SXSW Music 2014: 20 Acts to See

March 11, 2014
SXSW Music 2014: 20 Acts to See
The annual South By Southwest festival/conference/conventio-con is underway, with the music
getting started in earnest on Tuesday and rolling headlong through Saturday night.
This year’s event has its share of big name visitors: Lady Gaga will be delivering the keynote
address and performing, and the likes of Coldplay, Kendrick Lamar, Soundgarden, and Pitbull
will be headlining a series of shows as part of the iTunes Festival.
But SXSW was originally designed as a showcase for new music, a place where baby bands
could get their first big taste of exposure and where those artists who were about to break
finally actually broke. EW will be on the ground covering acts both big and small, including
these 20 on-the-cusp artists we’re going out of our way to check out.
Meg Myers: Indie-electro drama buoyed by Myers’ breathy,
mysteriously shape-shifting pipes.
March 13, 2014
The Buzz On: Meg Myers, Whose NSFW ‘Desire’
Video Might Scare The Crap Out Of You
Meg Myers has an appetite for darkness in the video for “Desire.”
It looks like Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” finally has an answer song. With “Desire,” Meg Myers has crafted a track that
challenges the dark sexuality of the 1994 classic.
“I gotta hurt you,” the Los Angeles-based artist sings, and that’s just one of the lighter lyrics. Later, over the palmmuted tension of electric-guitar chords, she warms up to: “I want to f*** you/ I want to feel you in my bones.” You
hear that rattling? That’s Trent Reznor shaking in his steel-toe boots.
The Nashville-born musician dives deep into this haunted sound on her Make A Shadow EP, drawing on a NIN-style
industrial churn, acoustic clatter, and a minimalism that evokes The xx.
But, there’s nothing small about Myers’ voice, a heavy instrument that’s been compared to Alanis
Morissette and Fiona Apple. Though Apple’s “Criminal”
video clearly inspired Myers’ clip in some way, “Desire”
goes a tad more supernatural, what with her floating in
mid-air all horror movie-style and all.
Even though the video’s super-moody (paging “The
Exorcist”!), Myers says she’s also into cute stuff, too: “I
love animals and kids and nature and cartoons and I’m
very spiritual,” she told ASCAP. Sleepovers at her house
must’ve been intense.
Myers’ debut album is due later this year. In the
meantime, get familiar with her video catalog. We’re
almost sure that after watching one of her clips, you won’t
receive a phone call from a terrifying voice whispering:
“Seven days.” Almost.
+ Watch Meg Myers’ “Desire” video.
August 7, 2013
Meg Myers Star Chart
Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Meg Myers confesses that she's not very good at expressing herself in
speech. As a performer, however, she's prone to unleashing intense flurries of emotion. In June, at a soldout headlining show at L.A.'s Troubadour, her set climaxed with "Heart Heart Head" [below], a haunting,
slow-building rock ballad that brought the singer to her knees and had her thrashing about after letting out
a cathartic roar. She expended so much energy that she had to halt the next song to catch her breath.
The lovelorn facets of Myers' dark, intimate music might evoke Sinéad O'Connor or Fiona Apple, but there
are also moments of tumult and menace that trace back to her teenage fascination with grunge bands such
as Nirvana and Alice in Chains. Myers, 26, was born in Nashville and spent her early childhood in the Smoky
Mountains of Tennessee; she was raised as a Jehovah's Witness until the start of her teenage years. Her
family later moved to Ohio and then Florida, where she bypassed high school and played alongside her
brother in the grunge/punk-rock band, Feeling Numb.
Myers first gained Internet attention with her late 2011 video for "Monster," a song that includes the lyrics:
"I gotta kill you, my love." A subsequent video for
"Curbstomp" depicted her being beaten by stuffed
animals at a playful tea party turned nightmarish.
"Curbstomp" and "Monster" bookend Myers' 2012 selfreleased debut EP, Daughter in the Choir. She signed
with Atlantic Records in early 2013 and is working on
a debut LP slated for 2014. At tonight's Mercury
Lounge show, her first ever in New York, she'll be
backed by three musicians. In September, she will
support the Pixies for select shows in Los Angeles and
New York.
CHRIS TINKHAM: What was December 31st, 2012 like for you?
MEG MYERS: I think that was a pretty great day, because that might have been my last day waitressing. I
worked really hard to get to that point, where I was able to quit. I'm really grateful. But also, I'm not a huge
celebrating type of person. We did, we celebrated, but it's like the work has just begun. It's always work,
but it's like another beginning.
TINKHAM: What do you feel when you perform "Heart Heart Head"?
MYERS: It always changes depending on what I'm going through. But, at the same time, there always is
some sort of similar feeling that comes. I just feel really emotional when I play it. I feel like this in all of the
songs, but especially "Heart Heart Head," I'm able to lose myself completely. Whatever I'm going through, I
feel it, and I just connect to it in that song. It's more of a raw song, so I don't have to focus as much on my
singing, and I can let go, and that feels so good. That's the one song I can let my insanity out on.
TINKHAM: In the "Curbstomp" video, you're made up to look bruised and bloodied. It's unsettling to see.
What's it like for you to see yourself like that?
MYERS: It's funny to me. It's complete humor to me, the video. When you go to make a video, there are all
these different people working together, so there's no way it can be exactly what's in your head. But yeah, I
have a sick sense of humor. [laughs]
TINKHAM: Are you morbid?
MYERS: Yeah. [laughs] But I'm silly too.
TINKHAM: Do you feel that there's a connection between love and violence?
MYERS: I think that I do sometimes. I think it has to do with my astrology chart.
TINKHAM: How so?
MYERS: I'm a Libra, but I have a lot of Scorpio. My mom is really into it, and my best friend is. I've learned a
lot from them, and I had a reading done, and it taught me a lot about myself. I get into that stuff on deeper
levels, not like into horoscopes or anything. My whole life, until just a year ago, love and violence were
similar things. Not as much for me anymore. I guess maybe I'm growing up.
TINKHAM: You left the Smoky Mountains for Ohio when you were six?
MYERS: Yeah, Toledo.
TINKHAM: What was that period like? What was school like?
MYERS: We moved around a lot, and we went to a lot of different schools. It was my mom and my stepdad
that I moved with. My dad stayed back in Tennessee, my dad's whole side of the family.
TINKHAM: Your parents divorced?
MYERS: Yeah, they divorced, and me and my stepdad and my mom moved to Toledo. It was really tough.
There was always a lot of love between us, even though we didn't have a lot of money. I have a lot of
feelings from all of that, from my upbringing, that definitely are part of my music. Whether lyrically or
emotionally, it plays a part in the way I write.
TINKHAM: How did being a Jehovah's Witness affect your upbringing?
MYERS: We were pretty sheltered for the first 12 years of my life, at least until I stopped being a Jehovah's
Witness. It was kind of difficult. School was hard for me. I didn't get terribly made fun of, but I did
sometimes, and of course kids aren't going to understand at that age. It's hard to talk about, because it goes
so much deeper than words can explain.
TINKHAM: Your dad played guitar, and your mom played piano and guitar?
MYERS: My dad bought me a guitar when I was nine, and at some point we ended up having to pawn it for
money. So, I didn't have it for too long. I didn't really pick up guitar again until it was this need in me. I
needed an outlet so bad. Between 11 and 13, I really started getting serious about it. It was never forced on
me. It was just there, and I needed a way to express myself, 'cause I'm not very good at expressing myself
through words or talking. So I just did it. And we had some pianos and crappy keyboards lying around too.
TINKHAM: Was your grandfather a singer?
MYERS: Yeah. Fred Boyd was his name. I think he traveled around and toured. He was a folk singer, and
that was my mom's dad. But he died right after I was born, so I didn't know much of his stuff until I got
older.
TINKHAM: What can you tell me about Feeling Numb?
MYERS: [laughs] Oh, my gosh. When I started playing bass, when I was 13, my brother wanted to start a
band. He played guitar and sang. I started singing too, writing my own songs on the side. So he taught me
how to play bass. We found a drummer. We just started writing songs. It was kind of a grunge/punk rock
band. It was like Nirvana but a little more punk-influenced. He would sing on some songs, and I would sing
on some. I wasn't going to school anymore, so we just started playing at clubs and stuff. We were in Florida
by this time, 'cause we had moved when I was 12 to South Florida. So we were playing a bunch of clubs in
Fort Lauderdale and Miami. And we just did that until I was 17. Then I wanted to get a little more into
acoustic, bluesy sort of songwriting, maybe a little more poppy too. I wanted to sing more too, and so I left.
After that, I moved to L.A.
TINKHAM: Have you tried acting since moving to L.A.?
MYERS: Yeah, I did when I was, like, 23. I took acting classes for three months or so, and I love it. There's
something similar to music, and I just love movies, and I love music in movies. I love acting. I think it's so
beautiful, and it was a really good way for me to express myself. I like having different outlets, like drawing
and acting and dancing. It's nice to have other things. I would definitely do it again. It would just have to be
a part that I really connected to.
TINKHAM: How did you become friendly with rats?
MYERS: That was a few years ago. I knew that I couldn't get a dog or cats. I was busy a lot, and I couldn't get
something that cost too much. I was like, "I need to give love to something," so I went and picked out two
baby rats. They were like five bucks, for two of them. It was a new thing to me. I had never taken care of
them. I had no idea about them. I started reading about them, and I started getting really attached to them.
And they just became the loves of my life. They're so intelligent. They're like little dogs. It's kind of therapy
for me to have an animal around.
TINKHAM: I saw on your YouTube channel a lovely song called "Home." Is that something you're still
working on?
MYERS: I wrote that one day in my house. I was feeling really sad about being in L.A. I go in and out of those
days, from spending a lot of time growing up in nature with not so many people. Sometimes it's a little
overwhelming being here. It was such a release to write that song. So I just recorded it, and that's it. We
haven't done anything with it. I don't know if we're going to.
TINKHAM: What's guiding the newer material these days? Are you searching for the songs through trial
and error with the instruments, maybe waiting for moments of lyrical inspiration? Or do you have a vision
in mind that you're chasing?
MYERS: Me and Andy Rosen, we collaborate on the songs. In general, I sit down, or we sit down together.
Sometimes we write things separately, and then we'll come together and finish them. A lot of times lately,
we just start things from scratch. We'll come up with something on guitar or on piano and then a melody,
and then we write lyrics. I just have to connect to it. It has to be something that I'm going through, or
something that I'm feeling or thinking about. Generally, the best things connect to our souls.
February 7, 2014
Hear Meg Myers’ Lovelorn Reflection on ‘The Morning After’
Meg Myers seethed, "Baby, I want to fuck you / I want to feel you in my bones,"
on "Desire," a (clearly) no-nonsense single from her upcoming Make a Shadow EP.
Now, the Nashville-bred, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter has followed that
conquest with "The Morning After," another track from her new short-player, out
February 11 via Atlantic Records.
As its title suggests, "The Morning After" deals with next-day regret and, fittingly,
the grit and aggression that fueled "Desire" has subsided, allowing for a quiet,
twinkling ballad. "I can't feel anything the morning after you," Myers sings over
acoustic guitar. "And I can't tell anyone the morning after you."
Listen to the confessional below, and head over to iTunes to pre-order the Make
a Shadow EP.
January 14, 2014
Meg Myers' New Video for "Desire" Is Terrifyingly Beautiful
I just watched "True Detective" the other night on HBO—shouts to Matthew McConaughey you looked
stunning—and it scared the shit out of me. Not that I have any idea what's even happening in the show
but obviously part of it is about some Bible Belt satan worshippers, or something. So, life has been
pretty dark as I've been thinking a lot about the paranormal.
Anyway, when I watched Meg Myers' video for "Desire," it was haunting and pretty relatable—you want
someone who's not there; you desire someone who's not there, you get the point. But, because I've
been scaring the shit out of myself by watching paranormal docs, I immediately thought, "out of this
world ghost sex."
Whatever the intention, the video is simply stunning and Meg's voice embodies so many feelings that
it's clear there's a lot going on behind this record. "I want to skin you with my tongue/I'm gonna kill
you/I'm gonna lay you in the ground," is just a preview of some of Meg's lyrics on "Desire." Watch the
video above, and pre-order her upcoming EP Make A Shadow on iTunes right now.
February 26, 2014
Femme on Fire: Meg Myers
Musician Meg Myers is someone you’ll start hearing about very soon. Her second EP, Make a Shadow, came
out February 11th to rave reviews. This former Jehovah’s Witness hails from Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains
and lets her inner demons shine in her dark gritty single “Desire.” You wouldn’t expect lyrics like “Baby, I want
to fuck you / I want to feel you in my bones," to come out of this petite brunette’s lips, but we wouldn’t have it
any other way. Rock on!
Playboy.com: Congrats on your EP! You must be excited for listeners to finally get to hear all five songs. Is
there one in particular you’re enthusiastic about finally having out there?
Meg Myers: I’m really excited to have “Make a Shadow” finally out in the world. That’s the one that I think
I’ve been playing the longest. I’ve been playing “Heart Heart Head” for a while too, but I wrote “Make a
Shadow” a very long time ago so I’m definitely excited for that one to be out there, both lyrically and
musically. It’s always been my favorite to perform too!
Playboy.com: Have you been touring all of your new stuff or just a few of the songs?
Myers: We haven’t gone on tour yet; we have been playing shows kind of randomly. We opened for The
Pixies, actually; we did two shows with them in L.A. and one show in New York. We’re hoping to do some
touring this year. Other than that, we did a show at the Bootleg in L.A. for the release of the EP. We did a few
new songs at the Bootleg that we never even recorded, along with the songs from the album, obviously. We
try to do our best to do new songs at live shows because that’s where people can get a little glimpse of what
we’re working on.
Playboy.com: How long have you been working with your band?
Myers: Well me and Andy, my producer, who goes by the name Doctor Rosen Rosen, we’ve been working
together for about three years. We collaborate on all of my songs together. But when it comes to my band,
it’s only been about a year and a half. My drummer is an old friend of mine, we go way back, and the cello
player recorded on my song “Monster” and came along for the ride. We actually just recently found someone
to play the guitar. My producer had been playing in my band for the past couple of years so we replaced him
with another guitarist. The release party show was actually his first gig with us! So it was a lot of new
beginnings.
Playboy.com: I love your sound so much. It’s like Robert Plant, Enya and Kurt Cobain had a sexy baby. What
were your inspirations for this album?
Myers: That’s so cool! Those people are huge inspirations to me. I love Led Zeppelin but I grew up listening to
a lot of Robert Plant’s solo work. My mom used to listen to Enya a lot and got me into her. She’s one of my
biggest inspirations; I always go back to her! And of course Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain was a huge influence on me
when I was growing up. I was also a really big Police lover and I still am. I love the solo albums, too. Dire
Straits is a big influence, Mark Knopfler, Fleetwood Mac… This is funny because I’m naming all of these
bands, but in reality I got into a lot of their solo work. Like Lindsay Buckingham’s acoustic stuff he was doing
on the side. It was dark, heavy and passionate. I love him. It’s safe to say that I grew up with a lot of classic
rock in my life. In my teens, though, I got pretty heavily influenced by grunge, I listened to a lot of Alice in
Chains. [laughs] But I was really influenced by a lot [more] males than females, which is something people
often point out. With women I listened to a lot of folk, but never really got into any female singers in rock, I
was always into the guy rock singers.
Playboy.com: How long ago did you write these songs? Your writing is really intricate so I wondered if there
was something else at play.
Myers: It changes up. Sometimes I write something at home on guitar or piano and I’ll bring it into the studio
with Andy who’ll start adding to it and it’ll progress from there. But lately, because we’ve been working in the
studio so much for the album, we just have been starting from scratch together. There’s a piano at the studio
so we’ll write melodies and go from there. Generally it’s him making a melody on guitar or piano and I’ll then
make a melody to go over that. A lot of the time lyrics will flow out of me after the music is down. Usually the
first lyrics that come out of my mouth will match what I’m feeling or going through and it’ll evolve from
there. It’s weird how that happens.
Playboy.com: You got to work with Steve Stevenson your first single, “Desire.” He worked on a lot of great
stuff in the past with Billy Idol, Michael Jackson and Vince Neal. How did that come about?
Myers: Andy is a huge fan. I knew the songs that he played on, but I didn’t really know of him. We were
trying to brainstorm who would be a good fit for the song and we wanted a crazy guitar solo. It can be a
cheesy thing to add, but there was something about this song that I just didn’t care, it just made sense. Andy
mentioned [Steve] and thought he’d be really perfect for it. So we sat down and watched a bunch of his
videos and a lot of the stuff that he played on had that dark, sexy feeling that just made sense. He was so fun
to work with. He’s so nice. You don’t know what you’re getting into when you go into the studio with
someone like that. He’s all crazy with his hair and lip ring, but in reality he’s the nicest guy ever. [laughs] He’s
a sweetheart and so crazy talented.
Playboy.com: There’s been a lot of talk about your awesome new video “Desire,” it’s so cool! How did the
ghost sex concept come about?
Myers: It was ultimately collaboration with everybody on my team. My producer’s wife came up with the
idea and then Andy developed the concept of the man being invisible. In the end it just made sense. Instead
of having a real guy in the video with me, there’s something way more impactful and powerful having the
other invisible. The mix of the dark sexual music and lyrics along with the visuals of innocence like the
cartoons on the television and the fact that I’m wearing socks and underwear kind of gives me this strange
innocence. My team, luckily, is really easy to work with and have really great ideas. Thank goodness! I feel
like I’m really picky and I have these visions, I know what I want, so when you’re in this deep with a group of
other people, they better be on the same page or I would lose my mind.
Playboy.com: You’ve got a few shows coming up and will be heading to Governor’s Ball in New York! Have
you already been touring all of your new stuff?
Myers: Yeah, so much I can’t even tell you. I’m going a little crazy right now. Although I love writing and being
in the studio, I’m just so burnt. When I’m here there are a lot of photo shoots and interviews and stuff and I
feel like I’m not myself. It scares me. I love performing, that’s what I love about music. Playing and touring
can be incredibly tiring and I’m sure there will be difficult times, but it is what keeps me doing this. If I ever
have doubts about having to do all this, I just think about hitting the road. That’s where the love is. That’s my
therapy.
January 28, 2014
The Soundmen, Ciara, Meg Myers + More: 5 Must-Hear Pop Songs Of The Week
It’s Tuesday! Time for another round of “5 Must-Hear Pop Songs Of The Week”!
This week’s roundup features a dance floor-friendly ode to a relationship on the rocks, a lush reworking of a
Pet Shop Boys classic, and some very, very intense desire.
5.) Meg Myers, “Desire”
Meg Myers is thirsty. Like… way thirsty. The Los Angeles-based rocker (who we’ve been loving up for a while
now ’round these parts — remember “Monster“?) has returned with a perfectly creepy, perfectly sexy video
for “Desire,” a strictly R-rated anthem dedicated to getting it on — and then some.
“Desire, I’m hungry/ I hope you’ll feed me,” she cries out against what sounds like jagged guitars and a semidemented harpsichord. Plus, she announces: “I’m gonna skin you with my tongue.” (I mean, how about
dinner and a movie first?)
The accompanying visual is like Beyoncé’s “Rocket” video meets “The Shining.” No major spoilers — but
those in the market for some supernatural sexy times will most certainly NOT be disappointed.
+ Listen to MEG MYERS’ “DESIRE.”
January 11, 2012
Music Premiere: Meg Myers
Don’t get mad…get even
You don't want to mess with Meg Myers. With her delicate features and flowing hair, it's possible to dismiss
this Los Angeles-by-way-of-Tennessee musician as another pretty pop star, but that all changes as soon as
you listen to her music.
Want proof? Take her new single,"Monster." The song begins sweetly enough, with Myers' soulful voice and
guitar accompaniment, but it's not long until that trademark vengeful edge creeps in and the track takes a
nightmarish turn.
With a dynamic sound that reminds us of the love child of Sinead O'Connor and Linkin Park (a pretty great
combination, if you ask us), Meg Myers won't stop until she gets her way... or a hit album, whichever comes
first. But if her EP is any indication, she'll probably have both before we know it.
Watch the premiere of the "Monster" music video below, and download 3 free songs from Meg Myers here
September 9, 2013
Meg Myers – “Desire”
Los Angeles-via-Tennessee singer/songwriter Meg Myers juggles the pretty and the ugly perfectly, as
you can tell by listening to her new single, “Desire.” It opens with a menacing drift then bursts with
melodic fireworks. The piano soars, yet the bass-lines creep. It’s a pop song about fucking, but one
where Myers is direct enough to actually sing, “I want to fuck you.” Add in lines about skinning, killing,
and being thrown to hounds, sung in Myer’s fierce-then-vulnerable voice, and you have something that
is as sweet as it is unsettling. Steve Stevens (best known for his work with Billy Idol) provides the guitar
solo. Listen below.
“Desire” is available tomorrow, and it comes from an EP out in January on Atlantic. Myers is
also opening for the Pixies on a few dates this month:
09/09 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
09/12 Los Angeles, CA @ Mayan Theatre
09/19 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg
For more info check out meginthedark.com.
June 8, 2012
10 Sexy Indie Artists You Should Know
Meg Myers
Although Meg Myers steers clear of the entertainingly mundane sound of the Top 40, she has
managed to make waves in the shallow indie pond. She is proof that artists on the verge of
popularity don't necessarily make popular music. Not only does she create indie tunes—much
in the same vain as Alanis Morrisette, might we add—but she also has an undeniable beauty
that softens her angsty demeanor. Although her new EP Daughter in the Choir released quietly,
the message is loud and clear: there is ample room for a strong feminine perspective in the
moody indie space. She isn't the first to purvey a the particular brand of indie, and certainly
won't be the last. But one thing's for sure: she looks good doing it.
March 14, 2012
Meg Myers Is a Fucking Monster. That's a Compliment
Sometimes you see a YouTube video and your only response is, "Who the fuck is
that?"
That's what happened when I first saw Meg Myers' "Monster." For one thing,
Myers barely blinks. Instead, she staggers backward in a nightgown, an antique
Fiona Apple starring in a remake of Village of the Damned. She howls raw anguish.
Sample lyrics include, "I've got to kill you, my love." It is as gangsta as a 110-pound
girl can get.
When I meet 25-year-old Meg Myers at LA Mill in Silver Lake, she stays in
character, talking about her pet rats and sipping a beer at 11:45 a.m. She admits
she had fruit for breakfast rather than the blood and grits that the video would
insinuate.
It's been five years since Myers moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music.
"Monster" has been her most significant success, earning blog raves and more than 30,000 YouTube views sans label or
publicist.
"I thought I'd become immediately successful, and then it was, like, 'Shit, three years later and I'm still sleeping on my friend's
couch,' " Myers says, finally blinking. "I played a lot of shows and I drank a lot and I had some boyfriends."
Her childhood sounds like that of a 21st-century Loretta Lynn. Myers was born in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee to a
truck driver father and strict Jehovah's Witness mother; her parents divorced early and her mother married an abusive fellow
Witness, who moved the family to Ohio. In the sixth grade, Myers and her siblings were taken out of public school. There was
familial strife. No one graduated high school.
After her mom and stepdad split up, Myers spent her teenage years in small towns in Florida before arriving in L.A. with a
guitar and grandiose dreams -- just like 23,321 others each year. But few can convert the toxicity of cancerous relationships
into songs nuclear enough to make birds fall out of the sky. As for "Monster," the inspiration was a lover who lacked ambition.
"I just wanted [my ex-boyfriend] to feel things and be passionate about life, but he didn't have enough motivation to do
anything," Myers reminisces.
Maybe that's why "Monster" is so bloodcurdling -- it's conceived as an antidote to apnea. Credit also is due to producer
Doctor Rosen Rosen, a pop-remix savant who has been molding Myers for the past year. At his house in Silver Lake, he plays a
few tracks from Myers' Daughter in the Choir EP (released last week).
This is typically a supremely awkward moment for writers, being
forced to pretend that what you're listening to is revelatory. But
"Tennessee" is pretty close: part homesick ode to her birth state, part
hilarious diss at band brahs without last names who want to go to
"Little Joy on their Vespas."
"There's a fine line between comedy and the darkest place ever. It's a
little crazy, but that's where I'm at in my life. I hate the in-between,"
Myers says. "I'd rather be in my house crying than be sitting with
someone talking about shoes, y'know?"