By Alexandrea Bailey
The DuOver is a charming cover band consisting of married couple Melonie and Carl Michael. The two are full of passion for music and harbor a deep love for their family. Getting to know them, they can easily be
described as some of the kindest people around.
If you’re lucky enough, or know where to look for good music, you might catch Melonie and her sister’s band, Sweet Trouble, at the Quarter Deck, located inside the Isla Grand. They play there twice a year for three
weeks.
Years ago, Sweet Trouble was on the search for a new bass player. Their search led them to a jam session in Sedelia, Missouri, Carl’s hometown. There, they met and hired Carl, along with a friend of his, but Carl
wasn’t playing the bass for them. He took on the drums and sometimes guitar. Sweet Trouble did end up finding their bass player, but that’s not what this story is about.
They spent 2009 playing at casinos and other gigs all over the United States. The road was their home, as they toured for about three weeks every month. While on this journey, Michael and Melonie formed quite the friendship, which ended up blossoming into something much more.
“It was just always right,” said Melonie. “When it’s right, it’s easy.”
In February 2011, the two married each other on the beaches of South Padre Island. It was a Monday, their day off.
Melonie has three great loves, her family, music and gymnastics. In 2013, she and Carl left the road behind because her then eight-year-old son, Joesph, wanted to follow in his mom’s gymnastic footsteps. Melonie
was even offered a coaching job at her son’s school, so they settled down for a time in Missouri.
“We decided to stay home and do real jobs,” Melonie laughed.
While Melonie coached gymnastics, Carl welded. They lived an honest American life, keeping their family afloat. Still, musicians at heart, they spent their weekends jamming. They had band called Hootenanny.
During this time, an amazing surprise came along for the husband and wife, their now 10-year-old daughter, Mikki.
It was always their plan to move to South Padre Island and play music full-time as a duo once Joesph graduated. He ended up becoming a welder, like Carl.
They made their island dreams come true two and a half years ago, and formed their band: The DuOver.
One of the reasons they decided on SPI as their forever home was Melonie’s health struggles. She was diagnosed with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy. Melonie says the effects of this are extremely painful, but she
always felt good when she was on the Island. She saw amazing improvements in her physical well-being once they moved here.
“We love living here. We love the weather. We love the beach,” said Melonie.
“We love the people,” added Carl, with Melonie in earnest agreement.
Melonie describes her life on the Island as blessed. She and Carl are especially appreciative of the members of the local music scene.
“Everybody seems to stick together,” said Melonie. “The Island’s just like family.”
Aside from performing live, one of Carl’s musical talents is songwriting. He says he’s written somewhere between 20 and 50 songs and tries to record at least one a month. When he records the songs, he plays each
instrument by himself.
“We don’t pay for our tracks. He records every single note,” said Melonie.
“When I do it, I have to go into it whole-heartedly, because it’s going to take me a minute,” added Carl. “I like em’ all. They’re all like my kids.”
His favorite original is Life After Last Call, available on iTunes, as well as Melonie’s favorite, Heads or Taillights.
Their duet, Heads or Taillights is based on a true story, according to the two.
“We were trying to decide if we wanted to go to Arizona or come here,” explained Melonie.
“It’s about getting in a car and flipping a coin,” added Carl.
But Carl is not the only songwriter in the duo. Melonie and her sister recorded a couple of albums in Nashville. One of her favorite tracks from these albums is Eight Second Thrill, number one in Europe for
eight weeks but never released in the U.S.
They will play some of their originals live if requested but their mainly unchanging sets consist of “what people know,” as Melonie puts it. She says it’s more fun for their audiences.
Carl says his favorite artists to cover are Lynard Skynyrd, Johnny Cash and the Allman Brothers, where Melonie’s favs are Motown, Heart and Prince.
“We do a little bit of everything,” said Melonie.
“We are all over the place,” added Carl, laughing.
This winter, The DuOver will be playing five nights a week. You can find their schedule on their facebook page where they regularly post updates. They can often be found at Laguna BOBs, Barry’s Beach Bar, Bar
Louie and Cigar Bar.
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