Colin Patrick Henry Meloy (born October 5, 1974) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and author best known as the frontman of the Portland, Oregon, indie folk rock band The Decemberists. In addition to vocals, he performs with an acoustic guitar, 12-string acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bouzouki, harmonica and percussion instruments.\n', '

Meloy was born in Helena, Montana. He attended the University of Oregon in Eugene for two years, studying English and theatre. He then returned to Montana and studied creative writing at the University of Montana in Missoula, graduating in 1998.\n', '

While in high school, Meloy was in the band Happy Cactus, and when in college, in Missoula, he was the lead singer and songwriter for Tarkio. Both were indie/folk/alternative country bands. Soon after graduation, he left Tarkio and moved to Portland with the hope of establishing himself among the city\'s music scene. There, Meloy worked in a pizza parlor to pay rent while starting his musicianship anew by performing at various open mics, sometimes with no one listening except for the bartender. He later reflected in an interview with The Montanan that this experience helped to develop his musical style in the long run: "\'When I was in that position, with nobody to appeal to or scare away, I thought, \'I might as well do whatever I want to do\'...And that created a new thing.\'"\n', '

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