends itself to some amazing and exceptionally creative musical experimentation and expression, there’s nothing worse than getting to a show and realizing that the band you thought you were going to hear doesn’t actually exist on stage. With New York City's U-Melt, what you hear on CD is what you’re going to get at the show.

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David Schultz
Friday, October 13, 2006

It should come as no surprise to anyone following U-Melt's ascent through the jamband ranks that the celebration for the release of their second CD, The I's Mind, wouldn't be your typical run-of-the-mill event.

ZacAs if the late night starting hour at New York City's Knitting Factory wasn't enough to set U-Melt's record release party apart from your usual celebration, shortly into "The Fantastic Flight of Captain Delicious," their second song of the evening, the main room of the quirky downtown haunt exploded in a blizzard of luminescent glow sticks. With the band's enthusiastic fans throwing the rods back and forth between themselves and back and forth with those in the balcony, Zac Lasher (keys), Rob Salzer (guitar), Adam Bendy (bass) and George Miller (drums) continued playing as if this playful chaos was simply business as usual . . . which it pretty much was. U-Melt fans take their cue from the band: it's simply good practice to expect the unexpected.

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U-melt is building a fan base through touring, converting crowds from coast to coast with stellar shows and marathon late night sets, which have lasted as long as seven hours. Having performed about 300 shows over a three-year stretch, this is a band that is always on the road and getting tighter by the day.

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Mike Greenhaus
2006-02-17

Since first linking up in 2003, U-Melt---Adam Bendy (Bass, Vocals), Zac Lasher (Keyboards, Synthesizers & Vocals), George Miller (Drums & Vocals) and Rob Salzer (Guitar & Vocals)---has blossomed into one of the jam-scene’s hardest working acts, barnstorming high-profile festivals, distributing its debut album The Unbelievable Meltdown through the Homegrown Music Network and performing upwards of 300 shows in just under three years. Commanding a clear understanding of the jamband blueprint, U-Melt’s varied live show is a throwback to the improvisational bands of yore, stocked with zany covers and high energy segues. In the past year, the group also paid tribute to Pink Floyd, jammed with a number of scene veterans and made a point to play long and late whenever possible (but not at the risk of sounding overly loose). Shortly after performing his 300 show at Pittsfield, MA’s La Cocina, guitarist Rob Salzer gave Jambands.com our first U-Melt history lesson and discussed the group’s road to the 2007 Jammys.

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U-Melted My Face - Jersey Style
by Richard Clarke
U Melt :: 12.28.05 :: The Stone Pony :: Asbury Park, NJ

The Stone Pony, the legendary live music club in Asbury Park, NJ, played host to a mid-holiday week show that featured the incredible face-melting U-Melt. The appropriately named band melted The Stone Pony into a puddle of lava with a scorching show. The molten core of the U-Melt planet begins with the rhythm section of Adam Bendy (bass, vocals) and George Miller (drums, vocals), which erupted like a volcano and cooled to solid bedrock. Pushing the planet to a red-hot super-nova intensity were Rob Salzer (guitar, vocals) and Zac Lasher (keyboards, vocals), whose fiery interplay vaporized anyone without protective haz-mat suit.

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U-Melt
The Unbelievable Meltdown
Independent

Created out of a merger between a440 and Head Monkey, this Northeast Group has slowly been emerging with a base of regional popularity into a nationwide phenomenon. A lot of that is due to a touring ethic that is wearying in its intensity. But a lot of that also has to do with the fact that their music will make even the dourest cynic dance and smile.

Combining jam-happy riffs with reggae bridges, swirling electronic anthems and crunching classic rock riffs they create songs that you don’t want to end, the kind of songs that you find yourself hitting the repeat button for, over and over again. And they do it with an enviable laidback style.

What I think will happen with this band, and I hope it happens soon, is that future generations of reviewers will be able to describe how this most jamming of jam bands took the world by storm with their most perfect music. As for me, all I can tell you is that they will make you tap your feet, open your head, and, most of all, smile as they continuously hit the sweet spot in your ear.

Black Friday Rocks: U-Melt and moe. Continue A Worthy Thanksgiving Tradition

...let it be shouted from the rooftops to all within Earvolution's reach, "U-Melt are coming! U-Melt are coming!"

The east-coast based quartet is fronted by Rob Salzer, potentially one of the most exhilarating, lethal and electrifying guitarists playing today, and keyboardist Zac Lasher. Not to be relegated to the background, U-Melt possesses an exceptionally stellar rhythm section consisting of bassist Adam Bendy and drummer George Miller. Throughout their live performances, the rock-solid foundation created by Bendy and Miller opens doors for Lasher and Salzer to treat the audience to heavy doses of their creative, free-flowing, improvisational interplay. While structurally similar to Particle's Steve Molitz and his former band mate Charlie Hitchcock, the interaction between Lasher and Salzer comes across as more relaxed, intimate and complementary than that of their west-coast counterparts. From the moment they hit the stage, U-Melt grabs the crowd with undeniably funky grooves that hit new levels when Salzer's mind-bending guitar work and Lasher's hypnotic, entrancing keyboards are given room to roam.

Rare “Air” For U-Melt

On Saturday night at the Velvet Lounge in Setauket, New York, Strangefolk’s Don Scott appeared with U-Melt. The keyboard player emerged at the end of the first set, joining U-Melt’s Zac Lasher on keys for an extended version of "Air". This is not the first time a member of Strangefolk has sat in with U-Melt, as Luke "Patchen" Montgomery has done so on a few previous occasions. It was at last year's Garden of Eden Festival that U-Melt performed a late night/early morning set that lasted for over 6 hours. U-Melt's next show is Friday in Syracuse, NY while Strangefolk returns for a special one-off gig on October 21 at The Big Easy in Portland, ME.

Joyous Lake, Woodstock, NY - 09/23/2005
Richard Clarke

I first visited the Joyous Lake in a somewhat unconventional manner in the summer of 1979. I was sixteen, and unable to secure entry to a sold out Pat Metheny Group gig, so a friend and I snuck onto the now non-existent screened porch behind the stage and listened to the band from there. Of course that old venue is now unrecognizable, but the current incarnation has emerged as an incredibly beautiful establishment with detailed woodwork and art from the town’s abundant supply of artisans.

U-Melt hit the revamped stage in front of a sadly sparse audience (Woodstock on a Thursday night is not what it used to be), but lived up to their name by liquefying those who were there with a molten hot evening of music. The first set began with “Air,” and the rhythm section consisting of George Miller (drums, vocals) and Adam Bendy (bass, vocals) immediately laid out an infectious groove that would launch a tasty improvisational jam that spread to “Kelly Kay.” What began with a Bendy bass excursion, Rob Salzer (guitar, vocals) punctuated with intricate guitar licks. But “Send” and “Tomorrow My Friend” proved U-Melt is more than just improvisational instrumental jams, offering thoughtful lyrics delivered with emotional vocals by Zac Lasher (keyboards, vocals). Lasher then laid out a moody piano melody to begin “Go,” a song that began as a ballad, displayed some fiery interplay and spiraled back down to a ballad once again. The Bruce and John Hornsby song made famous by Huey Lewis, “Jacobs Ladder,” rolled into a bluegrass beat driven romp, before “Through the Prism” closed out the first set with a stylish flourish.

The fusion jazz–funk inspired “Infectious Groove” began the second set, providing some tight and intense drumming by Miller, reminiscent of fusion bandleader drummers, Chad Wackerman, Andrea Marcelli, and Dan Brubeck. Harmonies soared through “Different Things” until the band melted into one being during an epic version of “415,” another tune loaded with beautiful harmonies, as well as mood swings, tempo changes, mesmerizing rhythms, and amazing guitar playing by Salzer. “Hey Bulldog,” a song that features an aggressive beat, was the most straight-ahead rock-and-roll offering of the evening, and led to the stirring piano of “Song Behind the Time.” This time, the piano and guitar interplay launched fine guitar solos by Salzer and a piano solo by Lasher, which cruised nicely over the tight rhythm of Miller and Bendy. They then closed out the set with “The Eternal Groove” and the groove was thick and peppered with explorations into many styles of jazz and funk including a splash of Latin rhythm.

The Many Sides of U-Melt

In June, U-Melt honored Pink Floyd’s impending reunion by covering the quartet’s Wish You Were Here album in its entirety at the Stonehenge Music Festival. Last weekend, at the Wormtown Music Festival, U-Melt continued the theme, performing a set of songs by the band that they decided to hail as the most influential group in rock history, The Beatles. Since the their set commenced at 4:00 AM, U-Melt decided to play lyrically appropriate Beatles songs such as “Tomorrow Never Knows” and “I’m So Tired,” culminating with a performance of “Dear Prudence” at sunrise. U-Melt performs next at Woodstock’s Joyous Lake on Friday (who knows, maybe U-Melt will offer a tribute to The Band for their former collective home) and New York’s Lion’s Den on Saturday (perhaps a leonine theme, with selections from Sinéad O'Connor's The Lion and the Cobra, a take on “Samson and Delilah,” and an “I Just Can't Wait to Be King” encore?)

U-Melt (originally known as a440) a New York-based quartet has been making a name for itself these past couple of years with almost non-stop touring. Listening to their debut album, The Unbelievable Meltdown, which was released last year, it’s easy to see why. They fit neatly into the jamband genre, and while there’s nothing immediately original about their sound they certainly got that extra something to make them stand out from the crowd. Musically, they are sharp and inventive albeit a little weak in the vocal department. But more than that, they meld together jazz, funk and rock with ambient and trance styles quite effortlessly. One of the bands strongest points is their ability to shift time signatures and turn a groove around without sounding awkward or cumbersome, witness the aptly named “Infectious Groove,” in which they weave some wonderfully intricate textures together while still retaining an intrinsic melodic element. Speaking of melody, “Vulpecula” is a simply majestic instrumental with lilting piano that says a lot in a short amount of time. “Song Behind The Time” is a similarly structured and sophisticated piece that reminds me a little of the great English band Caravan. This is a highly recommended band that’s only going to get better.

"Like another (now defunct) Northeastern band of high-improv repute, this New York City quartet combines virtuoso chops with jaunty prog-rock compositions, ballsy classic-rock homages (they recently performed the Floyd's Wish You Were Here in its entirety), and a healthy sense of prepie-stoner whimsy. This three hour tour should be a fine place to make their acquaintance."
--Richard Gehr, The Village Voice

U-Melt is featured in the June Issue of State of Mind Music Magazine. They're profiled in the magazine's "The Kids are Alright" section on emerging bands.

People are clearly excited about U-Melt. This is an undeniable fact that few could, or would, refute. After all, they played a show on New Years Eve at The Lions' Den, not an easy gig for a band to get. They've been generating a fair amount of hype in the short time they've been together, and so it was only a matter of time until I, and others, got around to seeing them. Being that this is NYC, I've had ample opportunity to see them, but things keep getting in the way. Such is life.

On Thursday, U-Melt pulled into The Lion's Den for one of their many stops on what appears to be a lengthy tour in support of, well, U-Melt. And from the looks of things, they seem to be doing all right for themselves. The tour moves around the Northeast, as the band is seemingly and correctly resisting the urge to tour in other parts of the country, for the short term at least. Of course, this may be due more to financial constraints than good management, but either way the band is rightfully working to build up buzz at home before hitting the road.

And judging by their show at the Den on Thursday, the buzz is, for the most part, well deserved. Granted, the band is extremely young and they have lots of growing to do before any real praise can get heaped on them, but the tools are there, something that cant' be said for numerous bands. One noticeable trait worth mentioning is the fact that U-Melt is blatantly a "jamband" and their sound is very derivative of what one would imagine a "jamband" sounds like. They do have elements of livetronica, but that seems to be the status quo for bands in this scene these days. But as I mentioned, the band has skill and talent, and that is the most important thing for a young band. Everything else comes in time.

As for the show, it's clear from the outset that the band is good. All four members have skills, and their vocals aren't the worst thing you are going to hear in the jamband world. The band took to the stage and opened with "Air" which served as a warm up/soundcheck, and an enjoyable one at that. The ensuing "Cloud Box->Marvin The Pussy" was well executed and featured forays into both jamrock, and some mutated and hyper form of electronicarock. Keyboardist Zac Lasher's work led the charge into "Marvin", laying down a full soundscape on which the band was able to build. The rhythm section of George Miller on drums and Adam Bendy on bass had a tight focus between them, and when working with Lasher to anchor the jam, allowed guitarist Rob Salzer's sometimes searing, often wild, fretplay to work on top. Whatever style you want to call it, this was one of many nice and tight sections, which the crowd of fifty or so genuinely enjoyed.

Later in the evening, the band featured yet another enjoyable passage, this time by way of "Infectious Groove->Kind Insight". Sections like this showcase the band's skill at doing what they do best; jam. Adam Bendy's full and thick sounding bass, anchored in the lower fret positions, kept the crowd dancing allowing the band to build on top. If nothing else, I noticed during this section the band's proclivity for looking at each other, listening to each other as they move through the jam. This can't be taught, and I'm surprised at how few bands actually do this. If nothing else, other bands can learn from U-Melt in this regard.

The rest of the evening, until 2:00 AM or so, went much like that. An encore of Huey Lewis' "I Want A New Drug" was a nice cap on the evening, as few in this world could argue with a Huey Lewis tune. As I keep reiterating, this band has skills and they are worth seeing live. As the band ages, and Rob's rhythm work develops, as well as Adam Bendy's lead work, the band will mature, and they'll be better off as a result. Their live show will benefit, their music will benefit and their fans will benefit

In the meantime, few can argue with a Huey Lewis tune.

-Alan Paul
Guitar World

By Dave Terpeny, KyndMusic Editor

Most of the time when reviewing a new band’s debut CD I like to start off by discussing their history. Unfortunately for me, U-Melt barely has one. Formed in 2003 out of a440 and Head Monkey, this Northeast group has already begun taking the jam world by storm. While that’s great for them, it leaves me stymied as to how to write this review. Or at least start it. But I’ll give it a shot anyhow.

Well, the first thing I thought when I read their “history” is that they must know someone or be a flash in the pan flavor of the month type of band. So, with a skeptical ear, I put on their debut disc.

Now, if you’ve read any of my reviews, you’ve noticed that I’m a pissy, jaded and cynical prick for the most part, always ready to assume the worst and always proven, thankfully wrong. Such was the case with U-Melt as well. In fact, these guys even made my sour face crack a smile. How, you ask? Well I’ll tell you.

It started off with “Green Amber.” The only way to describe this song is “epic.” It is a sunshine-filled and happy-days jam that rolls on and on blissfully. It is also the kind of song that you don’t want to end and keep skipping back to again and again.

Then along came “Still I Go.” Again there is more of the glowing happy music, thought-inducing lyrics and danceable beats swirling around you. But then they break it down into a reggae bridge and ramble it on out the window. Sweet.

From there, it just keeps getting better. “Missed” makes we wish I had saved the words “epic” and “jam” as adjectives, to use on it. “Song Behind Time” is, like the all the rest, soaring and beautiful to listen to and “Human Compass” is a frantic funk-fueled road trip of a tune. Damn, these guys are good.

And what a history they will make. Future generations of reviewers will be able to describe how this most jamming of jam bands took the world by storm with their most perfect music. As for me, all I can tell you is that they will make you tap your feet, open your head, and, most of all, smile as they continuously hit the sweet spot in your ear.

A tightly wound, dueling lead stretches across a drifting chord progression to introduce "Green Amber," the opening track of The Unbelievable Meltdown. Immediately identifiable is U-Melt's propensity for precision, and the album's 10 tracks encompass concise, well-defined segments executed with the zest of veteran players. Infusing a gamut of genres and influences – jazz, rock, and electronica being the most evident – the quartet molds a sound that waxes and wanes from multi-segmented opii ("Missed") to instrumental piano compositions ("Vulpecula") with uncommon ease.

From the opening notes, however, the band's influences are aglow beneath the surface and foretell a common pratfall for up-and-coming-musicians who struggle to discard stylistic elements championed by others. But despite initial similarities audible in U-Melt, the members are quick to set off on their own distinctive path within each composition. Guitarist Rob Salzer takes aim at each solo with nimble-fingered precision, and his fretwork is complimented by the sprawling textures woven together by keyboardist Zac Lasher and bassist Adam Bendy. Most remarkable is the air between each instrument. Rooted in drummer George Miller's sparing rhythms, U-Melt builds a musical composite that is more clear than cloudy, and unfolds easily into provoking sonic segments.

In only a year, U-Melt has demonstrated its potential, and The Unbelievable Meltdown, albeit uneven at times, exposes an articulate quiver of influences which the members have absorbed, shaken up, and melded into something of their own. With time, U-Melt will shed any comparisons to bands past and present, filling its own skin and charting its own progressive course based on unabashed talent.

by Jamie Lee

It began with a challenge issued to the band and ended after an "unbelievable" musical journey lasting well over six hours. U-Melt was scheduled to start its late night set at 4:00 a.m. and finish later in the morning. The promoters challenged U-Melt to play as long as they could without taking any breaks, or at least until the festival's music began the next day. The band accepted the challenge with open arms and the rest, as they say, is history.

U-Melt's set began with the opening notes to "Tomorrow My Friend," and with that, the epic voyage began. On "Tomorrow" keyboardist and vocalist Zac Lasher took over the late night crowd with his crisp vocals and tight jams. Next, during "Schizophrenia," guitarist and vocalist Rob Salzer dove right into his first of many extraordinary solos of this super set. At this point the crowd grew larger as everyone within earshot packed into the late night cabin to hear what the rage was all about. The band's powerful "Infectious Groove" was a personal highlight of the evening with Adam Bendy and George Miller putting together a tremendous groove on bass guitar and drums respectively. The groove was as infectious as the song title suggests and the band pushed and pushed until I thought my head would melt.

The night took a funky, unexpected turn when they launched into a cover of Kool and the Gang's "Get Down On It" with Miller taking the lead on vocals. This rendition would have made Kool and the rest of his Gang proud! "Get Down On It" segued flawlessly into "Missed," where Miller took the lead again laying down his unmistakable beats. The crowd was very excited--yet attentive--despite the fact that the sun was rising after a long festival day with another one literally on the horizon.

"We've come a long, long way together, through the hard times and the good..."

Appropriate lyrics for a marathon set, the cover of Fatboy Slim's classic dance song "Praise You" brought the crowd to frenzy and seemed to energize the band for the long haul. At this point it was nearly time for breakfast and those who didn't make it through the night were waking up and making their way to the cabin, many of them still in their pajamas. Then the U-Melt staple "Green Amber" took off and didn't come down for nearly 20 minutes, and the crowd loved every second of it. As if the crowd didn't know already, after "Green Amber" it was apparent that this was not your typical U-Melt show, or any show for that matter. The crowd swelled as parents brought their kids into the cabin after they woke up, and some of those who had caught the beginning of the show and went to bed, returned after getting some much needed rest.

U-Melt has never shied away from wearing their many musical hats and they donned yet another one during this extensive set with their cover of the classic 80s Huey Lewis tune "I Want a New Drug." The crowd nodded its collective heads in approval as Lasher belted out the lyrics with impressive enthusiasm. U-Melt followed Huey's party cry with perhaps their single best version of "The Eternal Groove" with Lasher singing and Salzer taking a lengthy solo before the end of this band staple. Up next was a fantastic rendition of moe.'s "Happy Hour Hero" a tribute to U-Melt's friends in moe. and also those friends of the band who were a few hundred miles away in upstate New York at moe.down. "Happy Hour" was followed by a huge "Human Compass" which featured Salzer's most ferocious solo of the night. At this point, with each song and hour that passed, it became clear that we were all witnessing something exceptional that may never be surpassed. U-Melt had now been playing for over five hours without taking so much as a bathroom break.

The band then did a brilliant version of Medeski Martin & Wood's popular "Bubblehouse" featuring a short freestyle rap by Mike McCann, lead singer of Oak Street. "Bubblehouse" segued back into the monster set closer "Through the Prism" finishing the version which was played earlier in the set, which seemed like days ago. When all was said and done, U-Melt had shredded the late night cabin for over six hours. After the set ended it was 10:30 a.m. and a new festival day was upon us.

After it was complete, I asked myself, "has anyone else even tried to play for over six hours without taking any break?" We all know about Phish's Big Cypress all-night set during the millennium, but that was from midnight to 7 a.m., and they took several on-stage bathroom breaks as well as other lengthy on-stage breaks. U-Melt let loose in incredible late night fashion and proved they are a progressive groove force to be reckoned with and the Energizer Bunny of the jam scene. They just keep going and going and going...

Todd Gordon
JamBase | Worldwide
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