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October 13, 2024 30 mins
We’re proud to share a handful of recent interviews from our guests. THE GRIND is dedicated to exceptional conversation, and will always go above and beyond to make sure you have a platform to tell your story. If you’ve had experience you want to share with with us, please get in touch - we’d love to hear it. Website: www.thegrind.online Host: @djretro1990 (on social media platforms)

Host: DJ RETRO
Instagram: @DJRETRO1990
The Grind Instagram: @thegrindlv
Guest: Melisa Cervantes

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Transcript

Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Stop right there, no need to keep surfing the net.
You are now at ted until your favor for seepy
podcast The Grind on pc G LLC Media Media. All right,
once again, thanks for joining us here on the Grind.
I'm the host DJ Retro. As always, we have a

(00:20):
special guest that's going to join us tonight, and they're
all special guests, right because they all have something to
offer and to teach us about in their respective industries
and what they do. Tonight. The person that's joining us
tonight man dedicated chef artist here in Las Vegas, Lake

(00:41):
Las Vegas. We have the one, the only Melissa Sir fantees.
How you doing today?

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Why that's going on? Man?

Speaker 1 (00:53):
I know, before the pre show, we had a little
bit of time to talk and we had a little
bit conversation and we saved a lot of it because
we want to chop it up on the other half.

Speaker 2 (01:04):
Right, definitely, definitely, it was getting good.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
It was getting good. We had to stop before a
second so we could kind of chill out and hate
save some stuff for the show. But first of all,
I really appreciate you being here taking time out out
of your day. I know you're busy, and joining us
here tonight to record this call. So once again, the
show was called The Grind DJ Retro wwwdgrind dot online.

(01:32):
And first and foremost, I like for Melissa to take
it over at this point and to introduce yourself. So
you got it all.

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Right, Oh well, movisa here. So Las Vegas Local now,
just like you said, chef artist, singer, upcoming artists. So
I got a lot of things going on right now,
so hopefully you know, the most importantly is just getting

(02:01):
out there and trying to get seen and noticed and
you know, getting the list of music scene here. So
I'm really excited for that.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Yeah, yeah, really applaud that. So you know, we've talked before,
you know, we've text back and forth, and the one
thing that we both have in common is that we
want to help each other in any way that we
possibly can, because we're both in the second boat too,
So being in DJ, trying to get my name out

(02:30):
there as well then be exposed to more folks is
the goal. So it is you know, and everything that
you do, so I really appreciate that. So we talked
about music and arts, and I know you will appreciate
this conversation we're about to go into Oh yeah, because

(02:51):
you are an artist, and first thing I would like
to ask you is your medium of art? What do
you specializing? I'm an artist as well. I do things,
so the graphic arts where you like to be on
a computer. Are you watercolors, pain pastels? What are you

(03:11):
working in? What's your meeting?

Speaker 2 (03:14):
So it is acrylics and oil. I do a lot
of you know, painting on canvases. I also do a
lot of digital art as well. I kind of started
off there doing my thing, but honestly letting my creativeness flow.
It's more on a paint brush and you know, onto

(03:36):
a canvas and what I can create, you know what.
It all depends on what's going on through my mind
at the moment, how I'm feeling.

Speaker 1 (03:43):
Sure.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
So a lot of the background on that is, you know,
a lot of my art really is influenced on my
background and my culture. I am Mexican Italian and American
Native Indian, and a lot of art is really deep

(04:05):
in my blood. I got a lot of artists in
my family and then the music as well. I was
born and raised in a gospel family in a preacher's home.
My grandfather was the pastor, and that's kind of where
I grew up how I learned how to sing. Honestly,

(04:27):
I got a big family on my mom's side, and
it was all based off of my grandmother who, out
of nine children, she formed, you know, a little choir
and they would all sing, you know, at the church.
And then by the time they all grew up, you
know and had their own kids, then us kids joined

(04:48):
the choir, but myself in particular, once I became a teenager,
you know, my family really noticed, you know, this singing
was heavy on me, and then the art to the
painting and all that, and they were really you know,
fascinated by you know, my talents and what it was

(05:12):
that that I had and how I carried myself and
what I was really interested in. So, you know, one
thing led to another. I was actually became the choir
directors from my family's choir. And you know, listening to

(05:34):
Yolanda Adams BBCC lining you know, rand Salinas.

Speaker 1 (05:44):
Away within the past couple of years, I.

Speaker 2 (05:47):
Had to say that because he's he's deep in the family.
And then most of all, you know, as grandkids, you know,
like Kirk Franklin and all that. So it was. It
was just a love man a past and I loved.
And then my dad, my dad is a is a
musical engineer, so he really brought in the music, you know,

(06:11):
even the industry more into my life. Being around that
twenty four to seven, which is crazy, I had a
really interesting childhood.

Speaker 1 (06:23):
Yeah, he had a lot of influence growing up as
far as music from all different.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
Sides, tons, tons, tons, and then the chefs park. You
know my grandmother she actually owned three restaurants, Mexican restaurants.

Speaker 1 (06:39):
Wow.

Speaker 2 (06:40):
Yeah, so that's where all that came from. So I
had no choice but to learn how to sing, be cook,
and and be an artist. You know. So I think
I think, you know, and then you know, just growing
up and then you know, dealing with things in life
and then having to find an escape. Uh. The singing

(07:04):
and the art really uh took me to places how
I can escape and where I wanted to go. But honestly, though,
it became more and more of a passion and a
desire to actually really do something with it until I
became an adult. And it was it was about five

(07:30):
years ago. I think I had moved from California where
I'm from, and then I moved to Arizona, where I
met some really interesting, cool, cool friends that were actually djings.
And you know, we were all just hanging out one
night in the studio and you know, they're playing their

(07:53):
their little sound sessions and stuff and their mixtapes and
all that, and then I started singing, and then their
trip not because they had no idea this thing.

Speaker 1 (08:06):
I'm gonna let the I'm gonna pause there for a
second because I have to interject this. Right. So when
we were, you know, chexting, we just met and we
just like, oh my god, music and arts, which we're
still gonna do and I need your help on that, okay.
So we want to put together music and arts. That's

(08:26):
the first thing we were talking about. How can we
display all these fabulous artists that are in the area
and make it some kind of big venue and we'll
figure it out. But when you said you sing, and
I'm like, okay, send it over you sent it to
I was like beautiful. I was like, beautiful voice, so soulful, right,

(08:50):
So where's where's the soul come from? Like you know
what I mean, It's like, you can't teach soul.

Speaker 2 (08:59):
So I think of back, Yeah, Okay, I'll take you
there right now.

Speaker 1 (09:05):
Alright, all right, I'm listening.

Speaker 2 (09:09):
Nineteen ninety four, I found Mary G Blige All My
Life CD or tan it was the tap And this
was actually my first encounter with R and B okay
and and even before then, like I would listen to uh, man,

(09:34):
what's your name? Sure I forgot her name, but anyway,
so that moment right there, it was like, what, like
this girls down, like she has so much soul and
so much feeling and so much emotion. And then after
that I got into Erica Badoom, when I got into

(09:57):
another dude named Balao Yellow Below, and then music Soul
Child of course, and then I got more into like
hip hop like.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
Jay Della who else?

Speaker 2 (10:14):
Man, It was just it was just a life turning
event for me. From the gospel and then going into
R and B and then soul like Stevie Wonder and
then you know, and then I it was just music.

Speaker 1 (10:36):
You know.

Speaker 2 (10:37):
I was always searching for something that really excited me
and whatever grabbed my attention, you know, I wanted to
listen to that specific song that introduced me to them,
and then after that, like I wanted to listen to
every other song by them, and and I still do

(10:58):
that till this day, Like even to a new artist,
you know that I listened to. If I hear a song,
you know, on the radio or something or on Pandora
whatever or Apple Tunes, whatever, I want to hear you know.

Speaker 1 (11:12):
The whole album.

Speaker 2 (11:13):
From that, from that record, from that song, you know,
and I want to field you know, their whole vibes,
not just that particular song on who they are and
how they came out to be, because you know that
was awesome, but imagine the whole album and what it
must really be. So that's that's how I feel, honestly,

(11:35):
you know, for myself, event you know, working on songs
right now, you know what I'm what I'm doing right now,
but really trying to tell my story and who I am,
you know, because that's all part of it too, you know,
being an artist and you know, being a songwriter. You know,

(11:55):
it's just trying to let people know who you are
and what it is that you're trying to show them.
You know it is. It is very emotional for me
and very personal for me, you know, and I think
that's why it's taken me so long to really pursue this,

(12:16):
But now now I just feel like it's my time
and it's my moment and people are really hearing me
now and the looks that I'm getting like day and
I'm like, I can't believe I'm doing that that's coming
out of me.

Speaker 1 (12:33):
But yes, and I defintely believes that there is a
time and a place for all of us to flourish,
right So right there's you know, sometimes we try to
and I can say this for myself, I try to
make things happen when I'm younger and I'm shaking and
moving and I'm trying to do stuff and it's just

(12:53):
not my time. But I feel like, right now it's
my time for growth, it's my time from learning, and
it's my time to connect with people that are moving
in the same direction. So I'm going to embrace that
right now because I think before, when I was younger,
I really wasn't in the right mindset, right right, So that's.

Speaker 2 (13:16):
Going it is, it really is. I don't think that
I would have been able to tell my story, you know,
not even a year ago, like how I want to
tell it now, you know, or or share things because
you know, even even meeting people and talking people. It's
a very personal thing to me because I love people,

(13:37):
I really do. Sure, Yeah, I love the vibes and
the connection, you know, and I just I'm a whole
personality honestly, Like I'll come up to you and hang
out with you, and I want to get to know
you and I want you to get to know me
right right, so you know, uh now, no, I think

(14:01):
I think that's where I'm at honestly.

Speaker 1 (14:05):
Mm hmmm. And there's nothing wrong with that, and I'm glad.
I remember when we first met, when you actually came
out to the uh. I was at the Speak Easy right,
and I was like, well, I'll be here on Saturday nights.
You came through, you stopped and listen to the music,
You came up and say, hey here I am. I
say hey, but looks how you doing?

Speaker 2 (14:23):
You know?

Speaker 1 (14:24):
You kind of introduce yourself then and out to me,
that was like that was dope, you know what I'm saying,
because it's like, you know, a lot of folks say that, hey,
I'll be there, you know, I'll be in the crowd,
but you actually it's like, no, I've been over here,
I'm chilling, I'm here tonight, I'm here with family, right,
and you took in the set, so you know, nineties

(14:45):
and hip hop and RP. So that's what we do.

Speaker 2 (14:47):
So yeah, I loved it. I love it. Now I
hear you every knowing this too, so I love it. Honestly,
you're my favorite. I hear.

Speaker 1 (15:00):
Thank you. I appreciate it. I appreciate it. But then
that goes back to you know, I think the one
thing that we both shared the appreciation, the appreciation of
hip hop and R and B, right, and music in general.
I'm just not a DJ that just plays it so
you can get on the floor, just dance, and I
go down the line and I play the top forty right.

Speaker 2 (15:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (15:22):
I like to make the music take you on a journey.
And I hope that everybody else here here's it and
that relays in my mixes and what I'm doing. So
hopefully that's the message that they get. So we'll see you.

Speaker 2 (15:38):
Know, well, I just got it. I get it, and
I hear you, I.

Speaker 1 (15:43):
See you, I see you, thank you, thank you, thank
you for sure. Now I wanted to ask you, and
I know that you're working on some commission pieces, right, yeah,
are you able to talk about those? Because I know
sometimes clients don't want you talking about, but what you

(16:06):
can talk about? Can you tell me what you're working
on a little bit?

Speaker 2 (16:11):
Okay, So right now I am doing a portrait on
a good friend of mine, actually my boss at work.
She's actually bought a few pieces for me. That's just
one of them. Another friend is also asking me to

(16:32):
do a pinion of some floral modern floral, you know,
kind of abstract looking kind of piece, you know, and
kind of just putting their input and my input on things.
And then another piece I'm doing is actually a mural
I'm gonna start doing out here at a cafe that's

(16:56):
just in the works right now. So murals and stuff
like that is really something that I really love to
do because it's all, you know, free free form. You know,
you're in the spot. You're bringing attention not only to
yourself into your art, but to the location you know
that you're doing as well, which is really cool. But

(17:21):
a lot of you know, quotes and personal friends and
then even you know, I really do, I really do
have to hype up my box because she's probably bought
about five pieces from me already.

Speaker 1 (17:33):
Like them. Thank you, I really do, I do, I
do so being an artist, I can really slow with them.

Speaker 2 (17:39):
Yeah, thank you a lot of all. Honestly, though all
of my my artwork has a piece of meat, and
I'm not I mean, I'm sure all of me, but
there really is actually a little piece of meat in
there that you know, you can kind of see, and
there's a little handsome that you'll see every now and then,
but that you know. Sometimes when I get requests, you know,

(18:04):
the best thing that I can get from someone is
just do what you want, honestly, just go go with it,
do it, do what you want, feel, feel it, you know,
and see how it is. I trust you, you know,
and that just gives me, you know, the leisure of

(18:25):
having everything open for me because you know, and I
don't mind, you know, request on certain things, and you know,
and portraits too, you know, of people. You know, I
know there's some challenges there that can be but you know,
I really try to get in tune with someone and

(18:46):
I'm already like that, you know, on a personal vibe,
character way. But painting, you know, and trying to get
everything on a canvas and really hoping in the end
it really looks like you It's tricky, but at the
same time I've exceeded. Otherwise I won't have people interested

(19:09):
in asking.

Speaker 1 (19:12):
You're doing a beautiful job though. You have a great
collection right now from what I've seen, And are those
pieces still available for sale?

Speaker 2 (19:24):
Oh? I got honestly, I got two of them.

Speaker 1 (19:28):
Okay, do you have U? Do you have a website
an Instagram anywhere where people can go to see your pieces?

Speaker 2 (19:38):
Mm? So you can go either on Facebook Melissa Stavanti's
or you can go on my Instagram at the Instagram
Melissa Stervante's eighty six not to me on there, so
you will a lot of a lot of the times,

(19:59):
I really do try to go live when I am
painting and or I'm doing a video, I'm doing some
kind of promotions for myself, just trying to get it
out there and to show people, you know, what it
is that I can do. And plus the location, you know,
where I'm at, I'm always trying to hide myself up

(20:19):
and trying to put myself in a vibe. So wherever
I'm at it's really nice and pretty. I mean, you know,
look look where we're.

Speaker 3 (20:26):
At, you know, yeah, yeah the lake, you got the
most beautiful scenery behind you, and yeah, we couldn't ask
for anything more, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (20:41):
Mmm, blessed definitely.

Speaker 1 (20:44):
Okay. So the great thing I love about this, Melissa
is that let's see your triple threat. So we talked
about the singing, talked about what you can do on canvas.
Love it right, Yeah, but I want to pause there
real quick. What's your favorite dish to create?

Speaker 4 (21:07):
Oh?

Speaker 2 (21:08):
Okay, so okay, my go to I would have to say,
this is on my baby and my daughter, she's eight
years old. Her name's Leah. She loves this dish that
I do with chicken cutlets, just bread and chicken cutlets,
and you know, I fry it up and I make
this beautiful basil lemon sauce that I mother on top

(21:33):
of it. It's mouth watering and it's really yummy. It's
it's divine, honestly, and it's it's the number one hit
you know with the family. It's home, it's comforting, you're full,
but you want to eat more and it's just really
good and delicious.

Speaker 1 (21:50):
So you know, I know, take it. You know what
maybe we need to do, like maybe we need to
do like alive when you're like making it and then
we can do a taste test. I think that'll be dope.

(22:12):
All right, we got it, We got all right. So
we're all I think music moves everybody doesn't matter what genre, right,
like we all love music doesn't matter. So this is
the part of the segment where I like to go
into it and say, okay, bet, all right, what is

(22:34):
your top five, no matter what genre, songs or artists
that you like to go to when you're in a
move m.

Speaker 2 (22:47):
Go okay, okay, I'll give it to you, all right, Okay,
so Missago, he's done. Mm hmm.

Speaker 1 (23:02):
You know we always love to learn about new artists, right.

Speaker 2 (23:05):
Okay, So I don't know if you heard of uh
huh that's what it is. Mm hm. Of course love
her always.

Speaker 1 (23:19):
Yeah yeah, yeah, she'd be killing it, she does.

Speaker 2 (23:26):
Man, oh man, I'm just sorry. Oh okay, I could
do something recent. There's this new trick. Her name is
snow Alegra.

Speaker 1 (23:37):
Oh I love snow Alegra. So that's okay, so one
two three, that's her third Okay, snow Allgtra. She'd be
killing it, man.

Speaker 2 (23:46):
Well she's well the whole cover of Stephen Wonder that
she did was really awesome too. Yeah, okay, So I'm
I'm I'm gonna twist this up for you. There's this
new French artist I'm probably not new, but new to me.
His name is Yamy. Okay, check him out. He's friends okay, okay,
and he has the song out called the Pekane a

(24:09):
color show afore that to you. But it's dope, Okay,
it's pretty dope.

Speaker 1 (24:14):
The vibes are cool, all right, so you you text
that to me? So I got that will so well.

Speaker 2 (24:23):
And then theast.

Speaker 1 (24:24):
Okay, that's four, so you got one more. Now you
got one more, so you gotta make this one cout
Top five, top five.

Speaker 2 (24:32):
Okay. You know what, I think, I'm gonna go old school.
Let's put some hip hop on a tribe called Quest.

Speaker 1 (24:41):
Tribe called Quest.

Speaker 5 (24:42):
Oh my god, that's what I'm talking about.

Speaker 1 (24:53):
Life dog, Rest in peace, life dog.

Speaker 2 (24:57):
I'm very selectic. I'm sorry.

Speaker 1 (25:00):
Yeah, yeah, you know, you know hip hop. I think
we talked about this hip hop nineties R and B.
That was a special era for me. Yeah, I don't
know what it is like my mom really really, it's

(25:20):
my time to share it to you too, right, So,
so my mom really made sure we knew about every
genre of music. So growing up, it's not like I
only listened to one. I listened to Mozart, to Elo,
to Barry Manilo, to the Temptations, to Daryl Hall and
John Oates, onto everything else, right, right, So my appreciation

(25:48):
for music is very vast, right So, but it's just
something where you find that one that one vibe and
that one song and that group you really gravitate to.
And I think trib Call Quest has really sustained its

(26:08):
longevity and time the way they really put things together
back then. So everything that they say in that song
and all their albums are really relevant to today. And
I think that anything that makes anything timeless at the
era that they created, it is still relevant to the
error in which we live exactly. And that's that's Trip Callway.

(26:34):
Mm hmm, yeah, just my opinion.

Speaker 2 (26:39):
I love it.

Speaker 1 (26:41):
I disagree.

Speaker 2 (26:43):
Nope, I back you up.

Speaker 1 (26:47):
Thank girl, I got thanks for having back, but man
oh man for once again the show is coming to
a close. We've reached that time and once again that's
a servante artist, right, singer, vocalist, chef, multiple talents. Thanks

(27:09):
for joining us. So I really appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (27:11):
Thank you for having me. It's been great.

Speaker 1 (27:15):
Before we get out of here, where once again, where
can people find you? Where can they follow you? If
they have any requests for commission pieces or to book you? Yeah,
let them know where they can find.

Speaker 2 (27:27):
You know already so you can find me on Facebook,
Melissa Servants, Instagram, Melissa Servants eighty six. Those two right now.
Honestly I do alser, but we'll go another time. Good
Instagram Instagram mainly though, it's that right there, So just

(27:51):
hit me up on there and then I'll message you
back and you know whatever that you're interested in.

Speaker 1 (28:00):
Any last shout outs you want to give to anybody?
We do? We like doing an old school here.

Speaker 2 (28:05):
You'd like to give anybody's shout out to my mama?

Speaker 1 (28:10):
Shout out? You want to shout out? Do you want
shout out your mama outside?

Speaker 2 (28:14):
To my mom marrying my daddy Timothy hollibu u yam,
I want to shout out to Reno the.

Speaker 1 (28:22):
Lago there you go there, we'll.

Speaker 2 (28:25):
Shout out to the pub. What else? Uh soesa? Oh?
And then of course my job, hey dress, the drink dress,
the drink dress, the drink drink.

Speaker 1 (28:42):
Okay, now we now we got now we got to
do a clip because this is a clip that I
use in mixes. What would you say shouting out to
DJ Retro.

Speaker 2 (28:51):
Go, shout out to DJ Retrat.

Speaker 1 (28:57):
There you go, and I'm gonna have that. That's the
bee in one of my plugs and I'm doing mixes Melissia,
Sir fantast, thank you for joining us tonight. Thank you
real thanks you make your time for us. I appreciate
it here on the ground.

Speaker 2 (29:10):
Love it, love it the hardest DJ the DJ DJ Redro.

Speaker 4 (29:18):
Okay, I'm being on and down. I'm trying to make
a chat in my.

Speaker 5 (29:21):
Way street that when I competing at me one of my.

Speaker 1 (29:23):
Teas, don't we say they that way?

Speaker 2 (29:25):
So they got nothing better?

Speaker 4 (29:26):
How they can because that's not gonna shine my heart.
Don't not how they.

Speaker 1 (29:30):
Get the win?

Speaker 4 (29:30):
You Pappy by you and I don't even listen. Who
joing the fix on the guys?

Speaker 1 (29:34):
I mean a nurse.

Speaker 4 (29:35):
Okay to please and.

Speaker 1 (29:36):
I'm not going from the world. Be many thanks go Let.

Speaker 4 (29:39):
Another one you give me if you want to be
trouble shot me. Ain't nobody that can do it better
than your story, pat and the puri you got but
love because I believe the glowing.

Speaker 1 (29:48):
As because bet out of trumper, Trumper
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