Meghan Cary with Analog Gypsies
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2014 | SELF | AFTRA
Music
Press
"You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll beg for more." - The News and Observer
"Can the world stand one more story-telling troubadour? If the artist in question is Cary, the answer is a resounding yes. Inspection of this title cut from her wonderful six-song EP reveals a poetic flair reminiscent of the initial efforts of Indigo Girls and Shawn Colvin. Perhaps the best thing about Cary is that she’s neither superficial nor obnoxiously self-possessed. Rather, she unfurls a tale of love lost with a passionate, empathetic hand. the song's simple acoustic arrangement is an added treat. No bells and whistles here. Just a great song performed in a most intimate and engaging manner. Seek this one out." - Billboard Magazine
Meghan Cary was Indie before Indie was cool. The former theater actress fell into songwriting through personal tragedy in the late 1990’s. What began as catharsis and tribute to her then-recently deceased fiancé turned into a win of Billboard Magazine’s Critics’ Choice for Best Newcomer in 1998. Cary was quickly drawn into the folk scene, touring extensively and recording/releasing three critically acclaimed albums. Cary met her husband, Peter Farrell (The BlackTails) at a Meghan Cary show at CBGB’s Gallery, at a time when touring was becoming old hat. She settled down and built a home and a family, but music was never really gone from her life. Cary returns on January 31, 2012 with her first album in eight years, Building This House. A story of recovery, rebuilding and ultimately, happiness, Building This House is a personal tale full of the resilience of the human spirit. And while Meghan Cary has been rightly compared to the likes of Shawn Colvin, the Indigo Girls, Natalie Merchant and Stevie Nicks over the years, on Building This House she offers a voice that’s influenced by those above, but distinctly her own.
Cary gets started with the title track, a refreshingly smooth and mature piece of pop songwriting that’s an ode to family to be. Cary’s voice is mildly soulful, and the almost harpsichord style sound from the synth gives this something of a baroque-pop ballad feel. “Lost You In The Light” is a brilliant marriage of poetry and music. Cary’s mildly soulful pop arrangement wraps itself around lyrics about the human tendency to lose sight of what’s important from time to time. This organic blend of thought and muse reflects an artist who spends a lot of time inside her own thoughts, yet still manages to convey the output in an artful manner. “Responsibility” is a morality tale told from a personal perspective, reflecting on those we see around us in hardship every day. The message is solid and poignant in difficult economic times, but the subject has been covered many times over with more power. Nevertheless, the wonderfully jazzy piano work underscores an arrangement that will get this song some attention.
“I Might Miss You” shows off Cary’s ear for melody in no uncertain terms. A song about discovering what you really want after you’ve already cast it aside, the song’s theme unrolls in your brain like it was always written there and therefore refuses to leave. This sort of honest, sweet love song is always appealing, but Cary delivers it with a sincerity and simple power that is compelling. Cary digs into a delicious blues/rock arrangement with lots of soul for “Through Walking”. This catchy number builds slowly, and will likely become a live favorite. It would be nice to hear Cary open this one up a bit more vocally, but the song sits well as delivered.
“Invitation” is a powerful love song that might be about opening your heart to love, or perhaps something a bit more carnal. Either way, Cary plays it straight and manages to create one of the most intriguing listens of the newborn 2012. The compact pop/rock arrangement delivers the song with an economy of style that allows the raw desire of the song to be the star. “Darker Song” is all about the unstable emotional ground that leads to a breakup. This woeful, haunting tune finds Cary coming to terms with what her heart has known for some time. The universal appeal of this song will come from the fact that almost anyone who hears it will have been there once in their life, and Cary captures the moment in a near-perfect blend of poetry and musical scenery.
“Moon Song” explores the complicated emotions that arise from learning a former love has moved on. In this case he is getting married. This is all about the emotional turmoil that turns up at such a time, particularly when unsettled feelings still in play, and about the phone call or letters that happen at such times that rarely turn out of the better. Cary plays this as if she’s lived it, and her representation in song is compellingly human, mixing desire, need, desperation and pain with that one little drop of hope that drives humanity to seek the impossible. This is a brilliant, if raw, piece of songwriting that will haunt you. Cary closes with “Live!”, a Sunday go to meeting song with a single message: seize the moment. The energy here is tremendous, and punctuates the collection of songs about chances lost and gained with a simple directive: never give up on yourself.
Meghan Cary has lived both dreams and nightmares, and reflects upon them all in artful and symbolic songs on Building This House. This album is a study in remembering that not only are good experiences build us, but that the ones we’d rather forget are often even strong shapers of the people we are to become. Cary shares her story in honest and uncontrived language throughout the album, and blends these stories with arrangements that often perfectly shadow the mood of each moment. The only pos - Wildy’s World
The Rundown
Sound Quality:
* * * *
Production:
* * * * *
Musicianship:
* * * * *
Originality:
* * * *
Over All:
* * * *
In a time when the corporate music world continues to serve up cookie-cutter artists singing songs with lyrics straight off dime store greeting cards, it's gratifying to have an artist like Meghan Cary around. Onion Dreams finds Cary showcasing her multi-faceted talents as singer/songwriter/guitarist and co-producer on this project. Cary, along with her co-producer, Kevin Lacy, draws from a wide array of musical influences with a well-crafted blend of Pop, Rock and Americana that is a signature sound for Cary. It is as refreshing and smooth as the finest whiskey money can buy. She is truly a writer's writer. A captivating storyteller with songs like "Lori's Song," "Zero MPH" and "Rain Song," illustrate Cary's stellar gift of songwriting. The musicianship on this recording is superb! It features quite a supporting cast of musicians including spectacular performances by John Ginty on Hammond B-3, Jonathan Dinklage on fiddle, and George Marge, Jr. on alto flute. The result is texture, pure, noble and moving. Call it art.
- The Global Muse
“Can the world stand one more sensitive storytelling troubadour?
If the artist in question is (Meghan) Cary, the answer is a resounding yes. Although it would be easy to accuse her of being another Lilith wannabe, inspection of this title cut from her wonderful six-song EP reveals a poetic flair reminiscent of the initial efforts of Indigo Girls and Shawn Colvin. Perhaps the best thing about Cary is that she’s neither superficial nor obnoxiously self-possessed. Rather, she unfurls a tale of love lost with a passionate, empathetic hand. the song's simple acoustic arrangement is an added treat. No bells and whistles here. Just a great song performed in a most intimate and engaging manner. Seek this one out."
- Billboard Magazine
"It is Meghan Cary's curse that she's funny because nothing gets a singer/songwriter typecast better than a way with a wisecrack (just ask Loudon Wainwright III). But rather than suppress herself, Cary has wisely chosen to embrace her inner stand-up comic on her new album, 'Live at Your House', which does not scrimp on the humor. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll beg for more." - The News and Observer
The Rundown
Sound Quality:
* * * *
Production:
* * * * *
Musicianship:
* * * * *
Originality:
* * * *
Over All:
* * * *
In a time when the corporate music world continues to serve up cookie-cutter artists singing songs with lyrics straight off dime store greeting cards, it's gratifying to have an artist like Meghan Cary around. Onion Dreams finds Cary showcasing her multi-faceted talents as singer/songwriter/guitarist and co-producer on this project. Cary, along with her co-producer, Kevin Lacy, draws from a wide array of musical influences with a well-crafted blend of Pop, Rock and Americana that is a signature sound for Cary. It is as refreshing and smooth as the finest whiskey money can buy. She is truly a writer's writer. A captivating storyteller with songs like "Lori's Song," "Zero MPH" and "Rain Song," illustrate Cary's stellar gift of songwriting. The musicianship on this recording is superb! It features quite a supporting cast of musicians including spectacular performances by John Ginty on Hammond B-3, Jonathan Dinklage on fiddle, and George Marge, Jr. on alto flute. The result is texture, pure, noble and moving. Call it art. - The Global Muse
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
"Seek this one out." ---Billboard Magazine
Meghan Cary with Analog Gypsies is a 2-5 piece band playing
award-winning originals ranging from lean-in-and-listen ballads to shake-your-booty jams. They also rock a full cover program ranging
from Elvis to Katy Perry, served up with a unique Analog Gypsies flavor, and designed to get people dancing and singing
along to the songs they know and love.
At the core of the band is the duo Meghan Cary w/Peter Farrell.
This Keyboard/guitar combo lays down a big musical footprint with cool
grooves and tight vocal harmonies. Add to that the tasty mandolin
stylings of Jocko MacNelly, cool grooves of drummer Quint Lange, and not-your-typical-bluegrass banjo playing and vocal harmony of Stacy
Weathers for the full A.G. experience.
A Meghan Cary concert - duo, trio, or full band - is more than just
music. Come prepared for an evening of great music, powerful storytelling, dancing, and
singing along. As one critic exclaims: "You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll
beg for more!" (Critic's Pick the News and Observer)
Meghan's Bio
Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter Meghan Carys music-career debut was an unintentional triumph. She won Billboard Magazines esteemed Critics Choice for Best Newcomer for her first album New Shoes. Up till then she was a theatre actress with over 100 credits for her work in the U.S. and Europe and she had a successful voiceover career. When her fiance Matthew Black unexpectedly died, she picked up his guitar and cathartically wrote her debut, followed by two other albums (which got raves from Global Muse and KozmicBlues.net), and dove into a successful folk-circuit music career with an ambitious D.I.Y. touring schedule. Her smoky voice, emotionally-dynamic singing, and vulnerable writing garnered favorable comparisons to Natalie Merchant, Shawn Colvin, Indigo Girls, and Stevie Nicks. At a gig at the legendary CBGBs, Meghan met her husband who was in the opening band. The two married, relocated, and had two children. Initially Meghan tucked away her music career, worrying it would interfere with being a devoted mother, but as the journey of motherhood unfolded she realized being a good mother meant being a complete person and began to understand what an enriching symbiotic relationship music and motherhood could have. On January 31st, 2012 Meghan Cary released her first album in 6 years, the slinky and aptly titled, Building This House. Her fourth album chronicles her rebuilding life up from her painful past to her current joyous present, being happily married with two children.
Though Meghan built a home with a family she never officially closed the door on music. Like any career-minded parent she grappled with growing as a professional while raising kids. Her multi-instrumentalist husband Peter Farrell (The BlackTails) is an active musician and the two first met in 2002 at a Meghan Cary show. He kept me in the game by meeting me just when I was getting tired of the whole touring life and the hustling necessary to make a career in music happen. And, as cliche as it sounds, I was finding myself ready to settle down and have kids, Meghan candidly explains.
Meghan and Peter gigged together after they met, and even after they had kids they did spot dates. The musics evolution ran parallel to our building a life together and starting a family, Meghan says. That evolution accelerated when Peter was auditioning bassist Jocko MacNelly for a jazz combo to play standards. Meghan heard something special in the two mens interactions and with the addition of Western African and Afro-Caribbean grooves of Quint Lange, Meghan found she had a band that could organically share in the creative process. Its a whole different vibe creating with a band, Meghan says enthusiastically. This was a whole new way of making music. I was bringing in half-written songs and writing them in the room with the band. Not only will fans note her rejuvenated writing and the fuller sound, but the biggest surprise is the sense of groove and tasteful harmonic sophistication that refreshes the three-chords-and-the-truth nature of Meghans humble folk-singer origins.
Band Members
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