Photo and Makeup: Catrina Hall Photography
Starting the week off with an Interview with Megan Wilde. This lady will knock you to the ground with the sheer force of her voice. Seeing that I think Megan has such a unique voice, I’ll make this a bit more than an Interview by sharing her Bio as well as the answers to questions from me. The 2 songs from the upcoming EP “Wildfire” featured below , showcase Megan’s command of soulful blues. The title track “Wildfire” was featured here last month as a Record of the Day. Start your week off by discovering the talent of Megan Wilde….
Bio from Megan Wilde.com
Bio
Real. Raw. Gritty. Soulful. Fiery. Bold. Electric. Smoky. Soaked in Whisky. Seattle Music Insider has declared Megan Wilde a “soul powerhouse” while the Examiner exclaimed, ‘”Wilde could very well become a musical force with which to be reckoned”. With a scorching voice that knows no boundaries, a fiery on stage presence, and a robust and bodacious soul for crafting music – Megan Wilde’s music has been compared to the likes of Aretha Franklin, The Black Keys, Beyonce, Adele and The White Stripes.
Megan B. Wilde was a school yard nickname given to her for her talent for climbing trees, getting in fights with boys, and running around covered in dirt with wild untamed lioness hair. You could say she’s always been a bit rough around the edges. Growing up in a small town outside of Chicago never suited her style, and at 15 she found her ticket out. She was accepted into one of the world’s finest performing arts schools – Interlochen Academy of The Fine Arts. Day in and day out she studied music and art from the masters. Her teachers quickly learned that while she was talented – ball gowns, opera, and being neat as a button was not her thang. Once you’ve been seduced by the brash, rusty, soulful voices – there is no turning back.
Fake ID in hand, Megan says she ”deliriously roamed the south side of Chicago desperate for any music that shook my bones and howled to the darkest parts of my soul” Her performances around the city quickly earned her the nickname ‘Baby Blues”. Traveling around the country and soaking up music, Megan somehow landed in Seattle with just a suitcase, a dream, and a independent boss lady attitude.
Look out for Megans debut EP release -Wildfire- on May 19th, 2015. When recording Wildfire at one of Seattle’s top studios, London Bridge, the artist brought in mastering wizard – Howie Wineberg. Howie is a 4 time Grammy nominee with an estimated quarter of a billion records sold. Producing, composing and arranging the material on the record (with the exception of “Spoonful”), Wilde also takes the helm on Wurlitzer, piano, and of course, the powerhouse vocals. Wildfire combines elements of indie-rock, blues, soul and R & B. On top of being awarded a finalist position by The Great American Song Contest, her debut album has been showered with early praise from critics around the nation.
The 50thirdand3rd Interview With – Megan Wilde
Can you give us a little background info on the roads that led to your
1st Album
When you listen to my music you’ll hear the broken down and dirty Chicago blues clubs I used to haunt. You’ll hear the
long nights I spent drunkenly dancing in sequins in a disco/funk band. You’ll hear the nights I lost the battle with insomnia
and sang Aretha Franklin until the morning, and you’ll hear the love of discipline and structure from arduously studying
Beethoven.
What makes Chicago so special to you…
This is a really surprising question and something I’ve never thought about. Growing up, Chicago was always like the wild
west to me. It has a sense of lawlessness about it. The people I knew were very tough, but in spite of their troubled lives
they grew into beautiful spirits. My music seems to strike at the heart’s of people who have suffered a bit.
How old were you when you figured out , you had that booming
voice…
When I was 8, I remember singing Toni Braxton’s “Unbreak My Heart” at a ‘recording studio’ in Six Flags. The sound
engineer said I was amazing and played it over all the loud speakers in the amusement park. I remember seeing
people’s startled reactions, but I started crying because I thought I sounded like Minnie Mouse.
How would you describe your music…
Real. Raw. Gritty. Soulful. Fiery. Bold. Electric. Smoky.
Who are the members of your band, and can you give us a little of their
background….
Harry Wirth is a bass funkmachine, he knows how to get people on their feet and shakin’ their booty. He’s always
surprised me with his ingenuity – he’ll throw in Beatlesque melody if the mood strikes him. My drummer Anthony Burns
grew up playing multiple instruments in the church – and plays from the heart every single time. Larson Haakenstad has
played guitar with me for years now and kills his blues guitar solo’s I just let him go as long as he wants.
Jakael Tristam is the sound engineer and I’m confident he is one of the top talents in Washington, if not the country. Any
sound I imagine he can create, it’s like working with a wizard. I brought in Roger Mark Wood on the organ – he actually
has a documentary of his life being made in Hollywood. He was scouted by Stevie Wonder at 16 years old and opened for
The Rolling Stones. I’ve been blessed with a lot of support from great talents.
A few albums from your youth that will never leave your turntable…
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is my all time favorite album. I have an unhealthy obsession with Johnny Cash’s
American V. My favorite songs are ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen, ‘Aint No Way’ by Aretha Franklin, ‘Seven Nation Army’
by The White Stripes, and ‘Gossip Folk’ by Missy Elliot.
When did you realize that you were going to make a record….
I had some offers from producers and management teams to work with me in creating my first album – but it started a fire
within me to do it myself. I was blessed (or perhaps cursed) with a fiercly independent spirit since I was little, and I
wanted to have full creative control.
Do you see yourself as a singer songwriter, and do the lyrics comes
first and then the music or is it the other way around…
When I imagine singer songwriters, I imagine someone with bangs and unkempt hair plucking out minor chords between
tears. So yes, that description does fit me. BUT I also like sequins, drinking whiskey, full bellied laughter, and dancing
until I get whiplash 🙂
Any plans for the rest of 2015…..
I’m actually working on my next album that I want to release in Fall 2015. It’ll be a larger body of work that showcases
more of who I am as an artist. Thank you for taking the time to talk about my EP release (May 19
and a pleasure to have my music featured on your webpage!
“Wildfire” from Wildfire by Megan Wilde. Released: 2015.
Megan Wilde, Facebook
Megan Wilde, Twitter
