I'd now like to introduce to you one of my favorite independent musicians,
Megan Bee.
Q: How long have you been performing music?
A: I had a solo in the school Christmas pageant when I was
in 1st grade. I was dressed as a penguin
and singing to help Santa remember who he was because he had gotten amnesia in
a sleigh accident.
Q: I know you didn't start out in music. Could you give us a
little of your background before you became a musician?
A: Yeah, went to college to study Ecotourism and focused on
teaching environmental education. I
interned as a naturalist one summer at Camp Oty’ Okwa in the Hocking Hills, and
I still teach there on occasion. The
schedule of the camp allowed me to have the winters off. One winter I went on a journey to work on organic
farms across the country. Eventually my
car broke down, I started backpacking, I found some great wilderness camping
areas, and I met some people around a campfire who were playing music under the
stars every night.
Q: What inspired you to be a musician?
A: Really that first trip across country did it for me. It was the joy of sharing music around the
campfire. I never had anything like that
growing up. It was a dream come true.
Q: Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
A: My best friend’s parents owned a bar in high school so we
spent a lot of time listening to jukebox classics: Fleetwood Mac, CCR, Merle
Haggard, etc. I use to always listen to Country Gold on Saturday night where I
found Lorretta Lyne, Patsy Cline, and Emmylou Harris. Now I tend towards folk/Americana artists:
John Prine, Steve Earl, Lucinda Williams, Iris Dement, Patty Griffin.
Q: Which of your original songs do you enjoy playing the
most? (Mine was always the Frog Song, by the way)
A: Thanks! It really
depends how I’m feeling and if I’m playing with other people. I like to play them all. Many times I enjoy
playing whatever song I’ve most recently written because it’s new.
Q: What about songs you like to cover?
A: “Who will save your soul” by Jewel, anything by John
Prine, and lots of old folk tunes that people will sing along with.
Q: I first encountered you at Wisteria Event Site during a
festival. Could you talk about some of the festivals you've played and your
experiences with them? I know you turned some heads at Nelsonville Music Fest
earlier this year, earning you a spot on Gladden House Sessions.
A: Yeah, Nelsonville was great. I love playing festivals because I get to be
outside. I love seeing communities come
together at a fest. People tend to slow
down and take their time.
Q: I heard you got to play right after
Jorma not too long
ago at
Fur Peace. How was that?
A: It was lovely! It
was outdoors during the Arts and Minds Festival. Jorma and all of the folks that run Fur Peace
are so laid back, kind, and welcoming.
Q: Do you have any venues you frequent the most?
A Donkey Coffee is my standby spot here in Athens. I love that back listening room. When I’m out
west in the winter I spend many Saturday nights at “The Range.”
Q: Do you have a favorite show you've ever played?
A: On my last tour across country I played a spontaneous
unplanned show to four naked people in a natural hotspring under an amazing sky
of stars in the middle of nowhere. I
just thought “Man, why can’t every show be just like this?” We were all just so
relaxed and had no expectations, worries, or other place to be except in that
moment.
Q: What all recordings have you produced, and how may they
be obtained?
A: I have 2 albums with my band Wormz and the Decomposers
“Little Birdie” and “Grow”. “Grow” is
online in all the regular places including my website
meganbeemusic.com. A couple songs from “Little Birdie” are up on
reverbnation.com/meganbee. Of course you
can always find my CDs at my shows.
Q: You fund your albums through Kickstarter? Can you talk
about that?
A: When I funded “Grow” two years ago I was absolutely
terrified to ask for help. It’s hard for
me to ask for help especially financially, but somehow I made it through. People backed me, and that was such an
encouragement. I’m coming around to
accepting that being an independent artist doesn’t mean I have to do everything
on my own. It just means that I have no
recording label to back me so I am dependent on my fans. I love this grassroots concept of supporting
music. I just ended a Kickstarter last
month for my new solo album. I had
asked other friends for advice, done more research, and felt much more
comfortable with the process. You can’t just create a project and hope it
succeeds. You have to work for it,
spread the word, keep everyone informed, ask for help, and promote it. In the end it was a great success, and I love
how the crowd funding gets lots of people involved and builds momentum around a
project.
Q: What are your current plans for your musical future? Any
upcoming releases or exciting shows?
A: I’m working on my new solo album “A Sense of Place” right
now out at
Peachfork Studio with Bernie Nau.
I’m so excited about the work we’ve already done. The album will be released sometime this
fall. I’ll be playing at the Paw Paw
Festival on Saturday September 12th. I’ll once again be migrating south and
west on a cross country tour later in the winter.
Q: I heard you've recently been enrolled in
Song School?
A: I just returned from my week long study at Rocky Mountain
Song School in Lyons, Colorado! What an
inspiration. There were 180 songwriters
and 30 instructors. The experience was
priceless. I took classes on harmony, rhythm,
directed writing, and children’s music. Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul, and Mary)
gave an amazingly moving talk about how music brings people together. Besides classes we all spent every night
playing music for each other. Connecting with other songwriters was the most
valuable part of the week.
