Sporting bonds formed in adolescence, hard rock band Ugly Melon’s members are riding all the highs of being an original act and how that creativity has spawned their newest work.

Lu Cachie has performed with the likes of Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and The Scorpions. But those instances — for all their glory — pale in comparison to the time he was on stage for the first time with Ugly Melon.

Touting itself as “a powerhouse melodic hard rock band that’s inspired by life’s raw and often unrelenting experiences,” Ugly Melon is made up of Cachie and his childhood friends, so the moment was a lifetime in the making.

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“It brought back such a great feeling,” says Cachie, the band’s lead guitarist. “We were all smiles, so excited, and so full of enthusiasm for the what we were doing. Even if the crowd at the sold out ‘Opera House’ didn’t like the music, we couldn’t care. We were together and that was a blast!” 

ED spoke with Cachie about mixing business and pleasure, tips picked up on the road, and the band’s single “You Want More.” 

ED: With Tony and Lu being childhood friends, did that make the business part of being in a band easier? Did you find your musical tastes had changed during your time apart?


CACHIE: The whole band have been friends since our teens. It really makes the business side of things easier. In business, there has to be trust, and we have a ton of it.

We are like brothers, and we all share the same vision. As far as musical tastes, it is amazing how aligned we all are. It’s one of the main reason this whole thing works, and it shows in the music. 

ED: Were you able to pick up any tricks or trades about the rock star life while on the road with Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, etc. What’s been the most useful advice?


CACHIE: Being on the road isn’t easy, you need to be very organized. It’s not easy to stay on top of everything that’s going on. You have to really be mindful of not just your own, but of everyone’s needs at every moment during the tour. The Scorpions tour manager and sound tech taught me that as I watched him at work. Talking with Bon Jovi he said, “Make sure everyone believes in what your doing and you’ll be OK”. He’s 100% right!

ED: It looks like you’ve been off the road since October so do you have anything planned as far as touring?


CACHIE: It’s not easy being an original act anywhere, and Toronto loves tribute bands as much as anywhere else. Venues need to sell beer, I get it. So I concentrate on booking a few select venues, and the rest of our focus is on marketing, and growing our audience world wide through the internet. We look forward to playing some spring and summer shows this year.

ED: You mentioned in an interview you don’t expect anything anymore-has that changed/liberated the music-creating process for you/Ugly Melon?


CACHIE: The music business is just that — a business, and that’s how we need to approach it. I don’t expect anything from anyone. 

You got to work your business and rewards will eventually come. You have to gain the trust of people and soon you’ll find your fans. Not everyone likes Corn Flakes but there’s a lot of people that do. This approach has given us the creative freedom to write music that we enjoy listening to. We hope others will like it too, but of they don’t, that’s OK. too.

We are like brothers, and we all share the same vision. As far as musical tastes, it is amazing how aligned we all are. It’s one of the main reason this whole thing works, and it shows in the music.

— Lu Cachie, Ugly Melon

ED: In the same interview you mentioned living the dream with this band so can you talk about balancing the dream of rock stardom with realities like parenthood, family life, etc?


CACHIE: When you really love something there’s no need to rest. You do what you have to do. I have the drive to make sure my family is happy, while still working on the music and promoting Ugly Melon. I get up everyday, and say ‘Let’s do this!’

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ED: With so many platforms to get your music out (like Reverb Nation), do you find it’s easier or harder to stand out?


CACHIE: Like Steven Tyler said, ‘Let the music do the talking’. The rest is easy. You can use one platform, as long as the songs are powerful. The fans will spread the news.

ED: StripjointsMusic.com services gentlemen’s clubs nationwide and gets music out to their DJs, so why would “You Want More” be a great song to get played at gentlemen’s clubs across the U.S.?


CACHIE: It’s pretty ironic that ‘You Want More’ is getting traction in strip clubs. The song is actually about the excesses in society. Sex, of course, being one of those excesses, or vices if you will. I understand how the lyric can be interpreted in the opposite direction, and any press is good press, but it’s pretty funny when you think about it. Maybe the DJs and the girls have the song figured out, and by playing it and performing to it, they are subtly giving everyone the finger.

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