SKHS’s New Band: Mona Mele
With the recent breakup of South Kingstown’s local band S. Walcott, lead singer Johnny Donnelly formed a new band, Mona Mele. The band includes singer Johnny Donnelly, drummer Brian Turcotte, Guitarist Daniel Boyd and Bassist Joe Mega.
The name “Mona Mele” stems from the Hawaiian term “Ocean Music,” which Turcotte said, connects to the band’s first song “about the ocean and surfing.”
The band’s debut occurred at South Kingstown High School’s first open-mic night on September 18th, 2015. After performing their three original songs, the band quickly grabbed the attention of students.
Senior William Considine said that the music was “really chill,” and fellow senior Ryan Kappler said that Mona Mele’s music had “good vibes all around.”
According to Turcotte, Mona Mele intends on playing gigs at different venues around Rhode Island and entering the WBRU Rock Hunt in the Spring of 2016. Until then, they plan on performing at South Kingstown High School’s upcoming open-mic nights and continuing to write and record original songs.
