The sweetest gifts oftentimes arrive through great challenges and changes.
Melissa (formerly Mullins) and Matthew DeOrazio met in Austin in 2005 at a Songsalive! music showcase that Melissa was hosting and organizing.

Melissa lived in Austin since ’95, and was active in the music community, performing as well as organizing music showcases such as Writers Who Rock, Songsalive!, and GoGirlsMusic Fest. Melissa was a solo performer at the time, although she had experience with previous band incarnations.
Matthew, a proficient and prolific musician, had been performing since his teens, and was based in New Orleans. He was in flux, still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Through a series of shifts, tides, and turns post-Katrina, Matthew ended up moving to Austin, reluctant to leave home, but looking toward the future.

Soon after, the two began collaborating musically and began to forge a great sound and friendship. After spending a great deal of time recording and touring together as band mates, the two found a bond much deeper than ever anticipated. Marriage and a move back to New Orleans turned a new leaf for the couple on many levels.

They perform together as ‘Melissa On The Rocks’, with Melissa on vocal and guitar and Matthew on drums and guitar.

‘Wiser Cause’ is the title of their upcoming full-length release (release date tba). Elements of classic rock and punk are threaded into the original songwriting, filling the space with sound, while giving the songs enough space to move and groove. The record was recorded and engineered in Austin by Matthew. Mixing and production by Gilli Moon and Matt Thorne in Burbank, California.