Ko Melina
Encyclopedia
Ko Melina, also known as Ko Shih and Ko Melina-Zydeco, is a musician
and radio DJ from Detroit, Michigan.
, a rock n' roll hotspot in Detroit, Melina befriended scene fixtures like Jack White
and Steve Shaw from the Detroit Cobras. Shaw asked her to play bass for his new band the Breakdowns. With only childhood piano lessons under her belt, Melina taught herself bass. After hearing her cover Mary Wells's
“Bye Bye Baby
” with the Breakdowns, Long Gone John
of the record label Sympathy For The Record Industry
asked her to contribute to his Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit
compilation and so Ko & The Knockouts were formed with Steve Nawara and Jeff Klein. Eddie Baranek from the Sights later replaced Klein, and the band released a self-titled album on Sympathy For The Record Industry and toured Europe and the United States.
Ko later joined The Dirtbombs, replacing Tom Potter as "fuzz" bass player, though she later switched to a baritone guitar. Steven Van Zandt asked her to be a DJ for his Underground Garage show on SIRIUS Satellite Radio
after he heard the Ko & The Knockouts album
Ko was featured alongside fellow Dirtbomb Zach Weedon in the documentary on Detroit called 'Detroit Lives' by Palladium Boots for their website. In the documentary, Melina and Weedon accompany host Johnny Knoxville
on a tour of the abandoned Eastown Theatre, and offer other interview segments about Detroit.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and radio DJ from Detroit, Michigan.
Biography
A bartender at the Garden BowlGarden Bowl
The Garden Bowl is a bowling alley located at 4104-4120 Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. It is the oldest continuously operating bowling alley in the country. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.- History :...
, a rock n' roll hotspot in Detroit, Melina befriended scene fixtures like Jack White
Jack White (musician)
Jack White , often credited as Jack White III, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and occasional actor...
and Steve Shaw from the Detroit Cobras. Shaw asked her to play bass for his new band the Breakdowns. With only childhood piano lessons under her belt, Melina taught herself bass. After hearing her cover Mary Wells's
Mary Wells
Mary Esther Wells was an American singer who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s...
“Bye Bye Baby
Bye Bye Baby (Mary Wells song)
"Bye Bye Baby" is the first single by R&B singer Mary Wells, released in December 1960 on the Motown label. The song was one of Motown's earliest hit singles and showcased a much rougher vocal than the singer had during her later years.-Recording:...
” with the Breakdowns, Long Gone John
Long Gone John
Long Gone John is an American entrepreneur who is best known for his record label Sympathy for the Record Industry and his vinyl toy company Necessaries Toy Foundation. He lived in Long Beach, California for 30 years, but relocated to Olympia, Washington in 2007.-History:Long Gone John was born...
of the record label Sympathy For The Record Industry
Sympathy for the Record Industry
Sympathy for the Record Industry is a mainly independent garage rock and punk label formed in 1988 by record industry anti-mogul Long Gone John...
asked her to contribute to his Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit
Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit
Sympathetic Sounds of Detroit was a compilation album of American garage rock and punk bands from Detroit, released in 2001. Put together by Jack White of The White Stripes, it featured bands such as The Von Bondies, The Dirtbombs, and The Detroit Cobras...
compilation and so Ko & The Knockouts were formed with Steve Nawara and Jeff Klein. Eddie Baranek from the Sights later replaced Klein, and the band released a self-titled album on Sympathy For The Record Industry and toured Europe and the United States.
Ko later joined The Dirtbombs, replacing Tom Potter as "fuzz" bass player, though she later switched to a baritone guitar. Steven Van Zandt asked her to be a DJ for his Underground Garage show on SIRIUS Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
after he heard the Ko & The Knockouts album
Ko was featured alongside fellow Dirtbomb Zach Weedon in the documentary on Detroit called 'Detroit Lives' by Palladium Boots for their website. In the documentary, Melina and Weedon accompany host Johnny Knoxville
Johnny Knoxville
Philip John Clapp , better known by his stage name Johnny Knoxville, is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, stunt performer, best known for being the co-creator and principal star of the MTV reality series Jackass, with the catchphrase "I'm Johnny Knoxville, and welcome to Jackass."-Early...
on a tour of the abandoned Eastown Theatre, and offer other interview segments about Detroit.