Mel and the Tall Boys
Mel and the Tall Boys are comprised of Mel Johnston, Kyle Lacy, Andy Bell, and JC Myska. Mel, a singer-songwriter from New York City, started her first band with singer & best friend Kim Foxen, the Foxy Johnstons. They released a soul and blues EP in 2018.
Mel and the Tall Boys formed in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, after Mel produced some sonically and lyrically expansive material during a virtual songwriting group on zoom which she founded during the spring of 2020.
Their music is inspired by the likes of the Raconteurs, Alabama Shakes, and rockabilly female pioneers like Wanda Jackson, Bonnie Raitt, and the Ronnettes, finding an apt balance between alt-rock swagger and surfy, early rock’n’roll stompers.
They released an eponymous debut EP in Summer of 2021, including 3 original songs by Mel and one cover - an upbeat punk version of the Everly Brothers “All I Have to Do is Dream.” In 2022 they released the singles “Smiling/Dying” “Territories”, ruminating on the ends of different kinds of relationships. 2023 brought the live album “You Had to Be There” featuring a new studio track “Leave Leave Leave”.
Their new album, "The Frontier Of Love" is out March 14, 2026 on Lacy Records. The album harnesses the energy and breadth of Mel and The Tall Boys’ NYC gigs into a potent package of love songs that run the gamut of experience. Lead single “Baby Blues” is a splash – a bit of B52s, a hint of surf rock – that captures the feeling of wanting to ignore all the red flags. “Runnin' Around” puts the band’s Chuck Berry and Wanda Jackson influences front and center, as Mel promises to track down a wandering lover.
Mel and The Tall Boys aren’t afraid to turn up the drama with Wall Of Sound-inspired ballads “The Breeze” and “Frontier Of Love.” The album’s title track brings theatrics and spaghetti western vibes to a mythologized tale of self; where romantic love meets love for one’s art. “We mythologized ourselves and created this hero’s journey about our experiences as artists,” Mel says. “You are literally forgoing stability because you’re traveling; you’re forgoing financial stability and the markers of adulthood; you might forgo love and relationships to walk a lonely path. But it’ the only thing that you could ever do.”
Press
“Mel and the Tall Boys crank up the surf-punk swagger with their single Baby Blues. Fueled by gritty guitars, cowbell clatter, and a driving beat, the track channels old-school rock energy without sounding stuck in the past. Mel Johnston’s bold vocals cut through the retro haze with confidence and soul, anchoring the track with personality and power. It’s raw, fun, and totally unpretentious - just the kind of song that demands to be played loud. Baby Blues is a standout taste of the band’s upcoming album Frontier of Love, and it hits all the right nerves.”
“[…] What makes the whole thing work is that Mel and the Tall Boys play as a band. As a group, they shift smoothly across underlying feels, play ensemble parts where needed and can stop on a dime. Each player has something necessary to contribute and steps to the forefront of the arrangement where appropriate. It’s executed so well that you don’t even realize it’s happening--the whole thing just sounds right, as rock should when it’s done well.”
“The first two songs were off their EP, whose release was the reason for this concert. M&TB (who I’m christening as such, perhaps) is a high octane pleasure palace of joy, rooted in the ’90s and 2000s Indie Rock mold, with very intentional echoes of ’60s through ’80s songs of love and celebration.”
