Meredith Meyer has the rare gift of turning life’s trials into something beautiful. Taking cues from influences as diverse as Kate Bush and Blonde Redhead, the Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter recently released her second full-length album, It’s Spooky To Be Young. Produced, recorded and mixed by Bill Racine, known for his work with Rogue Wave, Mates of States, Mark Gardner and Longwave, the album is a mix of soaring melodies, edgy lyrics and muses on the beauty and vulnerability of being ...
Meredith Meyer has the rare gift of turning life’s trials into something beautiful. Taking cues from influences as diverse as Kate Bush and Blonde Redhead, the Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter recently released her second full-length album, It’s Spooky To Be Young. Produced, recorded and mixed by Bill Racine, known for his work with Rogue Wave, Mates of States, Mark Gardner and Longwave, the album is a mix of soaring melodies, edgy lyrics and muses on the beauty and vulnerability of being human.
An Oklahoma City native, Meyer hit Hollywood at the age of 22. A series of unexpected events made her realize that music was her true calling. When a guitarist asked her to record some vocals for his band, she discovered that it came to her very easily. “When I did my first vocal take in the studio, it felt really natural,” Meyer says. “That combined with the creative process of writing, which also felt so natural, got me hooked.”
This wasn’t Meyer’s first foray into music, however. She began playing classical piano at a very young age, encouraged by her father who was a saxophone player-turned-businessman. Although stubbornly resistant to studying piano as a kid (“I hated practicing,” she says), something clicked when she picked up a guitar at age 16, taught herself a few chords and started writing her own songs. “I play detective when I write,” says Meyer. “A clue pops into my mind and I have to figure it out in the song. Whether it’s something someone said in passing or a phrase I can’t get out of my head, figuring out what matters and how to bring listeners into that moment is the key.”
After playing with a couple of indie bands shortly after arriving in Los Angeles, Meyer decided to blaze her own path as a solo artist. She released her critically acclaimed debut album Items You Won’t Find Elsewhere in 2005, produced by Brian Kehew (Fiona Apple, AIR, Aimee Mann). She received encouragement and advice from another famed Oklahoma City native, Michelle Martin Coyne — artist and wife of Flaming Lips’ frontman Wayne Coyne. It was Michelle who ultimately connected Meyer with Racine, who produced, recorded and mixed the 10 songs that would become It’s Spooky To Be Young.
“We made the whole record during a crazy month when I was going through a lot of personal stuff,” Meyer says. “All of that definitely factored into the emotionality of my performance and the way it came out sounding.” Despite the difficult times, Meyer managed to stay positive. “I try not to get bogged down by negative things,” she says. “Something beautiful can come out of hard times and that’s where I focused my energy.”
Meyer said that her goal was to use layers, lyrics and melodies to “create something emotional that stirs up your gut.” Strings, guitars, keyboards, xylophones and Meyer’s sweet yet sultry vocals bring listeners to an otherworldly place that’s both comforting and challenging.
Meyer is also involved in a groundbreaking project with author Jessica Bendinger, who wrote the screenplay for the famed cheerleader film Bring It On. Struck by Meyer’s unique voice and introspective songwriting, Bendinger asked Meyer to contribute a tune to one of the first ever soundtracks to accompany a book, and chose “Video Game Girl,” which appears on the soundtrack to Bendinger’s first novel, The Seven Rays, as well as on It’s Spooky ...
Since throwing a record release party for Spooky during New York’s CMJ Festival last October, Meyer frequently finds herself on both coasts performing shows at venues including The Living Room and Webster Hall with her three-piece backing band, and at LA venues like Three Clubs, Spaceland, and art gallery venues. She intends to continue playing live around the U.S. well into 2010, and will soon begin work on her third studio album. “I want to find a secluded spot somewhere in the woods to record, maybe a cabin in Oklahoma.” she says, adding that she’ll be partnering with producer Racine once again.
-Laura Ferreiro
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