So... 2020. WHAT is going on. We've all been hearing these words a lot lately, but these truly are "unprecedented times" we are living in, and life has been turned upside down for all of us. For me, I moved in with my sister and her family just before the lockdown was fully imposed. I am very lucky and grateful to be surrounded by my loving family.
We spent the first few weeks muddling along, getting things set up for working from home and home-schooling the kids, and drinking copious amounts of wine each evening to cope with the shock of what was unfolding before us on the news. Of course, it didn't take long before I decided it was time to write a song - partly to document such a monumentous time (at least of my own, somewhat limited experience of it), also as a way to express all the overwhelm, and the distraction of having a project to focus on. I wasn't sure at first what the mood of the song would/should be, but the first verse came very quickly - and when the line about pyjamas slipped out, I knew it was going to have a lighthearted slant :)
I played the work-in-progress for my niece and nephew and they loved it, and even helped me finish a line I was struggling with. Legends. I thought it would be a great project to get them involved in the video (and much more interesting to watch than just me playing it)! They really stepped up to the mark, and we pretty much shot it all in a day. They took it all in their stride, performed without hesitation, and I'm sure it comes across that we had a lot of fun!
The final verse has a more serious tone, and I really wanted to honour even a few of the amazing acts of kindness that have come out in this difficult time, with communities coming together to support each other. Big thanks to everyone who allowed me to use their image, including Mary Taylor, Keighley Bus Company and Gills Top Care Home, to name just a few - all are credited at the end of the video. Check it out here:
One positive that has come out of lockdown for me has been a real return to music. I've taken somewhat of a hiatus over the past two years, but the last few months I've been writing again, making videos (including this one for a fantastic Leeds-based band I joined last year called The State of Georgia), gigging on my sister's driveway (for VE Day and every Thursday evening after the clap for our carers), and finishing my next album off remotely with my producer Patrick. I've been loving every second of making music again, and I can't wait to share some new sounds with you all. Watch this space...
Stay safe everyone, and remember to be kind to others, and to yourself.
Love, Meghann x P.S. Here's my favourite photo from our VE Day gig - my niece and nephew both rocked the mic on their own a few times, and this is us performing "Life on Lockdown" live together. So proud of them!
After over a decade of living in the North East, the time has finally come to move on.
I first moved to Newcastle in 2005 for university, and ended up staying for a good long while after! Over the past 11 years I’ve studied at both major universities (BMus at Newcastle, MA at Northumbria), worked as a peripatetic and private music tutor, jumped into self-employment, ran open mic nights, joined numerous bands, played countless gigs all around the region, made several life-long friends, and met so many wonderful people. I still can’t do a Geordie accent, but have picked up a few select words! Canny place, like.
Send me stuff!!
I’ve been making a list of all the musical projects I’ve been involved with in the Newcastle area over the years, and intend to write a blog documenting it - if anyone has any photos/videos/recordings of ANY of these bands or projects, please do send them my way! Email info@meghannclancy.co.uk
I’ve also written a song, which I’ll record and upload in due course - need to get my keyboard and microphone unpacked first! I am currently surrounded by the lush green hills and drystone walls (and many sheep!) of the Yorkshire Dales, where I grew up. We’ll keep you updated with our adventures here, and beyond.
Press and Radio News
More features for “Chapter One: Lost” this month; according to NE Volume, it is “the kind of reserved recording saved for a seat in your comfiest chair with a scotch on the rocks and a bloody great novel on a moonless night”. Read the full review here: http://nevolume.co.uk/albumreview/264
And the guys over at Chicago-based blog Unrecorded have featured In Time on their site:
If you’ve been following on social media, you’ll know I’ve started a Spotify playlist to showcase my choice of super talented upcoming and lesser known singer-songwriters.
This week’s new tunes come from a mix of people… probably my all-time favourite songwriter from the North East, whom I’ve had the pleasure of sharing a stage with on several occasions, to fantastic Tony Bengtsson; Jess Vincent, a gorgeous folk artist who I came across during a songwriting weekend in Devon, Scottish singer Yvonne Lyon, with an absolutely beautiful song that I heard her perform at BAAFest last year, and another BAAfest favourite, fun-loving Harry Bird and the Rubber Wellies. Which brings me to the next feature…
BAAFest
I’ll be returning to BAAFest in Bellingham, Northumberland for the 4th time this September to manage the beer tent stage, and this year I’ll even be performing a set in the Assembly Hall with my lovely band! Our slot is Sunday 10th September at 12 noon. It’s a really lovely family-friendly festival, great music and wonderful atmosphere. Check out the ticket deals and find more information over at http://www.baafest.co.uk
And finally…
London gig
I’m happy to announce that I will be heading to the big smoke in October to perform at The Bedford in Balham! I’ll be in touch with more info, but I can confirm the date - Thursday 26th October - get it in your diary. I'd love to book in another gig while I'm down there, perhaps play some open mics... please send your recommendations my way.
Facebook
Oh, and we’ve hit 1,000 likes on Facebook too - if you haven’t done that already and you’re a Facebook user, come and join the family! www.facebook.com/meghannclancymusic
I think that’s plenty to be getting on with - don't forget to check out 'Chapter One: Lost' if you haven't already!
You can now also listen to the third and final track - Hunt My Heart. I co-wrote this song with Laurie Shepherd - her music is absolutely beautiful, and definitely worth a listen.
I'd be really grateful if you could stream the track via Amazing Tunes, to give me a chance of being played on Amazing Radio, a fantastic digital station. Listen here.
Lyric video for 'Hunt My Heart'
Thanks again for your support, it would mean so much to me if you can continue to spread the word about my music.
Track 2 from "Chapter One: Lost" is now live. Introducing: Life Jacket
Rather more hard-hitting than my last song. It's also quite a depature from my previous material stylistically, and is certainly one of the most serious subject matters I've approached.
A little bit of context: I wrote this song after watching the BBC documentary "Exodus: Our Journey To Europe". A fantastic documentary, and portrait of the migration crisis. Unfortunately, despite all the kind hearted people in this world, there are still those who will try and profit from the misfortune of others, and one thing that stuck in my mind was the fact that some life jackets being sold were not authentic, and actually absorbed water rather then helping the wearer keep afloat. Keep that in mind when listening to the song, which is also written from the perespective of a life jacket. Of all the songs on the album, it seemed an obvious addition to "Chapter One: Lost".
Hopefully it will get you thinking. Would love to know your thoughts and opinions, please share so as many people as possible can see it.
The video was created entirely using footage from Flickr. Special thanks to all the photographer and filmmakers that allowed their work to be used under Flickr's 'creative commons' license. All artists are credited at the end of the video.
Keep your eye out for next week's video, and the full arrival of "Chapter One: Lost"
Every Monday for the next 3 weeks, I will be throwing new tunes your way!
Original artwork by the fantastic Elizabeth Fraser - this is actually just a small part of a larger painting, which will be the artwork for the full album. It's absolutely beautiful; I'm so grateful to have had Elizabeth on board with this project, and I can't recommend her highly enough. Check out her work here: http://fraserartstudio.com
This will culminate in the official release of "Chapter One: Lost" - a collection of 3 songs taken from my upcoming album Lost & Found, focusing around the themes of loss and longing. The collection will be available on Monday July 17th on all major online platforms (Spotify, iTunes, etc...)
In Time
You can check out the first of these songs RIGHT NOW!
'In Time' is a nostalgic reminiscence of the innocence of young love, and how this can change when difficulties arise.
And check out the music video on YouTube, made by Marc Bird and filmed up in beautiful Alnmouth, Northumberland.
This is the first time I've put out new music in quite a while, and I'd absolutely love to hear what you think. As always, I really appreciate your support, and if you'd like to share the song and video with friends, family, anyone you think might enjoy it, then that would be fantastic. I'm really proud of the song and video, so let's get it out there!
Here's one of the recent shots David took (possibly my favourite, but I keep changing my mind!)
Really chuffed with the website, hope you like it too! If you haven't already, please sign up to my mailing list - you can do this if you scroll to bottom of the main page. Lots of exciting things happening over the coming months to keep you up-to-date with :)
Pleased to announce I've recruited some fine musicians to play along to my songs with me. They're a lovely bunch. Introducing: Paul Emmett (electric guitar/keys/BVs), Steven Moore (Percussion), Iain Phillips (double bass).
We will play our first gig together THIS SUNDAY at one of my favourite venues, Surfcafe Tynemouth. Hope to see you there!
I had great fun performing and running the beer tent stage again. Saw some fantastic live acts, and discovered some new bands and artists. It's a lovely little festival with a really friendly atmosphere, I'd highly recommend it. Well done and thanks to Paul and Fiona for all their hard work. See you next year!
Me and my lovely guitarist Paul Emmet, and the supremely talented Laurie Shepherd, will be road tripping down to the Yorkshire Dales on June 4th for a very special concert!
Do come and join us if you're in the area - I can vouch for the food, it will be yummy!
I don't usually go in for songwriting contests, but this is one I'd recommend if you're into that sort of thing - you get guaranteed (and helpful) feedback on all song entries, with scores on each section, and comments that show someone actually listened to your song (which should be a given, but in some of the big contests it's impossible to know whether your song even got played all the way through)!
If you didn't hear/see it yet, here is a repost of the official "Off Limits" music video :)
A few months ago we were invited to do a live video shoot for BBC Introducing, in association with Gateshead College. I was joined by the wonderful Paul Emmett on piano.
As you may know, I am a member of the Shoeshop Quartet - an a cappella, close harmony vocal group. Now, it was all kept top secret, and the band wanted to keep it a surprise, but this week we opened for the legendary Lindisfarne for their Christmas shows at Newcastle City Hall!
WHAT an experience! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Highlights including our 'vintage' santa-inspired dresses, our cover of Alan Hull's song "Nights" (I was on lead - no pressure...!) and of course, singing back-up for the band on the grand finale, "Clear White Light".
From a gig we played at the Octagon in Grassington, Yorkshire Dales
Phew! Think that's it for now, happy reading, and a massive THANK YOU to all the above publications for supporting my music, it really does mean the world x x x
Listen again to Nick Roberts BBC Newcastle Introducing show from the weekend - he very kindly played "My Hero" amongst some great local North East talent, as well as interviews with some of the NARC. team for their upcoming festival. Listen here
My good friend TheRunningChelsea has also recently released two videos, which I had the pleasure of featuring in. Check out the videos here and read the exclusive.
In other news I will be gigging in London this month! If you're in the area, come along to see me and 3 talented singer-songwriters at The Good Ship in Kilburn, Tuesday 14th July. Hope to see you there!
- Name that musical! (If you got my geeky show-tune title reference, congratulations. You are officially awesome). So, it's been a while since I last blogged (is that a real word?), it's about time for a little update!
Emma Stevens Support
First and foremost, some info on my next gig. I will be supporting the wonderful Emma Stevens when she comes to Newcastle on her UK tour. The gig is on TUESDAY 15th APRIL AT THE CLUNY. I'm really looking forward to seeing Emma and her band play live, watch the video below to get an idea of her sound.
Tickets are £12 on the door or £10 in advance - or I can sort you out with a sweet deal - get in touch on Facebook or email me at info@meghannclancy.co.uk
Grassington Festival
Another gig announcement - I will be performing at the wonderful Grassington Festival in June! Not only is Grassington my home town (home village?), but it hosts a fantastic arts festival for 3 weeks every year, this year headliners include Heather Small and The Boomtown Rats, as well as comedian Omid Djalili.
I will be playing at the Octagon Theatre on Sunday June 22nd, at a variety evening with spoken word from Ray Snape, and more music from local legends Slack Alice.
My last few posts were all about my charity single, 'Baby of the Storm'. I am pleased to tell you that so far we (including gift aid), we have raised over £450 for the Disasters Emergency Committee! Thank you so much to anyone reading this who kindly donated to the cause, and anyone who watched and shared the music video, I hope you enjoyed it :)
BUT - it's not over yet. The DEC do some really invaluable work. One of their biggest recent appeals is the Philippines Appeal, which 'Baby of the Storm' is all about. However, any money donated will not go just to that, but to new and ongoing appeals, such as the Syria Crisis. To quote their website:
The
DEC brings 13 leading UK aid charities together in times of crisis:
Action
Aid, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, Care International,
Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Plan UK,
Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision; all collectively
raising money to reach those in need quickly.
So, dig deep people!! If you would still like to make a donation, please visit my Virgin Money Give page. And if you didn't see the music video yet, here it is!
AND REMEMBER - if you donate, as a huge thank you from me, you get your very own download of the song.
Peculiar Disco Moves
If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter (if you don't you totally should...) then you may have seen I have recently become the newest member of the band Peculiar Disco Moves. Described as "a bunch of North Eastern waifs and strays who form highly addictive pop songs with off-the-wall lyrical tirades", I've had a lot of fun with these guys so far! Already played a couple of gigs, I'm still trying to master swapping between tambourine, cowbell, and the shiny new synth they've lent me, whilst also warbling over the top and sporting an extremely sparkly disco ball-esque dress. The new single 'Lost For Words' is out on May 9th, and last weekend we shot the official music video, which features outfits and instruments in the style of various decades. 80s was particularly fun... Apparently my ability to keep a serious face is impressive. Must be those years of practice with my sister of who would win the game of 'whoever laughs first loses'.
I will of course let you know when the video is out! And if you can come along to the launch, it's May 9th at the Mining Institute in Newcastle upon Tyne. Keep an eye out for other future gigs too :)
Things are also going well with the Shoeshop Quartet girls, we may have seemed a little quiet as of late but we've been working hard on getting a new website together, which we will share with you soon along with some other little treats...
New Song Collaboration
Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I was approached on SoundCloud by a fellow musician, a producer based in Indonesia. We have been working on a co-write, which you can listen to a taster of here!
It's been an interesting experience writing in a new way, and something I would like to do more of. Give it a listen and let me know what you think of it so far :)
New Live Videos
Courtesy of Musical Allsorts Presents, here is a new live video of an old favourite track from my debut album - Neck of the Woods. Check out their other videos, lots of talented people on their and well made films - they even do reviews and shop sessions now - if you're a musician based in the North East definitely get in touch with these guys!
And finally...
Two silly videos of me and Jen Armstrong. Jen is a SUPER talented singer-songwriter, and one of my best friends in the whole world. She came to visit me a few weeks ago and we got a little, shall we say... giddy. Children of the 90s, you will appreciate this:
And if you have no idea what's going on in this last one, shame on you... go and watch some Father Ted now. RIGHT NOW. I apologise in advance for my accent. I am in fact half Irish - which must be why I sound so damn convincing....
ENJOY! And I will be in touch soon. And hit me up about those Emma Stevens tickets - TUESDAY APRIL 15TH AT THE CLUNY!
I'd
like to once again say a massive thank you to the people who have
made it happen - Liam Gaughan for recording and mixing the
track, Jonny from Softwhere for producing a spectacular video, Jon
Paylor for his photographic contributions, and finally my Dad for
sparking the idea and giving me an important starting place (the
title)! Here is the video - please share, and leave a comment to let us know what you think!
See
the post 'words, words, words' for the lyric.
For
those who are interested, here is some background of how I went about
writing, recording, and releasing the song.
The
writing process
It
was hard to know where to start. I decided to do some research
online, and immediately discovered a mass of heartbreaking stories -
just type "Typhoon Philippines baby" into Google and you'll
see what I mean. Stories of women having to walk for miles while in
labour just to get to the nearest makeshift clinics, with few medical
supplies, often with no power, clean water or proper lighting, some
even without a roof, fighting against the consistent rain with only a
tarp overhead. Stories of the struggle after the babies are born,
like exhausted parents having to use a handheld pump to help their
new born breathe as it is the only ventilation support available. But
heartwarming stories too, of 'miracle babies', and the couple who
named their son Yolando, the masculine version of Typhoon Yolanda -
"it's because we don't want to forget what we had to go through
and because we got another life" (father, Meller Balabog).
These
stories had a huge influence on what came to be 'Baby of the Storm',
as I have absolutely no personal experience of what life must be like
in the aftermath of such a massive natural disaster. I don't have
children of my own, but being an aunt and seeing my sisters give
their children everything that they possibly can, to give them the
best life that they can, provided me with the vital link that I
needed to relate the stories to something personal. I have tried my
best to put myself in the shoes of one of these mothers; it is always
challenging to write from someone else's perspective, and this is
certainly the most challenging song I have written so far. I have no experience of what life must me be like out there, nor do I have any children of my own; I do have several nieces and nephews though, so this was my strongest emotional connection to imagining a little bit of what these mothers, wanting the best for their child, might be feeling.
From there, I did some free writing, which led to my first chorus that I wrote sat on a train - it was catchy but horrendously cheesy. Still, a good starting place - a couple of the lines made it into the chorus as it is now! I started getting frustrated though, when I couldn't find anything to fit with the chorus that I had. So I played around with some chord progressions, and did a lyric writing exercise I have been experimenting with called 'object writing', which helps generate very sense-bound language. I ended up taking many of these initial phrases and using them to start each verse (such as "I wish the first sound you heard was laughter", "I wish the first face you saw was your father's", and so on). These phrases, along with the chord progression and bits of my original chorus, led to a brand new melody and the rest of the words. I wrote most of it sat on my bed and wouldn't let myself leave until I'd got it out!
Sadly, a more recent Google search has shown that the struggle continues into the new year for the babies and mothers born when the typhoon hit, and for pregnant women preparing to give birth now.
“Many [expectant mothers] have lost their homes. They are now living in unhygienic environments. There is still debris in many areas of Tacloban”
"The babies’ deaths were likely related to the health of their mothers rather than the lack of access to medical facilities… a shortage of adequate shelter and proper nutrition following the typhoon could have affected the pregnancies".
Once
I had the song, just a vocal and simple guitar accompaniment, I
left it at that to reflect the personal, intimate relationship
between a mother and child. Now I needed to record the song, and who
best to help than Liam Gaughan? He also recorded my album 'Take
Flight'. Liam is a fantastic engineer, and also very sensitive to
connecting the emotion of the song, which was of paramount importance
in this case. We simultaneously came up with the idea for the tune at
the start to be played by a music box, as it seemed so fitting. A bit
of editing and mixing followed, and that was that.
Next
up, I really wanted a music video, as a strong visual image could
lend itself to an even stronger emotional connection to the song's
message. If you have followed my music over the past few years you
will know I have collaborated a few times now with 'Softwhere', on
their songs and on my own. Rather than performing live, 'Softwhere'
put their songs to video, and have produced some really interesting
and moving videos. I couldn't think of anyone I would trust more to
making a fitting music video, and thankfully Jonny agreed. We both
decided it would be particularly powerful to include some real news
footage from the Philippines. Unfortunately I was unable to obtain
any video footage (copyright issues were an absolute nightmare), I
did manage to get access to lots of fantastic photographs, I owe a
huge thank you to Jon Paylor, a family friend who also happens to be
a Royal Marine, and took loads of great photos when they visited the
Philippines to help build shelters just before Christmas. And a big
thanks as well to all those photographers who made their pictures
available through Flickr Creative Commons (see video for individual
credits).
Release
The
next question was how to release the song. I have self-released music
twice before - my single 'Neck of the Woods', and then my album 'Take
Flight'. Both times I used standard digital distribution methods,
paying a small fee to get my music up for sale and streaming on the
likes of iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and so on. But this time I didn't
want to do that, for a few reasons. First and foremost, I wanted the
charity to get as much money as possible, without a sizeable chunk
going to the stores (iTunes takes about a third, I believe). To
further this, I also wanted people to have the option of how much
they wanted to give, rather than pay a standard 79 pence. And, I
wanted the charity to get the money as quickly as possible - as
anyone who has ever self-released music will know, it takes several
months for you to even find out how many copies you have sold, let
alone get the money through for it. I also wanted people to feel
secure about where their money was going - directly to the charity -
rather than going through me first and then passed on.
I
did quite a bit of research into various options, and the best way to
achieve all these requirements was to set up a charitable giving
webpage, with the added bonus of Gift Aid. There are many to choose
from, and I looked into a few - Virgin Money was high up on the list
of the maximum amount going to charity, not that there was much in
it, then what sealed the deal was the page layout and the connection
with YouTube as I really wanted the option to embed the video on the
page.
So, that's it - and you can now visit the page! If
you donate as little as £1 (or as much as you like!), you will receive an automatic 'thank you' email containing a link to download the
song. Any support is appreciated. We can all do a little bit to help
these mothers, babies, and their families. PLEASE SHARE with others
you think may be interested in the cause. Thank you for your support! x x x
