Artist description Modern Lounge

Music Style TripHop, Drum & Bass, Jazz

Musical Influences Depeche Mode, Ella Fitzgerald, Sade, Chopin, Wendy Carlos, Chet Baker, Jean Michel Jarre, Etc.

Similar Artists Massive Attack, Portishead, Lamb, Hooverphonic, Everthing But The Girl, Etc.

Artist History John L. Blake and Melissa Jo Paser formed Sweetie in early 1998. They record with Funkella Produktionz at Sonic Recording Studios in Philadelphia. This past year has been dedicated to the completion of their full-length release and live performances. The CD will be available shortly. However, don’t miss the opportunity to experience this act live. John is a native of Philadelphia, with his finger on the pulse of contemporary Electronica. He is a Producer, Engineer and Composer who has sold thousands of records, making himself a recognized figure at local, national and international levels. Melissa is originally from Detroit, but relocated to Philadelphia in 1993. Her Jazz-oriented, soulful vocals provide an essential and beautiful element to their unique sound. Dave Doran joined Sweetie in 1999. He currently studies Music Performance and Jazz drums at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. His love and understanding of music makes him the ideal drummer for Sweetie. In the short amount of time since their EP has been released, they have earned the respect, and perhaps the love of their critics and audiences.

Group Members Keyboards and Programming - John Blake Vocals - Melissa Paser - Drums - Dave Doran

Instruments ASR-10, Cubase, Recycle, Wavelab, Pro Tools, JP-8080, Juno 106, CS1X, K5000, MC303, QY70, Hammond B3, Rhodes, Wulitzer, Yamaha Grand piano, U87, L2 & L3, Neve, API & SSL Consoles, Otari 2 inch.

Albums Sweetie EP

Press Reviews City Paper: Critics Pick for Feb 3-10. rock/popSweetie"With a whoosh of wind and a ghostly Billie Holiday-like voice whispering lonely lyrics comes "Dying Leaves," the lead track from Sweetie's eponymous debut EP on Funkella records. Along with the acid-jazzy "One Day" and a delicate ballad, "Nothingness," the EP is one of the sweetest, subtlest things to come out of Philly. But for all the electronica, Sweetie's members - singer Melissa Paser, multi-instrumentalist John L. Blake and new drummer Dave Doran - do not consider themselves a dance act. "I like to think of us as a jazz act," says Paser. She is a chanteuse who rides the lineage of her influences - moody jazz singers Carmen McRae and Ella Fitzgerald, Heart's Ann Wilson with the shadings of Tracey Thorn. Couple that dreaminess with Blake's complex beats bouncing like a super ball below the surface of breezy synths 'n' blips. Paser arrived in Philly in 1993, doing the college thing at Glasboro State. She worked behind the bar at Zanzibar Blue and Circa and waitressed at Xero, where she met Blake, who was spinning alongside DJ Ricky Lee. "He's the clubbier one," says Paser of Blake, who had already released club tracks while DJing at the Nile. They started off doing house-y diva tracks, took time off (during which Paser sung with After Dinner Mints) and redefined their sound. "I wanted to do something more sultry, more stark, more soulful," says Paser. For all of the careful, pensive motion of "Dying Leaves," look for their full-length (due by summer) to be darker, more trip-hoppy. "We want frenzy," explains Paser of the shifting direction. "Something textural so people won't know what to expect."-a.d. amorosi

Location West Chester, PA - USA

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