Meg Myers Opens Up - Best New Bands

Chicago – Every once and awhile you watch a sensational act, capable of sending a chill down your spine, and in that instant you know the artist is destined for fame. That is exactly what happened when I saw Meg Myers - and I am certainly not alone. Meg transfixed everyone at the recent New Music Seminar, including our NYC writer Liz Rowley, and she clearly impressed a few people over at Atlantic Records. After signing with the label in 2013, she released the EP Make A Shadow, which features the mind-blowing single “Desire,” produced by Doctor Rosen Rosen. Like her EP, Myers is tiny yet powerful; the petite rocker unleashes emotional lyrics with a mighty voice.

The LA-transplant grew up clinging to music during a sometimes rough childhood. She was raised a Jehovah’s Witness in the hills of Tennessee, before moving to Ohio after her parents divorced. Eventually her family settled in Florida, where Meg pretty much schooled herself while playing in a punk band with her brother, before moving to California. She’s lived out of her car, waited tables, and stretched pennies all for her love of music. Her experiences fuel her gritty lyrics, while her quirky personality charges intense stage performances. Back in April I wrote: “Meg is raw like PJ Harvey, with a powerful voice that sounds remarkably like a young Fiona Apple, but she holds a much darker edge with her mix of heavy rock and occasional screamo. Her facial expressions and piercing eyes reminded me of Joan Jett. Well, that and the fact that Miss Myers doesn’t seem to give a damn about her reputation either.” Meg is honest and straightforward, as I experienced first-hand during our recent interview. The twenty-seven year old opened up about her music, growing up in Florida, and what it’s like celebrating birthdays as a former Jehovah’s Witness.

Sarah Hess: Your EP Make A Shadow is fantastic! What inspired it?

Meg Myers: My previous EP Daughter In The Choir was about a bad relationship, but this EP is really scattered. Each song has different meanings. You know “Desire.” (laughs) It’s deeper than [sex]. There’s so much more there emotionally. Yes, it’s sexually heavy, but it’s also about being vulnerable and putting your feelings out there. “Make a Shadow” I wrote a year before. It’s… I don’t know. Can I show you my journal? (laughs)

SH: Let’s talk “Go.” What’s behind this song?

MM: I think maybe I was listening to Nirvana at the time we wrote it. We were messing around with different sounds and the melody just hit me. I actually thought nobody was going to like it, but Rosen was like, ‘You like it, so let’s roll with it.’

SH: Are you currently working on a full length?

MM: I am! We’re going to the studio today. We’re finishing up the writing process now. We are hoping to release it early next year.

SH: You recently toured with BROODS. How was that experience?

MM: Oh, I miss those guys. I became really good friends with everyone, but especially Georgia. I couldn’t imagine my first big tour being with better people!

SH: Have you been able to visit any friends and family while touring?

MM: I got to see my sister in Kansas City, which was one of our craziest shows. I have a really strong fan base there. It’s tough to see your family when you’re touring and working so much, but it’s nice when them you can because it’s comforting.

SH: Speaking of family, I read your mom took you out of school when you were around 13, and you did a lot of creating and exploring as a result. Did you and your siblings do home-school or were you just basically hanging out, causing trouble?

MM: My mom took me out when I was in sixth grade. We didn’t do well in public school. Then we moved down to Florida from Ohio with my mom and step-dad. We were home-schooled for a little bit, but you know they were really busy working, trying to support my three siblings and me. It was hard. We were really struggling [financially]. I never caused trouble, though. I don’t think. (chuckles)

SH: I also read that to this day, you’re not much on celebrating stuff, but now that you’re no longer a practicing Jehovah’s Witness, do you celebrate your birthday or are you still not down with that?

MM: Yeah, I celebrate everything now, but I am just like ‘eh, jeez’ because I grew up not doing it. It’s just such a hassle. I feel you don’t need a reason to buy people things. I sent my mom a gift like a week or so before her birthday. I didn’t say, ‘Happy birthday.’ Then her birthday came, and I didn’t send her anything. (laughs)

SH: I know you like to draw. Have you ever thought about mixing your visual art with your music, like say Young & Sick or Portugal. The Man do?

MM: Maybe I will one day. I did draw the heart we use [for a logo]. My drawings right now are just so opposite from what my music is. I like having that separate world, too. It’s nice to have creative outlets outside of my music. But we’ll see.

SH: You’ll be playing Lollapalooza this summer. Have you been to Lolla before? Are you going to sneak in some time to watch any bands?

MM: I’ve never been to Lollapalooza before. I’m excited. Outcast is playing! Hopefully I’ll have some time. With touring, it’s just like you’re in and then out. You pack up and hit the road.

Meg Myers will be hitting the road soon, playing Lollapalooza and a few other festivals this summer. Tour dates can be found on her facebook page. Do yourself a favor and check out this star in the making! You can purchase Make A Shadow on iTunes.

Photo credit: Catie Laffoon

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Sarah Hess

At the age of six, Sarah Hess discovered True Blue by Madonna. This resulted in her spending hours in front of the bathroom mirror with a hairbrush microphone, belting out "La Isla Bonita" off key. Her love for music only intensified over the years thanks to her parents; her mother exposed Sarah to The Jackson Five and had her hustling to the Bee Gees, while her father would play her albums like 'Pet Sounds' and 'Some Girls' from start to finish, during which he'd lecture on and on about the history of rock & roll. Sarah would eventually stumble upon rap and hip-hop, then punk and alternative, and fall madly in love with Jeff Buckley and film photography.

After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.

You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.