Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Melissa Reese is an American musician and model best known for her involvement in Guns N' Roses and her collaborations with Bryan "Brain" Mantia.

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Career

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Reese began singing and playing piano at age 4. When she was 17, she learned Pro Tools, Reason, and Logic Pro and began performing and producing her own music. Her first EP, "LISSA", was released in 2007, and featured collaboration with Bryan Mantia and Pete Scaturro. Three of the songs of the EP were featured in various TV shows, including Gossip Girl and Keeping up with the Kardashians. Reese has worked with funk artist Bootsy Collins, rapper Chuck D, singer Vanessa Carlton, soul artist Goapele and singer Taylor Swift. In addition to composing, Reese has produced work for artists such as Drumma Boy.


Brain and Melissa

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Reese has worked on several projects with Mantia, a composing team dubbed "Brain and Melissa". In 2010, along with Buckethead, they released the multi-CD sets Kind Regards and Best Regards. Brain and Melissa composed part of the soundtrack to the video game Infamous 2, for which they were nominated for "Outstanding Achievement in Original Composition" by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences awards.[3] Other video games the duo worked on include, Playstation Home, Modnation Racers, Twisted Metal, Fantasia: Music Evolved and Infamous: Second Son. They also scored the films Detention and Power/Rangers. They have worked with music video director Joseph Kahn on several television commercials, including NASCAR, SEAT, and Qoros. In addition, they scored a commercial for Johnnie Walker Blue which featured a computer-generated Bruce Lee.[4] They also worked on several remixes of songs off of Chinese Democracy for a planned remix album.

Guns N' Roses

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Reese joined Guns N' Roses in 2016 as the band's second keyboardist, replacing Chris Pitman, as part of the Not in This Lifetime... Tour


Meet Melissa Reese, Guns N' Roses' New Keyboard Player

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In addition to welcoming back Slash and Duff McKagan for the first time since 1993, Guns N? Roses also unveiled a new keyboardist, Melissa Reese, at their warm-up show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles last night (April 1). With her profile presumably about to increase as the band embarks on a new tour, this is a good time get to know a little bit more about who she is. According to the bio on her website, Reese received piano and vocal training in jazz and classical from an early age in her hometown of Seattle, and has been composing and songwriting since she was 14. Her music has been heard on television shows as diverse as Inside the NFL, Gossip Girl and Keeping Up With the Kardashians. She has also played on commercials with such artists as Bootsy Collins, Chuck D and Vanessa Carlton. ?Girlfriend,? one of the songs from her 2007 EP Lissa, was featured in the ad campaign for Just Fab Shoe. Her connection with Guns N? Roses likely comes via Bryan ?Brain? Mantia, who drummed with them from 2000-2006. As Brain and Melissa, the two have collaborated extensively, composing music for video games (Disney?s Fantasia: Music Evolved and Infamous 2, for which they were nominated for an award in composition by the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences), commercials (NASCAR, Johnny Walker Blue and Audi) and the score for the horror film Detention. They?ve also performed on Best Regards, the five-CD set by another former Guns N? Roses member, Buckethead, and its follow-up, Kind Regards. In addition, they?ve provided remixes for Green Day and Taylor Swift?s Grammy-winning ?Bad Blood? video A brief film about Reese is embedded above.

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/melissa-reese-guns-n-roses-keyboards/


@TheMelissaReese. Producer. Composer. Recording Artist. Singer. Song Writer. Model. Livemu.sc/GNRTour 

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http://www.melissareesemusic.com
https://www.instagram.com/themelissareese
https://www.facebook.com/gunsnroses/events

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Melissa and Brain look like brother & sister

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I think she brings a level of fun to GNR. She added great backing vocals on the KOHD from the 2nd coachella set that I heard, and finally I think she's really pretty  :beer:

Now that?s a career.
Also, I wouldn?t ever expect I could say that a GN?R member is fucking hot!

I follow her on IG... shes seems verrrrry appreciative of this opportunity.

She gets a check plus for that in my book.

I would love to know who in the GNR camp discovered her im sure it will come out at some point whether its an interview she does or someone in the band does. I think her addition is as big a surprise as anything on this whole tour because not one word got out about this.

Brain.

That girl is smoking hot.  Definitely digging her.

Anyone else think she was brought in to also make sure the wives/girlfriends didn't get in the way of things? 

I think we should add this pic, taken at Troubadour before the show, when we had no idea who she is and nobody would think about her as a new band member. somebody even asked if these two girls are Duff's daughters :hihi:
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She's great. It really seems that she was related to GNR way back then - the 2007 release with Brain and Pete Scaturro (one of CD's Producer, Arranger, Audio Engineer, Keyboards, Digital Editing, Composer, Engineer and with songwriting credits in Shackler's Revenge and Sorry) indicates that.

Great topic, by the way. Thank you. Id like to know from where you took the first half of the text, tho. Doesn't seem like it's from the same Ultimate Classic Rock URL.

Her official site does have a bio that's worth reading - she's from a "racially-mixed household of Chinese, English, Spanish, Japanese, Filipino, Irish, Scottish and Danish in Seattle, Washington":

http://www.melissareesemusic.com/about/

Her 2007 debut EP is available on Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/artist/7gN7qm3747eXjoJ5Iw3E3s

No. That's dumb.

so she actually is from Seattle, that means another Seattle-born band member :peace:

True

 :rofl:

She's totally unnecessary.  IMO, she adds nothing worthy.  No doubt she's a capable musician, but she doesn't fit this band at all which is one of the most testosterone-fueled bands in the history of rock.

Have no choice...only tolerating her because Axl and Slash are sharing a stage.

Really digging what she's bring to the band these days.

Dig her bg vocals on Better  :love:

She should have joined GN'R way earlier?

She looks like she would be a lot of fun

I heard a different source on YouTube for Chinese Democracy in the second night at Mexico and it seems that she also sings the high pitched backing vocals of this song, kinda like it is on the album. Anyone noticed?

Why, do you think she will level down the testosterone? :P

Can you post the link here?

Sure. It has It's So Easy and Mr. Brownstone too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN3FSzJw0vI

Thx  : ok:

Melissa Rockin' Paradise City Coachella

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 :love:

Im not sure if I agree with you, but i loved the ''one of the most testosterone-fueled bands in the history of rock''  :beer:

Thats a beautiful mix

wow, now both of the people that scored the power rangers movie have been in gnr? pretty intense.

She could contribute a lot to the next GN'R album(s).

-keyboards
-synthesizers
-sub bass
-synth orchestra
-backing vocals
-other instruments

She could even add some co-lead vocals on one or two songs

There's 2 former members that played on an official Power Rangers film.

http://www.gnrevolution.com/disc.php?id=3912

I don't care really if there is a Melissa or not, but I don't think she's all that necessary, plus, I like the testosterone dynamic. I didn't like the thought of the 'next gnr' album with synch orchestra and shit.  I don't see gnr as an electronic band at all, I think it would suck, and I like the old school version, with basic instruments, electronic bullshit.....strum a guitar, beat a drum, etc.

I noticed her vocals on "Chinese" at the end she is singing the harmony above Axl and it sounds great. Melissa brings something to the band that has always been missing and that's the high Axl harmonies. No one in the band had the range to sing above him. Welcome to the family Melissa Reese. She is (to quote Axl Rose) a total "bad-ass".

And anyone that has a problem with a female being in GNR is being ridicculous. There have already been 5 female touring musicians in GNR. Chill.

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woah, bucket and sorum too? who the hell was in charge of that soundtrack ? axl? 

at this point I wouldn't be surprised if he was hidden in one of the costumes during filming or did some voice overs for it.

Fletcher from Chotto Ghetto is on the tracks with Brain & Melissa on that soundtrack. You guys are big Chotto Ghetto fans right?

 I fucking love it, gunsnroses is back motherfuckers  :peace:

Melissa Rockin' & Sensual In Paradise City Coachella, Clip Here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEmY8Z1Pbsk/

 :love: :beer: :love:

She is so amazing.  During Rocket Queen she bounces up and down like a star athlete while playing!

Indeed. Can't agree more.

So hot!😍😎

and who said electronic music has no place in rock? look at melissa headbanging to the hardrock!

also a norwegian band, not rock but it reminds me a little of melissa-stuff :peace:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NZOKN-KVZ0 starts 1:18

I was drunk last night and didn't understand what my post meant this morning, so i deleted it.

this happens to me too :hihi:

And Pitman....

I was watching "Rocket Queen" from the second weekend of Coachella. Melissa was really rocking it out with the song.

she definitely brings some nice things to the table. i like that she could somehow be linked with a heightened prospect of new music too.


oh boy. that had to have sucked if he really was let go over that. definitely feel his pain. hangovers and embarrassment are bad enough as it is, having to deal with anything more than that is a real bitch.

but hearing her back up vocals, maybe that wasn't the only reason he got let go. i could go either way, but she certainly seems to be more popular than he was.

to me chris was the most anticipated member for a modern gnr, but he became the most disapointing.


maybe she uses a trampoline :hihi:

Until she records something with the band...

I'll just look at her as a very nice good luck charm for the band and good backing vocals.

This is exactly how i feel. I dont see a need for her, as i said, its almost gimmick like.

I think her inclusion in the band and the new arrangement of Better point to us hearing a remix of CD content with her stamp on it... that could even mean added tracks within the songs (potentially her background vocals, etc...)

Even without that I think she fills two roles in the live show... a sort of hybrid of Pitman meets Tracy and Roberta.

If it has already been discussed, my bad, but I thougt I heard she did some work on cd. any details out there on that?

She worked on the remix album with Brain that never surfaced, from what I understand.

She's great. It really seems that she was related to GNR way back then - the 2007 release with Brain and Pete Scaturro (one of CD's Producer, Arranger, Audio Engineer, Keyboards, Digital Editing, Composer, Engineer and with songwriting credits in Shackler's Revenge and Sorry) indicates that.

Great topic, by the way. Thank you. Id like to know from where you took the first half of the text, tho. Doesn't seem like it's from the same Ultimate Classic Rock URL.

Her official site does have a bio that's worth reading - she's from a "racially-mixed household of Chinese, English, Spanish, Japanese, Filipino, Irish, Scottish and Danish in Seattle, Washington":

http://www.melissareesemusic.com/about/

Her 2007 debut EP is available on Spotify: https://play.spotify.com/artist/7gN7qm3747eXjoJ5Iw3E3s

Credits & Thanks To VODOOOCHILD

 : ok:

oh, cool. i hope it does eventually surface.

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It's cool that Guns have a female member. I like to think it's some kind of statement that the faux-machismo misogynistic shit has been left behind and more than that I hope she's a great musician and will get to throw some flavors into the pot if we ever get new material.

Home-girl was pretty darn high in the mix during the DC show--especially during Chinese Democracy. Pretty cool. And on a separate note, as an audience member if you are not rocking out at least as hard as the keyboard player, you need to figure it out.

I think she's a cool & enthusiastic girl, with a lot of energy . I don't think she'll add something to the gnr sound (and probably she's not supposed to do that). I'd rather watch her than fat ass pitman :hihi:

That wobbling keyboad before him was cool  : ok:

I've seen Melissa perform twice now with GNR and I've watched countless videos. I can't hear what she's adding to the sound. Can anyone point me to a YouTube video where her sound cuts through?

That's probably because of the sound mix. The other instruments are louder.

That brings the question.. What's the point if you can't hear it?

I know she probably does the sampling (like in Civil War) and orchestra on songs like November Rain and This I Love. She's audible there.

Yeah, I don't understand that either. She has so much potential.

You can hear her on this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwh-_oNKaNw

And also the PC intro:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZUE8ArZ3ck

And she adds some keys with similar tone to the guitars in songs like Rocket Queen, Better..

You guys are right about the mix! I'm listening to the audio from Axl's in-ear monitor while watching a video of the live performance of Paradise City. I have them synced perfectly and when listening to the live video's audio, the keyboard is completely inaudible. It still raises the question as to which keyboard player is playing the keyboard part though.

That sucks. I would love to hear her input on songs like WTTJ, Mr. Brownstone or SCOM.

She could play acoustic guitar on songs like Patience or Used To Love Her.

Just the spontaneity of the moment really makes this so lovely.  :)

https://twitter.com/xblackestday/status/747892761010016257

Note:  It's a gif so if it doesn't automatically start, click the play button.

Thanks to @xblackestday for tweeting this.

I'm not a musician so I don't have the first clue as to what she of Pittman did when it comes to performing ...

I know they are really not needed for non Chinese songs ...

But anyway Melissa is a lot nicer to look at than Mother Goose was !

Hahaha.  Big time.

She also really seems into it up there.  I think she's a very welcome addition.

Must have been brought in more for vocals than synth, etc.

She does add a new (better) dimension to the backing vocals. She and Duff together sounds really good.

Pay attention to the high pitched backing she does together with Axl on Chinese Democracy, very similar to the album version (where Axl does the high pitched backing).

I'm watching Ford Field, Detroit, MI and she's very audible in Better. It's not only that she gets screen time as well.

I like her very much. A hockey team also needs other players who may not be in the limelight all the time. But being a team means that there must be other members to make it whole if you want to win a trophy.

Surely, they could make without her but it doesn't mean she doesn't belong.

maybe some of the stuff she is playing is just for axl to hear. like a private performance for him so he can get into it more. you could hear her more clearly from his in hear monitor recordings right?

im half joking. i think she seems cool though.

Bit low in the mix mebbe :-\

"Melissa Reese- Composer/Recording Artist"

https://youtu.be/HCrYgEYqpVA

-Andrew

 :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love: :love:

She's pointless...there's nothing she's doing that can't be done by someone off-stage. Hell, I'd rather see Teddy Zig Zag.

Why?

Because he looked a bit less silly than Strawberry Shortcake w/headphones.

Teddy ain't a total babezilla though.

I like her? put I still miss Pitman  :-\

Melissa was certainly noticeable in some of the backing vocals. Very much an asset to the band.

exactly! ;D
I would mostly agree with this. hard to tell though honestly.

Obviously Axl saw something in her to bring her in so ill take his opinion of her over anyone in here who wants to dismiss her contributions to the band.

When I was at the Orlando show, I noticed on WTTJ  the backing vocals sounded really good and also on subsequent songs.  If they do anew album with this incarnation I'm really curious to see what she can bring to the table. I just think she was a great addition, adds something different they've not had in any lineup.

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