MFTC consists of conservatory grads applying their fancy educations to rock, roll, pop and soul. (As of late, some rootsy americana stuff has been rearing it's head as well.) Their names are Jeremy Viner (Bing & Ruth, Battle Trance), Danny Sher (Horse Torso, Regret the Hour), Nick Jost (Baroness, Wilder Maker), and Mel Flannery (Jesus on the Mainline, Lettuce). Mel and Danny are married and pretty dang nuts about each other. There is autoharp and/or guitar involved sometimes, there is always bass, keys/synth, drums and vox involved. Many songs are written by Mel with former bandmate and current BFF-across-the-country Lee Pardini (Dawes, Roger Waters), or just Mel. MFTC calls the NYC and the town of Catskill home. Mel is originally from Appleton, Wis., where she had the privilege of an excellent music education and training as a classical soprano. She also grew up making music with her father, Dan Flannery, a child guitar prodigy. The experience she gained gigging with her dad proved to be invaluable on basically every level.
MFTC started in 2003, when Mel was a lowly sophomore at Manhattan School of Music. Then bassist Matt Aronoff (Alan Cumming, Luciana Souza) encouraged Mel to start her own project for her original songs and things evolved from there. The earlier incarnations leaned hard into the jazz lane, as one might expect from a jazz conservatory student, but as time has past Mel has made a clear and deliberate move away from jazz, though the influence of serious jazz training still lingers in the complexity of her song writing and the caliber of improvisatory musicianship in the band members.
MFTC has released three full length albums, Mel Flannery Trucking Co., White Flag, As It Turns Out, and one EP, Autoheart. After great turmoil with their former record label (really, it was a nightmare.) and a whole slew of evolution as musicians over time, all three full length albums are basically not available for purchase. Autoheart, however, is available for download basically everywhere and features -- you guessed it -- Mel's autoharp processed through some cool stuff. Check it out!
INFLUENCES
- DUSTY SPRINGFIELD
- MARVIN GAYE
- BILL WITHERS
- BURT BACHARACH
- ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
- HALL & OATES
- FREDERYK CHOPIN
- LEONARD BERNSTEIN
- SAMUEL BARBER
- SHARON JONES AND THE DAP KINGS
- JEFF BUCKLEY
- NICK DRAKE
- JONI MITCHELL
- ROLLING STONES
- THE BEATLES
- DAVID BOWIE
- RADIOHEAD
- THE CARPENTERS
- JOHN PRINE
- FIONA APPLE
- ANI DIFRANCO
- RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
- BONNIE RAITT
- NANCY SINATRA
A lil bit from Mel's Instagram feed. @melanieroseflannery
