Megan Lane

Artist Information

Biography

Lane is currently in the writing and pre-production stages for her next album, set to be released in 2013.

Performing since the age of 12, Megan Lane fills the gaps between blues, jazz, rock, and soul with fierce passion. Now 24 years of age Lane is an experienced song-writer, performer, and producer, Lane is touring her latest album Bow and Drill the Spark (2009). With this release Lane showcases an incredibly diverse style that is both sensitive and provocative. Igniting her audience from the first note, Lane has shared the stage with Colin James, Buffy St. Marie, and many others.
Lane’s distinct voice moves back and forth between a deep dark growl and the breaking point of an aching cry, and her weeping guitar is anything but gentle. Her music resonates with the intensity and wisdom of someone who knows how to make fire from friction, and it leaves a burning mark.
Her second album Wrapped in Plastic (2006) extended the totally unique blues/rock trajectory laid down in Purple and Blue (2004), a debut nominated for Outstanding Blues recording by the Western Canadian Music Awards. Winning awards and grants from the Saskatchewan Arts Board and Rawlco Radio, Lane’s recordings have received national airplay on the CBC and Rawlco Radio. Her performances have been nationally broadcast on CBC television and CTV’s “Good Morning Canada.” Along with bandmates Kyle Krysa (drums) and Gent Laird (bass), Lane has performed across the country, including at the Calgary International Blues Festival (2007) and the Sasktel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival (2008, 2006, 2005, 2004).
----Performance Highlights----
Attended private invitational dinner party at 24 Sussex Drive, 2011
-During the Prairie Scene Music Festival in May 2011, Lane was one of a select few artists invited to a dinner party by Stephen and Laureen Harper. The purpose of this invitation was to thank Lane for performing in the nation’s capital.

Women of Blues Showcase at Library Archives Canada, 2011
- Other artists who performed at this showcase included Canadian blues greats; Little Miss Higgins, Suzie Vinnick and Romi Mayes.
- This showcase was performed to a sold out crowd including guest of honour, Laureen Harper.

Vancouver Olympics Performances, 2010
- Lane was invited to represent Saskatchewan at the 2010 Olympics, where she performed several showcases at the Saskatchewan Pavilion during the games.

The Lieutenant Governor’s Centennial Gala, Saskatoon, SK, 2005
- Lane performed for 13,000 spectators and guests of Honour; Queen Elizabeth II and Joni Mitchell. Lane met both of the guests of honour after her performances at the gala.
- nationally broadcast on CBC television.
- “The medley tribute to Joni Mitchell, arguably our most famous ex-pat, was terrific . . . especially Lane's steaming hot version of 'Woodstock''” Joanne Paulson The StarPhoenix
- performed with artists such as, Collin James, Buffy Saint-Marie, Brent Butt, Leslie Neilson and more.

Parliament Hill Canada Celebration, Tribute to Joni Mitchell, Ottawa, ON, 2005
- Lane performed for an audience of roughly 16,000 people including guest of honour, Paul Martin. Lane met Prime Minister Martin following her performance.
- Nationally broadcast on CBC television.
- Other musicians on the bill included: Fiest, Measha Brueggergosman, and Jeremy Fisher (Fisher also played second guitar during Lane’s performance).

Canada Summer Games, Regina, SK, 2005
- nationally broadcast on CBC television
- performed a version of “Running Back to Saskatoon” with Jack Semple, Chris Craig, and Dan Siljer

Instrumentation

Megan Lane - Guitar and Vocals
Kyle Krysa (Grant MacEwan graduate, 2008) - Drums
Gent Laird (Grant MacEwan graduate, 2007) - Bass Guitar

Discography

Bow and Drill the Spark , 2009
Wrapped in Plastic, 2006
Purple and Blue, 2004

Details:
AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS

Saskatchewan Arts Board Grant recipient for Bow and Drill The Spark, 2009
Rawlco Radio Grant recipient for partial funding of Wrapped In Plastic, 2006
Commemorative Medal for the Centennial of Saskatchewan awarded by Lieutenant Governor Dr. Lynda Haverstock , 2005
- this medal recognized individuals who have made significant contributions to society and honours their outstanding achievements.
Western Canadian Music Awards Nominee “Outstanding Blues Recording" for Purple and Blue, 2004

Links

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Official Site
• MySpace

Audio

• Also Sad (I Loved You Too)
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• Peeping Tom
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• Vancouver
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• Your Air
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• Don't Be Ridiculous
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• Moving on...
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• Dollar Signs
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• Just Like Me - by Megan Lane from the album "Purple and Blue"
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• Hey Joe - written by Jimi Hendrix and Performed by Megan Lane in 2004 at The Sasktel Jazz Festival. Recorded by CBC Radio Saskatchewan
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Just Like Me
• Vancouver

Video

Megan Lane live @ The Lyric P1

Photo Gallery

Press

• MEGAN LANE tele-toting blues-rocker brings her sound to town [+ Show ]
  

  MEGAN LANE tele-toting blues-rocker brings her sound to town By Lindsay Wilson For Megan Lane...MEGAN LANE
  tele-toting blues-rocker brings her sound to town
  By Lindsay Wilson
  
  
  For Megan Lane, pre-teen days spent perched at the edge of her bed learning Jimi Hendrix riffs on her guitar were certainly not spent in vain. Years later, Lane has worked her way up the ropes and is now recognized among the pros as a soulful vocalist who sports a mean axe (which would be a G & L Asat Classic) and an agglomeration of solid, original material.??
  
  It’s a long way since the all-ages jam at Bud’s on Broadway, the Saskatoon’s blues bar where Lane began to play live by age eleven.??
  
  “I’ve been obsessed with music from a very young age. When I was a toddler my parents would put the Rolling Stones on the ghetto blaster and I would essentially use it as a pillow. I always wanted to listen to music, and loudly,” says Lane.??
  
  Somewhere along the path of musical education, playing music loudly morphed into playing it with passion – evident in any Megan Lane song. The girl possesses a bone-chillingly powerful voice with enough dynamic to hold the listener, song after song. ??
  
  Finding a sweet spot somewhere between blues, rock, jazz and soul, Lane worries not about writing under some imaginary set of guidelines, but about writing quality original material that moves audiences all over.??
  
  “Over the years I have struggled to become a better writer by putting genre ?pressures aside and focusing on writing raw, real and genuine material. This has ?been a slow process throughout my albums. In Bow and Drill the Spark I feel I’m ?moving closer to the songwriter I strive to be. This album also has a heavier sound ?than the last two releases, and is lyrically and musically more mature than the ?previous records.”
  
  ??Her third album, Bow and Drill the Spark (2009), shines as a rock album with powerful elements of blues, highlighting Lane’s versatility as a musician. For her, no matter where she takes her music, the blues remains a comfortable place to work from.??
  
  “My blues influences have strongly shaped my sound. No matter where my muses ?take me, the blues will always be the canvas on which I will create original music,” admits the Saskatoon native.??
  
  No stranger to the road, Lane focuses her energy into touring with her current power trio, The Megan Lane Band, and is enjoying the groove she and her band are creating.??
  
  “Dynamics, space, and time. The potential for a group to achieve one state of mind ?and move together within it is most achievable with the old school three-piece. ?Spontaneity creates passion, and nothing can imitate the fullness and power to ?heartfelt music,” explains Lane, who continues on to explain that the greatest challenge in today’s music market is convincing people to open their minds up to original ideas and new sounds.??
  
  This month sees The Megan Lane Band performing in Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Vancouver and Calgary. Her spring tour winds up in Ottawa at The National Arts Center Theatre, where Lane will be opening up acoustically for Colin James, followed by a full band showcase at the Library and Archives Canada Auditorium, along with Little Miss Higgins, Romi Mayes and Suzie Vinnick.??When not totally consumed by the music, Lane devotes much time to slam poetry, community cultural groups and charity work. She received recognition from the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan for her societal contributions in 2005.??
  
  “I think no matter the career path I chose in life, I would and always will be ?committed to furthering equality, compassion not just tolerance and justice in our ?society. I am hopeful that this comes through not only in my charitable ?contributions, but through my art as well,” says Lane.

• Young musicians get on the right musical track [+ Show ]
  

  Megan Lane’s youthful sound Saskatoon’s Megan Lane started music young too but she’s been growing...Megan Lane’s youthful sound
  
  Saskatoon’s Megan Lane started music young too but she’s been growing up fast, as you can witness when she returns to play Blues On Whyte the last week of this year.
  
  After forming an attachment to Elvis at age eight, she picked up guitar and made her debut in a jam session at 11. The blues-rocker singer-guitarist had her first full-length album out at 15 and it was promptly nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award.
  
  For years, Lane was a regular at weekly jams in Saskatoon’s popular blues hangout, Bud’s Blues, tapping her influences from old-school blues, greats like Buddy Guy, upstarts like Johnny Lang, and prairie-based mentors like Big Dave McLean. As her creative vision continues to expand, she’s been sorting out her career, getting better at writing songs about those classic inspirations — life, love and sadness.
  
  “I’m probably known more as a blues musician, probably because I’m a female lead guitarist,’’ offers Lane, “but some of the younger people at shows see me as a rocker and we do play some loud, high-energy stuff.’’
  
  At 23, Lane has been criss-crossing the country for more than a decade, usually fronting a trio. She shared a stage with the likes of Colin James and Buffy Saint Marie to play for the Queen at Saskatchewan’s centennial celebration in 2005 and has appeared on both CBC and CTV television nationally. More recently, she has been thrilled to hit a few of the festivals with her power trio.
  
  “I’ve had opportunities to play with more musicians but I love the freedom of a trio, to be able to go somewhere spontaneous that’s still within the structure of a song.’’
  
  Lane’s last couple of albums, Wrapped In Plastic (2006) and Bow And Drill The Spark (2009), have won her a lot more attention as they gradually leaned toward a rock direction, but that may change. Since she left her hometown four months ago and moved to Montreal, she has been rediscovering the blues as she explores that city’s roots, soul and funk scene. Now she’s busy recording an all-acoustic blues EP, and her upcoming shows here will open with a few acoustic tunes.
  
  Bassist Graham Tilsley and drummer Kyle Krysa (a Grant MacEwan grad) will fill out Megan Lane’s trio when she hits the Commercial Hotel’s Blues On Whyte, 10329 Whyte Ave. (780-439-5058) Dec. 26 to 28.
  © Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal
  
  
  Read more: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/entertainment/young+musicians+right+musical+track/3988865/story.html#ixzz18anr6OFu

• Fresh tunes highlight Megan Lane's return to GP [+ Show ]
  

  Grande Prairie music fans have a history with Megan Lane. The Saskatchewan-based singer/blues guitar...Grande Prairie music fans have a history with Megan Lane. The Saskatchewan-based singer/blues guitarist returns to the Swan City next week to play some new music she’s been working on for her third album, before she heads into the recording studio.
  
  “I finally got enough good material, I didn’t want to settle on any half-assed songs,” she said about her writing process over the last year. Along with her band, Lane has been working on the pre-production for the new disc, which they will record in studio in December and January.
  
  She’ll be co-producing with Josh Palmer, a long-time friend and “amazing musician” said Lane.
  
  “He’s really got an ear for that sort of thing, so I’m passing the trust over to him a little bit – which is a big step for me,” she said. Lane produced her last two discs, and feels Palmer’s production will enhance the next album without costing her a friendship.
  
  “There’s definitely risk involved,” she said, “but risk is so important.”
  
  “I’m looking forward to having another set of ears producing ... these songs may go places I’ve never thought they could go, which is cool,” she added.
  
  
  Lane said it’s hard to define how her sound has evolved since she recorded 2006’s “Wrapped in Plastic”.
  
  “I’d probably have to be somewhere outside my body to figure that out,” she joked when asked about the changes the past two years have brought. “Some of the songs are a little bit heavier, some of them are lighter, it’s very dynamic, just like the last two albums.”
  
  Lane had the chance to get to Grande Prairie last winter.
  
  “It’s always lots of fun playing (in Grande Prairie). I mean, it’s lots of fun just to play in general and we tour as much as we can,” she said. At the last set of shows in 2007, Lane said fans bought a good number of CDs so she wouldn’t be surprised if more of the crowd knew at least some of her older material.
  
  “Hopefully, a lot of people will come out who are more familiar with our music, but newbies are welcome as well,” said Lane.
  
  Because the crowd could be made up of people new to Lane, and those more familiar, she said she’ll cover all her bases by playing songs from all the three CDs of material.
  
  She said that at each visit, she’s recognizing more people through the glare of the stage lights, and some are beginning to request her songs as well.
  
  “Since I’ve done three or four cross-Canada (tours) it’s starting to happen and people are starting to, you know, bring our CDs to their friends and order them off iTunes.”
  
  “There’s nothing better than when somebody requests an original song, of course, you play it,” said Lane, clearly pleased.
  
  Audiences across Canada will get a bigger taste of what Lane has been cooking up in the studio, as she’s planning to cover the country once the new disc is in stores. While nothing has been finalized, Lane said it was likely her new CD would be available in record stores through a distribution deal.
  
  In the past, Lane said she wasn’t as comfortable with the idea of longer tours to far-flung parts of Canada. That’s changed, even in the face of the familiar issues like band members’ other commitments.
  
  “I just said, ‘OK, I’m not going to worry about that, I’m going to book and if I need to find a fill-in bass player, I’ll find a fill-in bass player’.”
  
  Another change in how Lane is presenting herself to the public, is her recent decision to move into more merchandising, by making T-shirts to offer alongside her music. Finding the right design has been tough, as she likes to have creative input on every aspect of her career.
  
  “I’ve never had anybody come up with something that I would wear,” she said. By making stickers and shirts, she can introduce herself through fans to new eyes and hopefully, ears.
  
  “Little things done to help, to advertise, is good because there’s a chance that somebody might actually listen to the music – it all comes down to the music,” she explained.
  
  In the future, Lane would like to get on the bill for more festivals shows. “The festival circuit would be amazing but that would take time,” she said of the plan. “I think this album is the first big step – because with the past two, I’ve learned a lot.”
  
  She’s hoping that getting her disc into stores will help raise her exposure to music lovers. “Some people are collectors and they like to have the disc, and that’s how I am. I don’t have an MP3 player. All of the guys laugh at me because I bring the very biggest bag of CDs every trip, cause that’s just the way I am.”
  
  Megan Lane plays Better than Fred’s with her band, on Dec. 19 and 20 for a $5 cover. For more information, check out Lane’s page on MySpace, CD Baby or the iTunes Store.

• MEGAN MOVES FORWARD [+ Show ]
  

  Monday, October 02, 2006 Megan Lane Article for Planet S Magazine MEGAN MOVES FORWARD T...Monday, October 02, 2006
  
  Megan Lane Article for Planet S Magazine
  
  
  MEGAN MOVES FORWARD
  
  Teen Guitar Phenom Takes The Next Step With Confident, Mature Sophomore Release.
  
  
  
  By Craig Silliphant
  
  
  
  For Planet S Magazine
  
  
  
  Megan Lane saunters across the stage of the darkened club and flips the switch on her amp, filling the room with an audible buzz as the tubes warm up. A few skeptical faces pepper the crowd, as they take note of Lane's diminutive size, pale skin, and poker-faced expression. They've been lied to before by other 'teen prodigies', who were nothing more than beginners with overly ambitious parents. Lane slings her guitar over her shoulders, giving one last look to her band mates, bassist David "The Squid" Parker, and drummer Jordan Trask. As her fingers light up across the fret board, a colossal sound escapes from her amplifier, sailing out the front door --- taking the skeptical looks with it. People passing by outside hear the wailing music and glance at the marquee as they pass, to see who is kicking up the drifting blues-rock fuss.
  
  "All it takes is one note," jokes Lane.
  
  If you made it through 2005 without knowing who young blues mistress Megan Lane is, you are decidedly among the minority. Somehow, you missed Saskatchewan's favourite teen prodigy rocking out for no less than Queen Elizabeth II at the Lieutenant Governor's Centennial Gala, while sharing the stage with some of Saskatchewan's better known performers. You also missed her playing a tribute to Joni Mitchell on Parliament Hill for Canada Day, and you somehow managed to miss her traversing the province with Tom Cochrane and Wide Mouth Mason on the Saskatchewan Centennial Tour. Last year, Megan Lane was 17 and everywhere. If her ubiquitous nature has nothing to do with the involvement of some sort of Fred Flintstone type clone, then what is it?
  
  "A show that has something for everyone," explains Lane. "Lots of variety. Some songs that'll make you want to dance, but [also songs that will] stimulate your thoughts and emotions at the same time. I like to think that we never disappoint."
  
  More than halfway through 2006, Lane shows no signs of slowing down. Having ditched her trademark dreads a while back and dropped the Deep Soul Set moniker, Lane is back on the scene with the follow up to her debut LP, 2004's Purple and Blue. The new opus is called Wrapped In Plastic and it finds Lane turning 18 and becoming even more comfortable in her songwriting. She has been working steadily towards this since she was a preteen, earning the respect of her elders along the way, including the likes of underground prairie blues legend Big Dave McLean.
  
  "I started going to the blues jam at Bud's when I was about 10 or 12," recalls Lane. "[I started] taking guitar lessons shortly after that. [I was performing] in bars and festivals by the time I was 12. I couldn't get enough of the rush of playing live shows. I still can't. The blues scene is very tight here in Saskatoon. The all-ages blues jam at Bud's helped me big time. Having so many mentors and supporters. People to keep your confidence up, no matter what level you're at. I call them my 'music family'."
  
  Whether in a club, or on karaoke crapfests like Canadian Idol, audiences seem to have an unexplainable attraction to teenage musicians. They watch with rapt attention, mesmerized as big musician sounds come from the mouths and instruments of little artists. So many of these teen musicians are illusionists, trading on nothing but manufactured hype and the novelty factor before sinking into obscurity by age 20, but talking to Megan Lane, you instantly sense that her commitment level goes well beyond her years --- and she's got the talent to match it. Her music also showcases a vast amount of confidence in every guitar note and every pushed syllable of her steamy voice.
  
  Now that she has turned 18, the time is nigh to abandon the juicy positioning of 'teen guitar whiz'. But with her commitment and songwriting abilities, it's difficult to imagine any sort of stall in Lane's career --- especially after hearing the determination in her voice when she speaks about her future.
  
  "Being young helps with advertising when breaking ground in new cities," says Lane, "and I'm already feeling that changing as I get older. But I work hard at what I do, and I feel my music. I know people can hear that. So I'm not worried, simply because I won't stop making music, no matter what. It's almost as though I have no choice but to do this, because without it, I wouldn't be me."
  
  
  

• Busy blues player: Career taking off for Saskatoon musician [+ Show ]
  

  Wednesday, June 29, 2005 Do not get your eyes checked; that denim-blue blur you see on the music ...Wednesday, June 29, 2005
  
  Do not get your eyes checked; that denim-blue blur you see on the music scene is probably just Megan Lane.
  The Saskatoon blueswoman seems to be everywhere these days, from pitching her hometown as a good site for the Juno awards to playing for the Queen. On Friday, she'll appear in front of 60,000 people on Parliament Hill for Canada's birthday, then open for the Downchild Blues Band at Bessborough Gardens. Those last two gigs take place in the space of 27 hours.
  "Summer is always the busiest season but this summer is definitely the busiest I've been and that's totally what I'm going for,'' Lane said recently. She's also on both official Saskatchewan centennial rock tours. And she plays at the closing ceremonies for the Canada Summer Games.
  "I think I'm jumping over a hurdle right now,'' she says.
  The starting leap of the season was Lane's contribution to the Lieutenant Governor's Centennial Gala where she got to meet stars like Colin James and Buffy Sainte-Marie.
  Like many who first see the 17-year-old, James had no idea what kind of raw, gut-shot blues Lane is capable of producing.
  "Once he heard me play he couldn't believe it, really. He was like 'holy smokes, like, you're pretty rockin.'
  "People are usually pretty shocked to see that come out of a little chick.''
  Instant fans, James and Sainte-Marie made sure Lane got to meet Joni Mitchell.
  "Buffy grabbed me by the arm and pulled me over. Colin and Buffy, they were bragging me up.''
  Lane also got to meet Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who walked by with Prince Phillip and greeted each performer. The Queen took a few seconds longer with Lane, leaning in and saying something to her. Everyone would love to know what the Queen said in those few seconds -- everyone including Lane herself.
  It turns out that between the in-ear monitor Lane was wearing and the huge orchestra right behind them, even Lane herself doesn't know.
  "Everybody's asking, and I did not hear her,'' Lane says glumly.
  "My heart just dropped into my stomach. I smiled and gave a nod and she said 'good, good' and moved on.
  "It's too bad, eh? I wanna get somebody who reads lips.''
  One of the funnest gigs recently was staging Saskatchewan Night at the Juno Awards in Winnipeg, an event to sway organizers to hold the Junos in Saskatoon. Guitarists like Lane, Shaun Verreault and Jordan Cook lined up and rocked out in unison.
  "That was so much fun. It had all of us guitar players who started out jamming at the Saturday jams at Bud's. It sounded so amazing.''
  The rehearsal was, if anything, even more of a riot.
  "We were goofing off like you can't believe, imitating each other's guitar faces.''
  One of the many gigs Lane is looking forward to is the Bessborough Gardens.
  She remembers seeing Jonny Lang play there when she was about 11 -- a year before she'd even played in public.
  "I'll be great. It's just such a beautiful place and the stage is nice and big.
  Fans will note Lane's new look -- a short haircut replaces the dreadlocks she wore for four years.
  "I just totally needed a change. It feels so good to be able to properly wash my hair.''
  As for summer, guess what? - she's looking forward to it. "It's going to be great. It's going to be awesome.''
  

• Megan Lane at Centennial Gala [+ Show ]
  

  Saskatchewan shines at gala Joanne Paulson The StarPhoenix May 20, 2005 Saskatchewan, you...Saskatchewan shines at gala
  
  Joanne Paulson
  The StarPhoenix
  
  May 20, 2005
  
  Saskatchewan, you looked good on national TV last night. And so commercial-free.
  
  Bless Mother Corp. for showing us in our best light, with (a few exceptions) smooth camera work that displayed our artists and our landscape so well.
  
  The Lieutenant Governor's Centennial Gala, despite its earlier setbacks, did us proud, mingling First Nations and European cultures with aplomb.
  
  The opening number was hardly a surprise. Brad Johner, Andrea Menard, Theresa Sokyrka and Megan Lane came out to sing the centennial anthem, Saskatchewan, We Love This Place, dramatized with a First Nations beat.
  
  Then comic Brent Butt appeared as host of the show, and soon gave everyone the cue for Queen Elizabeth II's arrival.
  
  "When I say canola, everyone please stand, and she'll think we've been standing the whole time," said Butt, who always knows how to be funny without being offensive.
  
  CBC broke away from Megan Lane's subsequent solo performance when the Queen and Prince Philip arrived, accompanied by Lt.-Gov. Lynda Haverstock and commentary from hosts Sheila Coles and Costa Maragos (who politely did not appear too often). A young choir greeted Her Majesty with God Save The Queen, which may not be the most inspiring song but was actually moving on this night. Michael Burgess followed with O Canada, in both official languages, rather less successfully.
  
  Then it was back to the show. There wasn't quite a river running through it -- more of a runway painted like a river -- but it worked for Butt, who wandered it in his usual slightly nervous style and treated us to his funny and bittersweet comic song, Nothing Rhymes with Saskatchewan. OK, Butt can't really sing, but nobody cares. He's too great.
  
  What followed was an impressive lineup of Saskatchewan stars.
  
  Buffy Sainte-Marie looked beautiful, and sounded magnificent, as if the years since she first sang Universal Soldier have never passed. Connie Kaldor's contralto was in excellent form, and she sang intimately to the audience. Poet Lorna Crozier presented her mythic poem about light, Saskatchewan's legacy from God; poets aren't usually performers, but this one is.
  
  And if there was any doubt that Andrea Menard is a star of nova power, her performance of Sonny Makes Me Sunny and Big Yellow Taxi put that to rest. Menard's beautiful voice, mingled with a style that is sincere, theatrical and relaxed, is never to be missed.
  
  Colin James was great, especially in his second song. The medley tribute to Joni Mitchell, arguably our most famous ex-pat, was terrific . . . especially Lane's steaming hot version of Woodstock. And then, the Queen appeared on stage; what a final moment, especially for the artists who shook her hand.
  
  The pace and mood did lag a few times during the show, and a couple of moments were lame; but in the overall effect, it was hard not to echo anthem-writer Stan Garchinski: We love this place. We do rock, Saskatchewan.

• Megan Lane: youthful, energetic and real [+ Show ]
  

  Megan Lane: youthful, energetic and real By Alyssa Ingold for The Session Petite in stature at...Megan Lane: youthful, energetic and real
  
  By Alyssa Ingold for The Session
  
  Petite in stature at 5'4", gentle blue eyes, youthfully mature and philosophically poetic in every word…this is Megan Lane, the singer and guitarist of the funk-blues-R & B-soul band Megan Lane and Deep Set Soul.
  
  Although only 16, she is already deemed a seasoned musician by fellow musicians and peers. In fact, Megan officially released her first album "Purple and Blue" this March, and it's gaining success and credibility by the minute. As such, she had CD release parties in Saskatoon, Swift Current and Regina locations, accompanied by a mini tour throughout southern Saskatchewan.
  
  There is no doubt about it; Megan is no stranger to the stage. She has been performing since the age of 12 at concerts, local public jam sessions, festivals and showcasing events throughout Western Canada, each of which have made her quite well known amoung classmates and locals.
  
  In fact, not more than two minutes after I joined Megan for coffee, she was approached by an adoring fan.
  
  "Excuse me," said the women who approached Megan from the other end of the coffeehouse. "Are you Megan Lane?"
  
  Megan shyly nodded her dreadlocked mane as she humbly smiled, with a simple and polite "Yes."
  
  The fan was ecstatic.
  
  "I'm moving out of the city at the end of the month and I was hoping to get your CD before I leave," the woman earnestly yet excitedly explained. "I just love your music. Where can I get one of your CDs?"
  
  Megan seemed pleased as she politely told the woman about her upcoming CD release party at Lydia's in Saskatoon, her hometown, where she would have CDs and other merchandise for sale.
  
  The woman said she would be sure to go the CD release party, and thanked Megan for her time before she departed.
  
  This is the story of Megan Lane. She performs, she draws attention, and then takes it all in with gracious professionalism.
  
  Although Megan didn't take guitar lessons until she was 11, she had always been surrounded by musical influences. While her parents are music lovers in general, both her older sister and brother are heavily involved in the Saskatchewan music scene, with her parents managing each of their children's music careers. Her sister Jen, now 21, recently released her second album, "Injection," a modern folk-jazz album. Her 18-year-old brother Jeremy plays Tom Waits style music.
  
  At the age of 12 Megan starting performing at a local all-ages music club called Bud's, where jams took place on Saturday afternoons.
  
  "I was first introduced to Bud's jams when I went there with my friend Zack from elementary school," Megan explained. "There were lots of young musicians there, like Jordan Cook and The Mocking Shadows, and I wanted to do the same thing."
  
  By performing at Bud's jams, Megan was able to meet and network with other experienced musicians. At this time, she met her drummer Bryce Lemky and bassist Dai Kobayashi, who now form her three-piece band.
  
  Soon after, Megan began getting calls to do shows and perform at music festivals all over Saskatchewan.
  
  "I love doing live shows," Megan said. "It's great to see the audience's reactions and to connect with the crowd."
  
  In fact, Megan incorporated her love of performing and the stage in the theme of her album because she feels 'purple' and 'blue' when she performs.
  
  "Purple is anger and blue is love," Megan explained. "I feel a contrast between the two when I'm on stage and I lose myself in the music."
  
  Anyone who has seen Megan live or has listened to her CD can testify that she is not only a talented songwriter, but also a very poetic and philosophical person. Having written and produced every song on the album, Megan was able to bare her soul in the music.
  
  "Everything inspires me to write," Megan explains. "I write about life situations that everyone faces and the human race in general. I even wrote a song on the album in respect to the war victims in other cultures."
  
  Being blues based, Megan's album has an authentic, live three-piece band sound that was influenced by artists like B.B. King, Jimmy Hendrix, Johnny Lang, and even Fiona Apple.
  
  "Live is what we do," Megan said. "Our fans have grown with us when it comes to live performance, but we want them to appreciate the amount of studio creativity we have added to each song on the album."
  
  Having independently produced her album at Audio Art Recording in Saskatoon, Megan is grateful for the artistic freedom she was able to express during her recording time. As such, she is carefully looking for a major-label record deal that will still allow her to remain creative and produce music that is true to her heart.
  
  "It's not about fame or making money," Megan sincerely stated. "It's about playing music and expressing my feelings."
  
  In this light, Megan says music is her life and she will work everything else around it, even challenges that occasionally cross her career path.
  
  "The biggest thing I've had to deal with as a musician has been my age," Megan explained. "Sometimes people don't take me seriously because I'm so young. I've also had to get permits to play at certain venues where there's a legal age, for being allowed to play at bars or festivals."
  
  Each gig or festival that Megan has performed at has been a learning experience, and she hopes that other young aspiring artists may also learn something from her own journey.
  
  "Don't let anyone push you around," Megan advised. "Play anywhere and everywhere, even if you're not getting paid. It's the experience that counts."
  
  
  Saskatchewan Recording Industry Association
  #114-2001 Cornwall Street, Regina, SK, S4P 3X9 Canada
  Phone 306-347-0676 Fax 306-347-7735
  Email info@saskrecording.ca
  

Setlist

A typical set depends on the venue and our needs. We can do two one-hour or three one-hour sets. The Megan Lane Band repertoire is original music with a selection of Jimi Hendrix, The Police, Elton John, Sheryl Crow, and classic blues song covers. The 5-10 % of covers featured in a set are unique, thoughtful renditions of the original songs. The Megan Lane band will not take requests unless they are Megan Lane originals or covers they are known for playing.

Basic Requirements

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