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About Us
Waxfruit Arts Media
Joel Mellin
Dir. of Technology / Waxfruit President |
Joel started his career as a Systems Engineer for a NASA funded gamma ray observation satellite by day and front-man for the go-go garage band the Oscillators by night.
He eventually left both to study at NYU with such music pioneers as Nick Didkovsky and Morton Subotnick, where he worked on innovative digital music systems using Genetic Algorithms and sonar based instrument controllers for real-time performance. Since then, his computer music has been heard in performances around Manhattan and Brooklyn, including a recent performance art piece with the group Projects in Transit at the Feldman Gallery in Soho.
As a programmer, he's worked for the US Dept. of Education's Safe and Drug Free Schools program developing database applications to help the NYC public school system better manage at-risk students, and as the Senior Information Architect for Gotham Writers' Workshop, the leading creative writing school in NYC and online, where he is responsible for developing innovative online classroom and distance learning software used by thousands of people around the globe every year.
He's remained active in the world of rock music as well. Having helped start underground pop label Stereorrific Recordings, he produces and engineers records by former bandmate Miss Mary, brother Jeff Mellin and others. Have a look at Joel's website here. |
Jeff Mellin
Exec. Director / Waxfruit Board Officer |
Jeff got his start in the music biz as garage band caterwauler and suburban troubadour, playing coffee houses, driveways, church basements, galleries and subway stops from Harvard Square to Greenwich Village. During the '90s he fronted a jangle-pop band called the Eddies, and has since released a number of recordings as a solo mod-folkie.
As an art and creative director, he’s worked on projects for companies such as Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Nabisco, ConEd, and Mobil, as well as indie music lables such as Ryko and Rounder. He's won awards for his work with arts and entertainment publications, and helped start ArtsAround Boston magazine (honored by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino with 'ArtsAround Boston Day') and quirky record label Stereorrific Recordings.
In 1999, he was officially recognized by the Governor of Massachusetts for his "contributions to the Commonwealth" supporting and promoting the arts.
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A & R Board
Garrett Caples
A&R Hip Hop |
A freelance writer, music critic and filmmaker
living in Oakland, CA, Garrett Caples is the author of The Philistine’s Guide to Hip Hop, a collection of articles on hip hop with an introduction by Shock-G of Digital Underground, and recently released an avant-beat/spoken word CD called Surrealism’s Bad Rap. He currently writes on Bay Area hip hop for the
San Francisco Bay Guardian.
Garrett is also the author of two collections of poetry, The Garrett Caples Reader and er, um, as well as and is editing a lost manuscript of Philip Lamantia’s called Tau, along with the poems of John Hoffman, which will be published together in a single volume by City Lights in 2007. He received a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2003.
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Jim Faris
A&R / Media consultant |
Clio award-winner Jim Faris brings two decades brand, creative, and web experience. He's sports a long track record of successful commercial web projects for companies including Polaroid, Hewlett-Packard, Dunkin Donuts, Au Bon Pain, Holland Mark Advertising, and Casual Male.
He's also a in-demand muscian. Currently, he's playing bass with half a dozen bands, including roots-pop legend Charlie Chesterman's Chaz & the Motorbikes.
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| Julie Hwang has been working in music entertainment since 1994. She has a diverse background having worked at digital startups, indie labels and major music corporations.
Julie has held management positions in the music licensing and business affairs departments at BMG Sony Music Entertainment, Tommy Boy Music and MTV Networks. Her licensing experience involves retail, premium & digital album releases, artist videos, DVD's, TV broadcast, video games and various digital products.
Julie also served as an artist relations manager and music programmer at Digital Club Network, where she worked with over 300 independent artists to promote their live performance webcasts from countless venues across the country. She supervised music talent coordination for a national campaign featuring indie bands in 2001, which consisted of 25 live Primetime ads on Network Television and 20 ads on National Radio.
Julie has also been project manager and/or A&R for various albums including Blue Mountain (Rolling Stone Top 10 critic pick in 2002). Most recently, Julie served as content manager for the mobile media department of MTV Networks, where she managed the ringtone businesses for MTV, Comedy Central and VH1. |
John Jervis
A & R / UK - Sweden |
Jeff Maisey
A&R Southeastern USA |
A veteran of the Southeastern music scene as both a musician and journalist, Jeff Maisey currently contributes music previews and reviews to Port Folio Weekly and the Virginian-Pilot. He's championed the area's independent musicians as publisher and editor of Ninevolt Magazine and Veer magazine, and has been recognized for his efforts with two Virginia Press Association Awards.
"Rock Talk," a collection of his photographs and interviews with artists ranging from Aerosmith to the Strokes was published in 2004. |
Kristine Smith
A & R / Documentary Films |
Ed Valauskas is a musician/producer from Boston, MA. He manages Q Division - both the record label and the recording studio. He plays bass in both The Gravel Pit and The Gentlemen, and is the touring bass player for Juliana Hatfield. He's also been a Regional Membership Representative for the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP).
For a complete discography click here. |
Pete Weiss
A&R New England Pop/Americana |
PeteWeiss is a New England-based producer/engineer/mixer/musician. Through his work with artists such as Willard Grant Conspiracy, Two Dollar Pistols, Charlie Chesterman, Bow Thayer, and Slim Cessna's Auto Club, Weiss has developed a reputation as an outstanding roots rock producer. He has also worked with many notable indie-rock artists such as Chris Brokaw, Kustomized, the Velvet Underground's Moe Tucker and Doug Yule, The Upper Crust, Don Lennon, Peter Zaremba, Lee Ranaldo, Reverend Glasseye, and Mittens.
In 1989, he co-founded Zippah Recording Studio in Boston. After selling his share of Zippah in 2004, he built and opened Verdant Studio, an "open concept" studio with artist lodging in rural Vermont, which he now uses as a home base.
When not in the studio, Weiss fronts the instrumental band The Weisstronauts, is a member of the experimental pop collective known as Sool, and plays bass with Orange Nichole. He has scored two independent films, "Metal" in 2001 and, with Sool, "Bad Gravity" in 2006. His music/audio-related writing appears regularly in TapeOp Magazine.
In the early 1990s, Weiss authored two books on baseball, "Baseball's All Time Goats" and "Longshots!", both published by Adams Media and now "collectible" (ie, out of print.) |
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