Dave Melillo

Singer/songwriter Dave Melillo (pronounced Mah-lil-loh) was born on June 12, 1988, spending his early years soaking up music in his New Jersey home before his family later moved to Celebration, FL. Performing early on in local musicals, Melillo started to take songwriting much more seriously following his family's relocation to the Sunshine State. Encouraged by his parents to explore music, he grew up listening to artists like Billy Joel, Meat Loaf, and Bruce Springsteen; Melillo eventually discovered the roster at Drive-Thru Records, and bands like the Starting Line ushered in a whole new genre of music for the burgeoning musician to explore. These groups not only altered the way in which Melillo listened to music, but in many cases their young ages proved to him that success was indeed possible for someone still in his teen years.

He began playing around town, recording some demos to put online for his friends to hear. Drive-Thru co-owner Richard Reines heard some of these songs, and after an impromptu performance at the label's office in late 2004, offered the young musician a deal. However, several major labels randomly appeared as well, wanting to sign him after hearing a song of his on a compilation; Melillo ultimately inked a deal with Drive-Thru. His label debut, Talk Is Cheap, was produced by Jamie Wisner (Dashboard Confessional, A New Found Glory) and completed in August 2005. Melillo hopped on the road, playing various dates with Hellogoodbye and a showcase at 2006's South by Southwest. The EP, originally released exclusively online for free download that April, was issued physically in stores in June 2006 with a bonus track appended. Melillo handled vocals, guitar, and piano parts on the release, and his backing band included bassist Matt Mendes, guitarist Clark Spurlock, and drummer Nate Mullins (the first two of whom he'd played with in previous bands). Summer dates were subsequently performed nationwide.