Loners Society
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Loners Society

Charleston, South Carolina, United States | INDIE

Charleston, South Carolina, United States | INDIE
Band Rock Americana

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Charleston Loners Coming to Myrtle Beach"

The Charleston, SC based band Loners Society will be playing Fresh Brewed Coffee House in the heart of Myrtle Beach this Friday, January 20, 2012.

Loners Society front man, Matt Megrue,? says the Myrtle Beach show is something different than they normally do, "Our touring drummer is having a baby and is out of commission from January - March, so rather than sit on my hands, I have lined up a run of acoustic dates in some places or venues we haven't played before.?" Megrue describes Loners Society sound as, “southern-fried, indie rock and roll.”??

The new EP from Loners Society, a self-titled eight track mix that is available on iTunes to download, or you can hop over to their website and stream some tracks to check out their sound. Writing, recording, and helping to produce a record are not new territories for Megrue; however, playing almost all of the instruments on the album is. While it could seem like a daunting task, Megrue seizes the excitement in the challenge. Anyone who knows Matt knows that work-ethic is not one of his shortcomings, and now with a new-found vigor and excitement for the music he is writing, expect the new Loners Society EP to be the kick-start to a much more prolific future output.?

If you can't make the show at Fresh Brewed, Loner Society is scheduled to come back to Myrtle Beach on March 16, 2012 for a show at Cool Daddy's - The Digitel - Myrtle Beach


"Loners Society Release their New EP"

Local singer-songwriter and guitarist Matt Megrue and his country-tinged pop-rock project Loners Society celebrate the release of a self-titled four-song EP this week. After playing with the Unusual Suspects and County Line Strangers, Megrue relocated from Atlanta to Charleston a few years ago. He recently led the Loners Society through sessions with Grammy-winning producer Don McCollister for the new disc. “I liked the idea of doing an EP,” says Megrue. “I’m the only one funding this project, so it makes it easier and faster to do an EP, plus I like the idea that it’s affordable and easy to listen to. We have more songs, but it’s cool to put a small sampler out there.” Megrue welcomes drummer Brian McMickle, guitarist Dan Rainey, and bassist Glenn Miller to the stage for a set of originals and choice covers. “We call what we do Southern-fried indie-rock with a sprinkle of soul,” says Megrue. “The idea is to keep mixing other elements into it. We want this EP to be the foundation, and we want to branch off from there.” The band already has several club dates booked in town this fall. Megrue plans to perform a few solo gigs as well. Songwriter Lauren St. Jane and Atlanta band Dead Westerns share the bill this week. - Charleston City Paper


"Loners Society at The House"

Loners Society is the newest project of Unusual Suspects and County Line Strangers’ primary songwriter/singer, Matt Megrue.

Megrue is currently recording his debut EP in Atlanta with Don McCollister, who produced Shawn Mullins, Sister Hazel, and Third Day.

Their first single, “Outlaws & Saints” in my opinion, is a soulful cross between Tom Petty and Jakob Dylan of the Wallflowers. The track was officially released on Tuesday, May 3 with the full EP to follow this Summer.

But don’t underestimate a music preview writer’s predisposition to compare every artist to some lucky fuck that had connections in the music industry. Megrue has his own unique sound and his insightful lyrics stand on their own. It can be a bit like anthem rock but there’s just another description that doesn’t do Megrue justice. - Columbia City Paper


"Loners Society Come to Columbia"

The new project of former Unusual Suspects and County Line Strangers frontman Matt Megrue, Loner’s Society is designed to be a more tuneful, soul-oriented songwriting vehicle than the overtly punk or country overtones of his past projects. This idea, in practice, leads to something akin to Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and Whiskeytown-inflected arrangements of old Motown songs — which is a great idea, actually. Loner’s Society is still a relatively new project, but you can’t fault it for lack of vision or execution and, if lead single “Outlaw & Saints” is any indication, good songs are in the making. - Columbia Free Times


"In the Jukebox"

I was unfamiliar with songwriter Matt Megrue and his new solo project, Loners Society, so when I popped in his self-titled EP, I wasn't ready for what happened. "Outlaws & Saints," the phenomenal opening track, immediately felt familiar with bits of early Tom Petty and vintage Whiskeytown in the first verse. I was hooked.

The chorus on "Outlaws & Saints" is one of the strongest I've heard in years, again reminding me of Petty, specifically his Southern classic "Rebels" with it's "hey, hey, hey" chorus. Megrue sings: "Oh, oh, oh/ Make me an outlaw/Oh, oh, oh/Make me a saint/Oh, oh, oh/Make me somebody/That never quits when all the shit comes to call." The song builds perfectly to a powerhouse chorus, with Megrue and Don McCollister deserving props for their co-producing roles.

The tones are consistent throughout the album: yearning, regretful, yet hopeful. And the lyrics are beautifully stuck in real life.

Megrue, the former frontman of Unusual Suspects and County Line Strangers, wrote each song and performed every instrument and his own backup vocals. He's been based in Charleston for a few years now, but this EP brings him to another level.

"I'll Write the Sad Songs" is quite upbeat musically, even as Megrue praises the somewhat depressing songs he himself sings, finishing the chorus with "I'll write the sad songs/You write the hits." While none of the latter songs match the grandiosity of "Outlaws & Saints," one could hardly expect them to.

Megrue's soft voice could be stronger on "A Hymn with No Name," but the lyrics are thoughtful and intriguing. After the first few verses, it melts into a thoroughly satisfying concoction of melody and emotion.

This four-song collection is easily one of the best local recordings of the year, and a week after my first listen, it's still in my CD player. - Charleston City Paper


Discography

Loners Society - Self-titled EP (Released 10.25.11)
Loners Society - Pinstripes [Digital Single] (To be released April 2012)
Loners Society - Untitled EP (Currently recording, set to be released Summer 2012)

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Bio

Loners Society is the brain-child of primary songwriter, Matt Megrue. While the bulk of Megrue’s previous catalog with County Line Strangers emphasized his punk/country upbringings, the new EP from Loners Society takes that same honesty and sprinkles in a little bit of soul in what Megrue describes as, “southern-fried, indie rock and roll.”

Megrue, feeling the need for a change in scenery, picked up and moved to Charleston, South Carolina from his hometown south of Atlanta in 2007. Megrue continued touring and working on music for County Line Strangers; however, he also began logging material for what would come to be, Loners Society.

After the indefinite hiatus of County Line Strangers was announced, Megrue immediately set out to record what would be the first set of numerous Loners Society singles, with two-time Grammy winning producer Don McCollister, in a throwback to the early days of Motown when 45's were in fashion and vocals were king.

“When the opportunity came up to work with Don again, there was absolutely no way I could pass it up,” recalls Megrue. ”We worked on the first [County Line Strangers] record together and it was….one of the best experiences I have had in a studio. He’s a hard worker and so am I and I felt like he really pushed me, and in the end, I feel like I became a better musician because of that experience. Working with him made me better.”

Writing, recording and helping to produce a record are not new territories for Megrue; however, playing almost all of the instruments on the album is. While it could seem like a daunting task, Megrue seizes the excitement in the challenge.

“The hardest thing to me, about saying goodbye to County Line Strangers was just that….saying goodbye. Those were my best friends…my brothers. There was no ill-will, no hard feelings. We just felt like we had gone as far as we could go collectively, but once that decision was made…I was ready to get back to work.”

Anyone who knows Matt knows that work-ethic is not one of his shortcomings, and now with a new-found vigor and excitement for the music he is writing, expect the new Loners Society EP to be the kickstart to a much more prolific future output.