PORT TOWNSEND — An evening of original songs is in store Thursday as Tom Melancon, a singer-songwriter from Seattle, appears in the next Trinity United Methodist Church Candlelight Concert.
Melancon’s hour-long set will be livestreamed at 7 p.m. with no admission charge, while donations are welcome. Candlelight Concerts always benefit a local charity, and this week’s event will support the Society of St. Vincent de Paul East Jefferson County (svdpejc.org). The organization’s mission is to respond to the emergency needs of people in the community by offering financial assistance and referrals.
To access Thursday’s live performance, go to trinityumcpt.org and find the link for Candlelight Concerts Online. Melancon’s set will also be simulcast on KPTZ FM 91.9.
The artist, who sings, accompanies himself on guitar and plays harmonica, said he’ll offer a variety of songs written about recent experiences: staying isolated and then seeing people again, for example. They’re stories set to music, they’re common experiences, and “I try to make the lyrics thought-provoking,” he said.
Before moving to the Pacific Northwest some two decades ago, Melancon lived in northern Nevada, where he played bass guitar with several local bands in Reno. Since coming to Seattle, he’s turned his focus more to songwriting and solo performance.
In 2019, Melancon started taking voice lessons from Alicia Dara and formed his current band, American Flats, an Americana and rock outfit with local musicians Scott Hutchins, Mark Wooten and Andy Spath. They’re working on a recording project with Johnny Sangster from Crackle and Pop Studios.
When it comes to solo gigs like the one this Thursday, “the vibe is dusky vocals with a hint of the open spaces of Nevada and the heartbreak of being alive in a complicated world,” the organizers said in a press release.
