Walter Meego
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Walter Meego

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Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


"It's Always Something"

California's Central Valley hit 95 degrees this weekend. It's the type of hot that almost melts the tires on your cars. And with nothing but fields stretching out into the smog, mirages make the whole thing look like a flithy, sweaty lake. I don't know how Walter Meego bottled that sensation -- especially coming from Chicago -- but that's what I was feeling while driving up for a splash in the Kern River, for sure.

Now, this doesn't mean it's a bad song. Quite the opposite really. I think this band is awesome. I got their cd after only hearing two songs. They're really doing some interesting stuff, blending the dark electronic with the Chicago post rock. It's the type of sound that makes so much sense in today's current scene, but rarely executed this well. They're one of those rock bands that make 12" with extended versions and whatnot. They've really brought that electronic aesthetic straight to the rock scene, and I think that's fantastic. I don't think it's an accident that they've played shows with The Fog and Thunderbirds are Now!. Walter Meego bridges the gap.

They also remind me of the new Gorillaz album. There's some similar textures and production. I think that's a good thing, since I like this sound. I'd be really curious to see this band live. My guess is that it's pretty awesome. It's a rare thing for an electronic band to pull off the live show (like LCD Soundsystem's certified bananas set in Los Angeles last night), I have a hunch that Walter Meego has the chops. Hopefully they'll break out of the midwest soon and touch down in the LA sometime.

Anyway, you can pick up their EP and the Weekday 12" direct from their site. It's definitely worth it, and highly recommended. - Music (For Robots)


"Walter Meego"

There is no Walter Meego. Not one of the three members of the band are even named Walter. Or Meego, for that matter. I just wanted to get that out of the way.

Sometimes at a loss for words, I'll give you some excerpts from an interview I did with them and never published.
First, let me explain by describing the band a little. Walter Meego is a dance electronica rock trio. ("More emphasis on the electronica," they say.) Justin is on guitar, vocals, and most recently, the vocoder. Pat spins the turntable. Colin plays the synthesizer, drum/bass sequencer, and the computer.

...I could throw some unintelligible genres at you, such as ambient hypno-trance electronica, but would you be any the wiser? Am I enlightening you by calling it pseudo-techno synth grunge rock? Perhaps if I mention the haunting yet danceable melodies, a droning yet slightly bouncing guitar interspersed with the occasional whale sounds and whatever, you may be less confused. "There's a lot ... covered," raves Justin. "That's what makes it work. There are no boundaries."
Never have they proved those words so much than last night. They've left me in the dust as a fan. Just when I get used to a song, to certain "whale sounds" or whatever other subtle nuances, they've moved beyond that and are already looking for ways to improve it or make it an entirely different song. I thought last night, "this is the show I'll look back on nostalgically when they're playing Park West five years from now."

On the other hand, someone I love and respect very much told me they sucked. That's fine. He's more of a punk rocker, as if a person can be labelled or limited to any one thing, and I understand the hardcore punks won't get or like this type of music, so be warned. Maybe I'm being optimistic or fanatical about them, but whatever.

Actually, I do realize I'm probably very wrong; I get the sense that there'll be future shows that will blow this one out of my memory. I'm witnessing the fast evolution of a band and it's very exciting - Stick it in Your Ear (online magazine)


"Stacy Dugan, UR Chicago Review"

UR CHICAGO, JUNE 2004
www.urchicago.com
Article by Stacey Dugan

LOCAL SOUNDS: WALTER MEEGO

Walter Meego is quite a character: witty, sincere, straightforward, smart but not pretentious. But more importantly, he isn’t real. That is, not in the flesh-and-blood sense of the word.

Pseudonym for the Chicago-based band formed by Justin Sconza, Colin Yarck and Pat Pellegrini of a laptop G4, turntables, live guitar and vocals, Walter Meego melds rock, downtempo, IDM and electro into sticky-sweet, cotton-candy synth-pop that draws its references from such legacies as The Beatles and Depeche Mode.

This is not to say that Meego isn’t forward-thinking. We all like to push it in different directions, says lead singer and guitarist Sconza. I’m always like,140 BPM, dance.

Pat [Pelligrini] is more influenced by hip-hop, agrees Yarck, co-producer and keyboardist in charge of live computer tweaking. I like weird, smart electronic music.

Meego’s signature is the oversimplified, playful lyrics concerning deeper truths; the song Blow Pop deals with the not-so-heavy experience of blowing and then bursting a bubble-gum bubble. Upon further examination, Sconza explains, it’s a metaphor for climbing and falling down the ladder of success. Mixed with melodious, haunted, downtempo soundscapes that build to dance-happy, drum-heavy riffs, the song is reminiscent of the high that comes from innocent first love and the looming feeling that it’s born to fail.

The collaborative process between two producers (Pellegrini and Yarck) and a songwriter (Sconza) can get a little chaotic, so the Meego members take as conceptual an approach as possible to making music, often sketching a map of each song before production: rise, climax, resolution.

The drawings are really basic, says turntablist Pellegrini. It’s just a starting point. Whenever we make a beat, we don’t care what kind of music it is or what the BPM is, as long as it makes your head bounce. --Stacey Dugan
- UR Chicago


Discography

Walter Meego EP, CD
Released 10 May 2005

"Weekday" Single b/w "Stars", 12" Vinyl
Released 8 April 2005

Regional radio campaign to coincide with "Walter Meego EP" Release

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

Walter Meego has been an entity for around 3 years. In 2002 and 2003 the group recorded demos and began playing around their native Champaign, IL and soon worked their way towards Chicago, where their smart electronic/rock crossover sound afforded them attention from Chicago's tastemaking audiences. In 2004, responding to the group's significant buzz and local success Walter Meego joined up with a Chicago management team who helped them release 2004's "Walter Meego EP" (independantly released on May 10th 2004). Walter Meego EP was received with an excellent response from critics and radio DJs, receiving very strong reviews and frequent spins on radio stations in and around Chicago. One reviewer said, "It's the type of sound that makes so much sense in today's current scene, but rarely executed this well."

The compact disc release was complimented with a 12" double A-side single (released by Social Entertainment on April 8th 2004) featuring the tracks "Weekday" and "Stars" from their EP. Both releases were supported with promotion at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX and the Winter Music Conference in Miami, FL as well as pushes towards popular and tastemaking DJs domestically and internationally. Currently Walter Meego's music has support from DJs in Chicago, San Fransisco, Baltimore, Los Angeles, London and Paris, France as well as other smaller markets.

Walter Meego is set to release a new single entitled "Usually" in the fall (listen to a snippet of the track in the audio section). The tentative release date is Tuesday, October 11th. The single will feature Drum N' Bass and House remixes by recognized producers in those genres. DJ Evol (Frontline, Fix, Freeburning US) will be creating a Drum N' Bass remix and Derrick Carter is a candidate for the House remix.

Walter Meego is currently seeking: Label/Distribution, Booking Agent, Publishing