Megan Slankard
10th Annual Folk/Singer-Songwriter Song
Vox Pop Winner
8th Annual Cover Song Vox Pop Winner
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Record Label: n/a
www.meganslankard.com
Home Base: San Francisco, CA
Genre: Lyrical/ Acoustic/ Rock and Roll
Category Entered: Folk / Singer-Songwriter Song
Work Submitted: “The Happy Birthday”
Artists Featured: Written by Megan Slankard, performed by Megan Slankard, James Deprato, Danny Blau, Kyle Caprista, and Jeff Symonds
Label: Unsigned
URLs:
www.meganslankard.com (official web site)
www.facebook.com/meganslankard (facebook)
www.sonicbids.com/meganslankard (epk)
Influences: The Beatles, Kings of Leon, Paul Simon, Jelly Fish…
Describe your nominated work: I wrote the song to sing for a friend on his birthday. He is the kind of person who doesn’t really want or need anything. Very content (and hard to shop for.) This was a fun way of doing something meaningful and still stay in the lines of my musician budget.
Why did you choose to submit this work to The 10th IMA’s? I thought this would be a great opportunity to see what people thought of the song. I had also heard other artists tell of their good experiences with the contest.
Did you use any unusual effects or instruments in this recording? The only thing really unusual about the song is I actually played the piano, and I really don’t play it very well. It adds to the charm.
Were there any happy accidents while in the studio, or did everything go as planned? We were supposed to record a piano part in the song, but the piano in the studio was out of tune. We just did a quick scratch recording that we thought we would replace later. However, after listening to the song with the ratty piano mix in it, we decided it made the track just a little more “charming” so we kept it.
Did fans help you fund this project? This was a self funded album.
Who’s sitting in your audience? Our audience is made up of everyone from 5 to 80 years old. I feel very fortunate to have such diverse crowd.
What makes your fans unique? My fans tend to also be fans of other independent artists and it makes them unbelievably supportive. They are also very good looking.
Are there any songs you wish you wrote? “Golden Slumbers” by The Beatles, and anything by Prince.
What artists are you listening to that would surprise your fans? I like some hard rock: Metallica and Kings X. I also really love Al Jarreau who is definitely not hard rock.
What is your dream show lineup? Me opening for Prince.
What are your guilty pleasures on the road? Chocolate Milk, Stephen King Books on Tape.
Any close calls or mishaps while on tour? On a recent tour my car slipped in some gravel and pulled me off the road into the shoulder ditch. I busted a tire. It was raining and there may have been wolves. An adorable couple pulled over, wiped my tears away and helped me change the tire. I was only 10 minutes late to my show.
Do you have any rituals before you go on stage? Backstage right before a show is usually the time I forget how to play all of my music.
Should music be free? I think that could be up to the artist. I frequently give my music away for free (maybe more so than not) – both on CD and Performances. If every aspect of music were free we would have to think of another way to supplement the artists to help them learn a living wage. Donations and sponsors, government grants for the arts. I have a open mind. How has digital affected your career? I love that music is more frequently digital. Don’t get me wrong, I also love holding an actual CD in my hand and having that artwork and the lyrics right there. But digital is great, it can be more flexible and reach a lot further, it also has much less packaging waste…
Are digital singles vs. full albums the future of music? We shall see. I see pluses and minuses to both. Having digital singles is good in a fast world. It’s easy and quick to release and a good way to keep people interested. An album is more like a work of art. Sometimes songs are part of something greater, a bigger picture, and that is why I think an album will always be relevant.
Finish this sentence: The music industry is… a circus. We’re all doing a bunch different things, juggling this, balancing that, but we’re all a part of the same show. Take a bow.