Klevman, Melman, Lendl & The Almost Lost Tracks…
Klevman
Genres: R&B, Jazz, Gospel & Soul
Klevman’s Grand Debut
3 half brothers, known to this day only by their surnames, all hail from the aptly named town of Nothing, Arizona. Their shared matriarch, Angie “Big Boots” Klevman earned her fame as one of the world’s first female circus clowns during the early days of PT Barnum. As luck would have it she met the man who was to be Klevman’s father, while the circus was the opening act for the legendary rock group Grand Funk Railroad. Handsome and outgoing “Happy” Steve Klevman and Angie hit it off right away and somewhere between the laughter and the passionate nights, a baby Klevman made his grand debut.
Hap was a kind man, who used his job as the band’s main roadie to sneak his impressionable young son backstage so he could witness some of the best southern rock and roll performances of the day. Angie would often see the two of them spinning R&B records together until all hours of the morning; going through the liner notes and trying to figure out the chords on Hap’s vintage Gibson guitar. Tragically “Happy” Steve passed away when an unanchored stack of Marshall amps collapsed down upon him during Grand Funk Railroad’s farewell tour.
Klevman refuses to use Marshall products to this day.
Perhaps from this heartbreaking loss, young Klevman delved deeper into his music; practicing endlessly and honing his craft. In a matter of a few years after his father’s tragic passing, he began playing comfortably before live audiences, eventually earning his place as KML’s lead vocalist and front man.
His younger brothers Melman (who suffers from extreme shyness) and Lendl (with his chronic health issues) remained far in the background, equally uninterested in fame and notoriety. Indeed for all three of them, it was always about the music and leaving a bit of something good behind.
Melman
Genres: Country, Folk, Rock & Pop
Melman & His Country Roots
Angie, brokenhearted by the death of her first true love, sadly found herself seeking refuge in the bottle. As fate would have it, this led her to the complimentary bar at the annual Florida State Clown Convention where she became vulnerable to the advances of one Stanley Melman. Stanley, or “Stretch” as he was affectionately known, worked as a product tester and salesman for the Tallahassee Prophylactic Corporation, where he took great pride in overseeing the fit and finish for so many in the name of contraception. Luckily for us, Stanley forgot to bring his sample case on that particularly passionate evening and the result was the birth of Angie’s second son Melman.
Stanley also happened to have a great love of music, and would take young Melman to live screenings of the hit TV show Hee Haw. During these sales trips, the boy would witness some of the best pickin-and-a-grinnin of the day; no doubt influencing his lifelong fascination with classic country song writing.
Melman’s first real job was to work as an usher at the famed Marty Robbins Museum in lovely Wilcox, Arizona where he was privy to the rich history of one of Nashville’s finest alumni, deepening his love of the genre.
Lendl
Rude and inappropriate songs in all styles
The Unusual Arrival of Lendl
Unfortunately, Stanley’s passion extended beyond his love of music as he was caught galavanting with many of Hee Haw’s glamorous background singers. Angie finally had enough of these dalliances and filed for divorce just after Melman’s 12th birthday. Newly single and finding the physical demands of circus work too taxing, Angie began the husband hunt again. She soon caught the eye of colourful local promoter and raconteur, Ezbidiah Lendl. Little did Angie know that “Ezzy” was a pioneer in the early days of the adult film industry. By the time the romance had bloomed, she chose to overlook his shady occupation as he revealed himself to be a kind, loving and most importantly, loyal partner. Soon thereafter a baby Lendl was born and the third and final ingredient of Brothers Of Song came to pass.
In spite of his occupation, Ezzy proved to be a doting and loving father, and would often take his impressionable son to the dozens of smoky blues bars stretching from Poughkeepsie New York to Detroit City. This not only accounted for the boy’s deep musical connection, but sadly also for the development of his chronic emphysema.
It was speculated that being surrounded by the men and women employed in the pornographic film industry might explain Lendl’s later penchant for writing rude and inappropriate songs. Whatever the reason, his older brothers decided to stand by him through all his escapades… besides, Angie wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Tenuous Record Deal
By the 1990’s, the brothers had decided to combine their talents and began practicing religiously, performing at small venues wherever they could. This invaluable experience gave them the confidence to showcase as the opening act for the famed Ed Glarch Trio. Ed, keenly aware of their rare synergy, was proud to introduce the Brothers Of Song at his 1998 Glarch-o-phonic World Tour. The group was a smash hit, dazzling audiences with their musical diversity, and heartfelt song writing.
It was there that they caught the keen commercial ears of legendary record producer Schepp Sweatman, who landed them a record deal with Chicago’s Crucible Records; penning a three album contract with owner Tobias Beckincoff. Finally the brothers got a break and were on the way to sharing their music with the world.
Affairs, Betrayal And The Great Unraveling
Maybe it was Murphy’s Law, maybe it was sheer recklessness, or perhaps it was just the nature of the music business; Just as quickly as it came, their rise to success came crashing to a halt when the news broke.
Unbelievably Lendl, the band's most undisciplined member, decided to risk everything to make a romantic play for Tobias Beckincoff’s beautiful wife Dolores. When the news of the affair got out, a furious Beckincoff seized the master recordings and had security escort the bewildered brothers off the premises, vowing that their tracks would never see the light of day.
Phoenix From The Ashes
For the next 20 years, the brothers and Sweatman toiled away in relative obscurity, booking small venues and taking odd jobs for survival. A determined Sweatman however, refused to abandon his dream of releasing their important music to the world. Finally fate stepped in and Tobias Beckincoff passed from an untimely death, allowing Sweatman to negotiate directly with his widow for the release of the masters.
But Murphy’s Law wasn’t quite done yet. Delores still harboured resentment for the unrequited love of that long ago affair and only agreed to release the songs and any binding obligations under one highly unusual condition; that Lendl would not be entitled to the use of his own image and likeness’ in any form of media without her express permission.
Without any leverage and running out of fight and money, Sweatman had no choice but to present the flawed offer to the brothers. Just as the ink was drying on the contract, the adage “hell hath no fury” proved itself true. The bitter widow announced that a ‘mysterious’ fire had broken out at the studio and the masters were damaged.
So here we stand, with Sweatman devoted to the repair and remastering of the original tracks and the release of new material. With limited resources, Sweatman Records is only able to release 3 songs per month (one for each brother) over a symbolic 9 month timeframe. Entitled Welcome to Lonely, this triple album consisting of 27 songs, showcases each of the brother’s unique songwriting styles and their love of music and storytelling.
Against all odds, the brothers of song are determined to soldier on, hoping that this unique musical trilogy will offer up a bit of joy and connection, just when it might be needed the most. This is the saga of the Brothers Of Song.
This is Welcome to Lonely.
