Meghann Wright

"Meghann Wright has emerged onto the scene in a manner that is both gracious and intrepid… the performer has carefully constructed her personal music to form an emotional roller coaster, filled with both moody feints and gleeful turns that captivate anyone who tunes in." - Limerence Magazine

After performing her entire life across a genre spectrum spanning soul to country, from indie to metal, New York’s edged chanteuse Meghann Wright arrives today with a Crave-exclusive debut of the video for “Cocaine,” an infectiously catchy track from her forthcoming EP, out July 29th.

A rocker with the spirit of Joplin and the heart of a poet, Wright spins tales of bad relationships, playing dimly lit bars, and working double shifts to stay afloat – all too relatable in today’s maniacal modern world. In the clip for “Cocaine,” Wright brings the camera into her natural habitat – rocking smoky New York City nightclubs, shots with rowdy friends and getting home at sunrise. This second single from her forthcoming self-titled EP follows up her heartfelt first single, “Can’t Carry Water,” which premiered in April on American Songwriter.

Wright is the founder of The City & The Heart, one of New York’s top advocacy organizations supporting independent female artists. She plays an integral role in organizing fundraiser showcases for women’s shelters, and produced a compilation album with engineer Will Hensley (Regina Spektor, Coldplay) featuring local female artists – download for free right here. Her mission, in her words, is “to help women and I intend to do my best to grow The City & The Heart into something that can truly give back to the city that made it possible.” - Crave Online

RAW NYC interviews inaugural showcase artist Meghann Wright February 2012. - RAW NYC

Meghann Wright’s “Cocaine” might seem like a typical indie break-up tune out of Brooklyn, opening with the line, “I got a bottle of whiskey staring me in the face on the table.” But the singer-songwriter uses surprising chord progressions to create a sound that’s much jazzier than her acoustic guitar would have you believe. Her original lyrics are both comedic and heartfelt, and sung in Wright’s smoky Janis-like voice, they’re incredibly effective. Lines like “[a bottle of whiskey] saying please please please, please drink me all by yourself” and the chorus of “let’s do some motherfuckin’ cocaine” might come off as amusing (if not a bit surprising), but the minor tones hint at something deeper, something the lyrics confirm with “so I can forget about you” and “write more songs about you.” While the sound might be rough and low-tech, it also provides a rawness that’s fitting to the open and personal nature of the song, best summed up with the line, “Who needs love when you’ve got drugs?”
https://feedbands.com/meghannwright - FeedBands

CASSOWARY is folk duo sisters Meghann Wright and Tara Dactyl. - Bud and Roach

Obtrusiv Indie Online Mag Interviews Meghann Wright at Virtue and Vice Studio in Brooklyn, New York. - Obtrusiv

OSOT interviews Meghann Wright, The City & The Heart indie women's music community at Premier Studios, New York. - One Shot One Takes

AxeJam.com gives you an exclusive interview with Meghann Wright!



Kurt:

At what age did you start playing and singing, and who was your first influence that got you interested in music?

Meghann:

I began playing music at an early age. First piano at 5, then violin at 9, then saxophone at 12. I didn't make the jump to guitar and bass until college, when I was 18. It was in college, jamming with friends and starting bands, that I first starting experimenting with singing while playing. I was interested more in playing guitar and bass in melodic metal bands like my death metal band Mortencia than I was to sing. Eventually I allowed my major singer/songwriter influences like Tori Amos, Bjork, and Elvis Costello to move me to express myself lyrically and vocally on top of the chord progressions I was writing.




Kurt:

Often when singer/songwriters are starting out they struggle to sing and play simultaneously, was this ever an issue for you? If so how did you overcome that?

Meghann:


It was in college, jamming with friends and starting bands, that I first starting experimenting with singing while playing. It took me a while to get comfortable, and I really honed it with my Western MA-based indie rock band Running With Karma. We had simple, danc-y rhythms which were easy for me to learn to sing over. Then I wrote my first solo piece in 2009. Again, it was simple but it spurred a great deal of singer/songwriter diligence in me and in the three year span since I wrote “For the Record”, I have written around 30 songs and perform live singing and playing simultaneously at least once a week.



Kurt:

It seems as though your music shows that you have an old soul, where do you usually draw your inspiration from when writing music?

Meghann:

Mostly I draw inspiration from my own experiences. Like most people I know, my childhood was less than perfect and set the stage for a creative, reclusive, introspective weirdo. Exposed to less than ideal family circumstances and conditions in poorer areas of Hawaii and in a melting pot of cultures where very different worlds (Eastern, Western, and Polynesian) I grew up feeling different. I ran with the punk rock kids, the goth kids, the skaters, the ravers, but still maintained a 3.9 and was very responsible. I loved art and music and people. The way I write now is intended to connect with other people. I want people to know that no matter what may be going on in their lives, whether it be heartbreak, natural disaster, or just regular old chemical depression, they are never alone. There are people like me everywhere who know what it feels like. And we have to turn that pain into something positive like art.



Kurt:

I absolutely love the tone of your guitar and voice in the recording of "Home", Were you using any special gear or effects to create that kind of tone?

Meghann:

I wish I could tell you I had a sick vintage Fender or a Marshall JCM800, but I'm broke and I live in a tiny hole in the wall in Brooklyn. I'm glad you like it, but it is all computer-generated magic Wink




Kurt:

If you could only use two pieces of gear for the rest of your life, which would you choose and why?

Meghann:


Marshall JCM800 and '63 Fender Strat




Kurt:

Are you currently working on any new projects or new material?

Meghann:


I am constantly writing. I have attached a demo mp3 of my latest endeavour, written a couple of nights ago. In addition to that, I am working to release an all-female singer/songwriter compilation comprised of NYC-based artists. I have been performing a lot in the area with unsigned women who do not have much in the way of professional recordings available so I thought this would be a good way to provide them with some useful recordings and exposure. It will be entirely acoustic and I am doing all of the recording and production myself. Once everything is recorded, we will throw a CD release party and show. We hope to release it by next Summer (2013). I also host a monthly singer/songwriter/jam session at Parkside Lounge 317 E Houston in the Lower East Side called Parkside Open Mic Party (facebook.com/ParksideOpenMicParty) where musicians from all over America come together and showcase new material, play covers, or just jam. It's usually the third Tuesday of every month and great fun. The next one is Tuesday November 27 9pm-12am.




Kurt:

If you could co-write a song with any musician dead or alive who would you choose and why?

Meghann:


Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes. He is a hero of mine because of his heartfelt lyrics, his exquisite execution of harmony and his original and modern take on folk. I admire his style and his art and would love to work with him someday.




Kurt:

How did the song "Rain and Wine" come about? Does the song still hold the same meaning as when you first wrote it?

Meghann:


In the summer of 2011, I was recently single when my b - AxeJam

After performing her entire life with various bands representing a full spectrum of genres from soul to country, indie to metal, Hawaii native Meghann Wright is stepping out solo, taking with her the best of her extensive and eclectic personal experiences. Community-driven and imbued with a do-it-yourself ethos, Wright is a scene builder who founded one of the top organizations to help support her fellow independent female artists in New York City, where she currently resides.

With a soft spot for artists who are dynamic, expressive, and unapologetically themselves, Wright has a sound that embraces the closing-time bluntness of Amy Winehouse, the strength and conviction of Sheryl Crow, the husky soul of Janis Joplin, and even the twang and subtle grit of Dolly Parton. Lyrically, her songs reflect the soul of an artist working relentlessly to build a name for herself and give something back to the world. While protagonists in her stories sometimes find themselves struggling with bad relationships, playing dimly lit bars, and working double shifts to stay afloat, her comforting voice mends the hearts of her listeners and leaves them with an indelible impression of sincerity.

Wright is the founder of The City & The Heart, one of New York’s top advocacy organizations supporting independent female artists. From hosting showcases that raise money for women’s shelters to producing a compilation album with engineer Will Hensley (Regina Spektor, Coldplay) featuring local female artists, Wright proves she is not only “a smart songwriter” but also that “she’s got a point to make” (Bitch Magazine). Her mission, in her words, is “to help women - and I intend to do my best to grow The City & The Heart into something that can truly give back to the city that made it possible.” - The Alternate Root