ALONG COMES MARY

I’m incredibly excited to introduce you today to a wonderful multi-talented musician that goes by the name Le Bas-fond. Based out of the California Bay Area, Melody Pilotte is the extraordinary singer/songwriter/instrumentalist who has been creating music & art since she was a little girl. With her newest EP, All the Queen’s Men, Pilotte has once again shown that she is out to raise the standard for her eclectic style that mixes synth/baroque pop, with a clear musical theatre inspiration, & has she ever, yet again.

Enlisting in the assistance of Will Curry, currently 2nd Assistant Conductor for Broadway’s Les Miserables, together they have produced a 5 song piece with moments that mix Sarah Brightman-esque vocals, with Depeche Mode-like keyboards….all, in a great way. With the opening None More Than You, it’s a track that “utilizes analog and soft-synths” explains Melody, “and then Will’s arrangements come in as a ‘surprise!,’ with the strings in sonic filters that make it ambiguous as to when either programming or the strings begin or end (in tandem with some pretty fun sound sculptures).” I love that she added: “It opens the record with love, which was imperative. It opens with love and it closes with love, the kind of love that foolish actions or cruelty can’t replace or destroy.”

With Buffalo Comin‘, I loved what Melody had to say, “This was the first thing Will and I worked on together. I was nervous, because I wasn’t sure how (or if! I was so nervous) this collaboration process was going to work. I sent this piano piece, and I asked Will if he could “give me something that sounds like… you know, when my people [the Indians] show up in the Westerns!” He sent this back to me in less than 24 hours and I knew it was the beginning of something completely amazing, and the moment I knew we had something very special.”

I would like to add, I have known Melody for quite a few years through the Tori Amos circle, & like Amos, Pilotte is of Native American descent, giving her a vast world of knowledge with her heritage…& lets not forget her education in American Indian Studies (emphasis: on Law, Sovereignty and Religious Freedom).

My favorite song has got to be No Love, No Vacancy, as someone who has faced a lot of heartache & rejection, it was interesting to discover just how important this song is to Melody, as well: “It’s a hard one”, she tells me, “I was very nervous to share it, and work on it with another person, but Will brought some incredible things to the table and all of my fears were assuaged. It’s something I’d struggled with for years: rejection because of something out of your control, and not being able to understand that someone else’s inability to appreciate you or be good to you or step up and be that person for you-is a reflection on them and not you. You’re not disgusting, they are, their cowardice and immaturity are. It comes from an honest place, with years of distance from this head space and myself, and while I am fine, I note that others have a much harder time with this one than I do. I hope you’ll be safe listening to it”

It floored me a bit, when that is how she described it, while I did definitely feel a safe surrounding while playing this song, I truly related to her words & felt moved by the production. No Love, No Vacancy is definitely a highlight on All the Queen’s Men for me.

Not shy to share her spotlight, here is what she has to say about Prince of Memphis: “It’s about Jordan Nichols! It was a capella vocals and little islands of piano and then Will built around it. This one wouldn’t exist without Will, and really showcases how brilliant he is. There is nothing I could have done, even with all of my technical skills, that could replicate the little world Will created. It is truly a masterpiece, and I do not hesitate to say that. Jordan (as most of you know) is an amazing person, and one of my favourite people in the world. I’d give anything to see him get the recognition he deserves. Everything he does is amazing to me; everything he touches is magic.”

Something all should know about Melody, is: Shes a huge Morrissey fan. Like, bigger than life. which she adds about Prince, “Some of you may catch the little references to The Smiths’ The Queen is Dead’, included because I maintain that Jordan looks like the cute little gay French boy on the cover.”

And, last, but certainly not least, is ‘Be Brave, John’, written for Pilotte’s friend, John Rapson, it is an homage to Rapson as, “Its to remind him to be good and kind and to be brave, even when it’s so easy to be hurtful and nasty. The piano in ‘Be Brave,..’ was a guerrilla recording session in the basement of a Steinway showcase on a busted AF antique Steinway, while the salesperson went upstairs to check the serial number. It was done in a single take, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. The reactions to this one, too, have been so wonderful. It has a profound emotional impact, which is a pleasant surprise for an instrumental.” & Melody ends with, “let it be said: It is truly a brave thing in this world to be good and gentle and kind.”

If you’re a Smiths fan, you just got that reference 😉

Learn more & hear Le Bas-fond’s music by clicking HERE. xo