Influences: 

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, the Replacements, Neil Young, Uncle Tupelo, Big Star, Jason Isbell, Son Volt, The Hold Steady, James Gang, Steve Earle, Faces.

Band: 

Tom Melancon (Ghost Ranch, the Pods) has been writing, recording and performing original Americana and Rock music for over 40 years.  Larry DeMyer (Delerium, Bad Kitty, Windopane, Raw Meat, Many Bright Things) is AF's lead guitar player. Larry has a storied musical caree spanning several decades. He has also been a Studio Owner/Engineer and Record Store Operator. Larry is also an accomplished Luthier working currently for Lull Guitars. Daniel Casado has many decades of experience in the music world. In addition to being a multi-instrumentalist, he is also a Composer, Producer and Chief Engineer at LillyTree Studios. He has worked with major label artists across a wide array of genres, and brings big ears to the band. Bobby Govetas has been an integral part of his family band Drómeno, a traditional Balkan and Greek folk band, performing alongside his parents, Christos Govetas and Ruth Hunter, and his sister Eleni Govetas. In addition to playing drums for AF, Bobby is an accomplished bassist, percussionist, keyboard player and vocalist. Bobby is also the Senior Engineer at LillyTree Studios. 

Join our Team!

We want you to be part of our team! You can sign up for the mailing list, follow us on Instagram, Spotify and Apple Music, or wherever you get your music. You can also help us by letting us know where you'd like to see AF play next and which other bands might be a good fit for future gigs. Want to help more?  KEXP has our album "Nevada" and you can request they play us (please don't bombard them with requests as that can backfire!)

What makes AF unique?

What sets AF apart from other bands? The lines on our faces tell the story of decades of writing, recording and performing experience.  But the passion we play with is ageless and timeless and the chemistry on stage and in the studio is electric.

History:

AF began when Tom Melançon (lead singer, rhythm guitar and principal songwriter) met bass player Mark Wooten in the fall of 2018.  The two began jamming, but the band came together with the addition of Scott Hutchins on lead guitar and Andhi Spath on drums.

The band hit the Seattle scene and started establishing itself with dynamic performances and powerful songwriting.

The global pandemic of 2020 kept the band from playing live for a while, but they kept rehearsing and Tom kept writing, inspired by the duality human isolation and the need for connection. To keep his songwriting chops up, Tom was active in pursuing ways for musicians to share their music with fans while venue remained shuttered.

The band kept gigging at such venues as Tim's Tavern, the Sunset and Slim's and began recording their EP at Quiet Please Studios in 2023. Their first EP "Nevada" was mixed by Johnny Sangster at Crackle & Pop Studio and mastered by Rachel Field at Resonant Mastering. Amy Dragon completed the mastering for vinyl and the album was released on digital platforms early in 2024. AF held a sold-out show in February of 2024 at the Royal Room where they sold the first vinyl copies. 

Shortly after the vinyl release show, Scott Hutchins and Tom Melançon decided to part ways musically. Andhi Spath and Mark Wooten also left the band at that time. That summer, lead guitar player Larry DeMyer and drummer Bobby Govetas joined Tom in reforming AF. Jen Fox from Model Shop band joined as well and the newly formed version of AF played shows at the Showbox, Bite of Seattle, The Ice Box Arcade and Kenyon Hall. Jen Fox let the band know she had too much on her plate at the end of 2024, as she was playing in three bands and working full time. Daniel Casado, base player, backing vocalist and producer/owner of LillyTree Studios filled the missing puzzle piece for AF then. Bobby, Larry, Daniel and Tom played a few gigs together, but have been rehearsing and recording since April of 2025 when Tom returned from an Artist Residency in France with new songs and an inspiration to make another record.