Sweet Mylo Just Got Sweeter

The Band is Set to Drop a New Album and Play a Live Show to Promote

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Sweet Mylo was a band I bumped into as I was just starting to check out the local Nashville music scene.  I went to see my friend Ian Brice of Loose Bolts play in East Nash and this is where I met the duo.  Sweet Mylo is an indie-pop band formed by husband-and-wife Kevin Jones and Grace Melody Jones.  I was mesmerized by the group from beginning to end. This week, on the 25th of April, they will be releasing a new album called Melancholy Before Matrimony (officially their first, as I would learn).  The band will also be playing a live show at the Historic Stonewall to promote the project with Arily Michele (who was also at that show-and is fantastic).  Historic Stonewall, in the heart of Gallatin, Tennessee’s downtown district, has been standing iconically since 1831. This architectural wonderment has been a silent spectator to the evolution of the community around it for almost 200 years and serves as an event space and music venue.  I can not wait for this record and the record release party. Almost one year ago to the day I got to ask the band about their formation, their process and the future of Sweet Mylo.  Enjoy! 

Okay. First off you two are Grace and Kevin, so how did this ensemble become the moniker Sweet Mylo?  

Kevin: Originally, all of the Sweet Mylo music was released under my name “Kevin Jones”. It was my solo project and I started making music for it before I’d even met Grace. Fast forward some years, Grace and I are now dating and she’s the drummer in my band. We decided to make the Kevin Jones project into our own duo project. We changed the artist name of all our releases to Sweet Mylo and the rest is history. The name Mylo was inspired by the phrase “My love”. 

The last time I saw you two play- you were at The Cobra and you were joined by a bass player. Is this the nature of the project? Meaning, Sweet Mylo is just you two and you bring in other players for live shows and recordings? 

Kevin: Yes, that’s correct. Sweet Mylo is our duo project, and other performers play with us in our live band. The bass player you mentioned is my brother Josh and he played all the bass parts on our album as well. 

I loved your last album Peachy Waves.  How does your new record, Melancholy Before Matrimony differ?  

To clarify, the album Peachy Waves was actually never released digitally, just as a CD. It’s a compilation record of about 5 years worth of singles. So MBM is our first proper album. 

Aaah. Thank you for the clarification. Then this is a really exciting announcement.  Tell me about your first album.  

Melancholy Before Matrimony is a much more personal record. It speaks on a lot of difficult things we experienced together in the early years of our relationship. It features songs we’ve wanted to get around to recording for a long time, including Twenty Two which was one of the first songs I (Kevin) ever wrote about Grace. It’s more acoustic sonically, and is the first Sweet Mylo project to feature real drums and grand piano. Everything before this was recorded in our home studio so we primarily used midi drums and electric piano. It was amazing to be able to record in a legitimate studio and accomplish things sonically we couldn’t afford to do in the past. 

That is so great.  What is it like working as a husband-and-wife team?   

Grace: It’s honestly just like hanging out any other time of day. We’ve been playing together for so long that there’s a lot of nonverbal communication in that aspect, but the chemistry we have from our relationship makes it a lot easier to be on the same wavelength and flow. 

Kevin: We understand each other very well. We have to switch into a different mode somewhat to keep from getting sidetracked at times (laughing) but it’s effortless when we perform together. 

Good, no fighting then. What is the writing process for the two of you?  Which comes first the chicken or the lyrics? Seriously though, do you sit down to write lyrics and then create a melody or vice versa? And who writes which? 

Kevin: I’ve always been a melody first kind of songwriter. Usually though, the most compelling ideas start with a melody and lyric at the same time. I’ll just be noodling around on the piano and sort of stumble onto a melody, I’ll say the first lyric that comes in my head and think “Oh, I should make a voice memo of that.” Sometimes I’ll just have a melody in my head out of nowhere and try chasing that lead. A lot of songwriters I know in Nashville try to finish the majority of songs in a few hours but that’s rarely the case for me. I’ll spend many hours across weeks chipping away at lyrics, trying to get it perfect. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good practice to write quickly in order to keep from overthinking but I do think people often spend way less time than they should going over their options and end up with a less meaningful result. 

Grace: Kevin is the one that does most of the actual songwriting. When it comes to certain sentiments or phrasings, I’ll occasionally contribute to the lyrics, but I would say most of my part in the pre-production is actually with arrangements. On the album specifically, ‘We Wake Together’ wouldn’t have the ending it does if Kevin and I hadn’t sat down to work it out together. 

Kevin: Grace thought of the climax to our song ‘We Wake Together’. It added a lot of depth to the overall story. She also arranged and played all of the drums. I had ideas rhythmically but she took them to the next level and really made them her own, especially on songs like Silhouette and Three of Us. 

I absolutely love the vibe between you two. Who are your musical influences and who were you listening to when you created this album?  

Kevin: This album was inspired by a lot of classic piano records. I really wanted to embrace the ‘70s singer/songwriter style so we listened to a lot of Billy Joel, Elton John, Randy Newman, Todd Rundgren, Gilbert O’Sullivan just to name a few. A lot of this music is just what I grew up on, so it really feels like it’s part of who I am. I think all Sweet Mylo songs have a bit of McCartney / Jeff Lynne influence to them. ELO was my dad’s favorite band growing up. This album was inspired just as much by newer artists though like Tom Odell, Matt Maltese, the Lemon Twigs, and even Radiohead. I’ve loved Tom Odell’s music since I was about 14. He was one of the biggest reasons I fell in love with the piano. We wanted to make these songs as organic as we possibly could. With the whole AI conversation happening now, I felt like this was the best time to go in the exact opposite direction and make something that embraces our humanity to the fullest.  

The images that you have been sharing on your socials have also been fantastic.  Who are you wearing? And where did this idea come from?  

Grace: Well, for Kevin’s attire, it’s a culmination of a few different things. The pants were from a tux he had, the shirt is some no-name brand off of Amazon, but the vest is really the highlight. We found a costume shop on Etsy called Shrine of Hollywood, and they have a variety of beautiful, victorian-style vests, shirts, coats, and more. The shirt and vest had to be tailored to fit, but it really pulled everything together.  

For me, the dress is actually a vintage Gunne Sax dress. Kevin and I were performing at a vintage market, and one of my closest friends happened to be in attendance and purchased it for me as a gift. It was a big inspiration for the direction we wanted to go visually and having it in my wardrobe certainly solidified the ideas we had been playing with already. 

I know asking this is like “choosing a favorite child” (my parents liked my sister better), but do you have a favorite track?  I’ve heard a few snippets that you have teased on Instagram, and I am really liking ‘Golden Eyes’… and all of it really.  

Kevin: Thanks so much! It’s definitely a hard choice. Every song on this album is a banger (laughing). Right now, I think I’d say We Wake Together is my favorite because it might be the most personally impactful. Silhouette is fantastic though, I think it’s probably the catchiest song on the whole album. And Twenty Two means a lot to me because it’s the oldest song and really sums up our relationship and the album as a whole. 

Grace: Honestly, I also have such a difficult time choosing a favorite track. Silhouette definitely has the most “first-time listen appeal”, but The Three of Us is one I find myself having on repeat a lot longer than I initially think I do.   

What is next for Sweet Mylo?  I’ve heard there’s going to be a live show coming up where you will be playing the record in its entirety.  

We definitely want to push more live performances now that we’ve finished the album. So much time was spent in the studio pouring our hearts into these songs and they deserve to be played out! The album release show, as you mentioned, is April 30th at the beautiful Historic Stonewall property in Gallatin, TN. We actually took all of the album photos there. Josh will be joining us on bass for a three-piece band performance of the full album live for the first time! Special thanks to our friends at Sumner County Museum for making it possible. It’s going to be an amazing time. 

In the short-term though, we’re adding more members to our live band and are in the middle of booking more shows here in Nashville. We’re going to be a lot more active on social media and honestly just doing whatever we can to open new doors. We’re still 100% independent. No label, management, agent, or anything. So we’re taking things one day at a time. The journey for this album is just beginning though, that’s for sure. We have lots of plans. We’ve been back to writing again these past few weeks as well and honestly aren’t too far off from having a 2nd album ready for pre-production. 

Also, I’ll add… We may or may not be releasing MBM vinyl in the near future… So, lots to look forward to 🙂

From the bands Facebook Event Page: 

Join Sweet Mylo as they perform their new album ‘Melancholy Before Matrimony’ for the first time LIVE in Gallatin, TN on April 30th with support from Arily Michele! The performance will take place on the Historic Stonewall property where all of the album photos were taken. 

Doors: @7pm

Show: @7:30pm 

ALL AGES 

This is an OUTDOOR event. Please bring a lawn chair if you wish to sit. 

If we run into inclement weather, the show will be moved indoors. 

PARKING: Due to the limited parking on the property, we ask that you park in the Gallatin Parking Garage or any of the nearby street parking and walk to the venue. 

Parking Garage Address: 137 E Franklin St, Gallatin, TN 37066 

MELANCHOLY BEFORE MATRIMONY IS HERE: