Both Melody and Tyler have several years experience in playing and performing music. By some divine plan, they were joined little more than two years ago.
In his early music career, Tyler was a drummer in several bands (such as Blind Iris and Eggs Blackstone). Melody has been writing and performing her own songs, at coffee shops and church functions, since the age of 16. Because of these musical differences, Melody and Tyler seemed far from a perfect match but have blended smoother than peanut butter and honey.
Melody and Tyler met a few years ago at an open mic performance in Logan, UT. And while Tyler had toyed around with a guitar before, it had never been his instrument of choice. However, Melody's stirring vocals and haunting lyrics brought out the softer side of Tyler and he began playing the guitar and singing with her on her sets and his natural talent for playing the guitar was immediately obvious. As Melody and Tyler began performing with their new found union, it was hard to deny the chemistry, and the clarity.
Melody's love for writing music to accompany her lyrics stopped at guitar riffs and chords; she had learned just enough to play the basics and write. Tyler, with his natural ear and talent, began to improve and add to the musical accompaniment of Melody’s songs. With Tyler at her side, Melody’s songs were taken to the next level. And, Melody’s talent for songwriting prompted Tyler to begin writing his own songs, and performing solo.
The duo moved to Salt Lake City in October of 2007 and began expanding their dream from a once a month coffee shop performance in Logan, to a few nights a week in Salt Lake City with the hopes of building a reputation for being reliable and talented performers without egos. Performing on weeknights at places like Liquid Joes and Burt's Tiki Lounge, they worked up enough buzz to start playing weekends at several bars, clubs, and coffee shops. In the beginning, they continued to book the same venues over and over again, but did not play together as a duo. Instead, they played separately except a few songs that Tyler played with Melody. As time went on they would find themselves more like wine and cheese... better served together.
In May 2008, Melody and Tyler envisioned an idea (which has since been brought to fruition) that entailed bringing a group of purebred, local Utah, acoustic musicians together to play a festival. The festival was aptly named "The Acoustic All-Stars". This idea came about one night after seeing a local acoustic artist that had great talent but very few fans, they wanted to find a proper place for people like that artist, and themselves to showcase their talent and to expose the artists to new fans. They wanted a place where it was cool to play acoustic music. Where musicians could network with other musicians, and where acoustic musicians could be or even find a mentor. They began searching for a good venue, and in an almost beam of light, they found The Star Bar in Park City, Utah. The Line up was, Greg Downs, Muhaw, Swudgie, Parleys Drifters, Steven Swift, Matthew Hoffman, Thalia Condo, Jaremy Flygare, Jon Perry, James Shook, Timmy Pearce, Melody, Tyler Forsberg, and touring artist Rachel McGoye from California. Because of the unique nature of the festival, the AAS received a lot of press for its first year. Melody and Tyler were able to perform on Park City TV, had an article in The Park Record, and because of that, Melody was listed as an artist to watch in FlipSide Magazine. In August 2008, the premier performances of The Acoustic All-Stars Festival was underway. The first year was a great success, The Star Bar accepted Tyler, Melody, and a stellar lineup for a second year.
In March 2009 Melody released her solo artist Freshman Album "Finally," an LP of 5 songs, with 7 tracks (2 are live versions). Not to be outdone, Tyler has recorded his songs for release as well and they will be included on the next album.
Additionally, because they are both a little crazy and love a good challenge, Melody and Tyler successfully reached their goal of performing 100 shows in 2009. Since that 100 shows number doesn’t include open mics and private parties, they actually played more than 100 shows in 2009. A true feat for a duo who play music not because they get paid millions of dollars, but because they love it, which isn’t to say that they wouldn’t gladly play for millions of dollars, because they totally would.
Melody and Tyler have performed at such festivals as the Sugarhouse Arts Festival, Park Silly Sunday Market, Earth Jam, and the Utah State Fair. They have also shared the stage with acts such as J.R. Richards (Dishwalla), Cubworld, Joshua James, Benton Paul, and many many more. They are most certainly a duo to watch.
