Meg & Dia

I recently had a chance to sit down with Meg and the bassist for the band Jonathan for a little chat in an old movie theatre after their acoustic set. That’s right we were treated to an acoustic set here in grand old Winnipeg after the bands bus decided to freeze up in Saskatchewan. So after a few delays and some less than colorful words the band got here and played a great set. Thanks again to Meg and Jonathan for taking the time to answer my questions and let me know what the newest way to keep your toes or socks warm on a tour bus is!

---

Dwayne: So how’s tour going so far?

Meg: It’s just really cold. (laughs) That’s the first thing that comes to mind. But I like playing for the fans of Secondhand Serenade because I think that they can accept our music easier. We have done a lot of tours where the music has been entirely different then how we sound, like metal bands or hardcore bands we play in front of those kids and they just kind of stand there and stare blankly. So playing for these crowds they are just happier and fun. Our traveling situation has been better so far as we have a bus now. I think it would have been suicide to try and do it in a van. I think it’s gone really well so far. We are out with our new tour manager, sound guy and merch guy who are all fun to hang out with and all the other bands are great as well.

Dwayne: How do you like touring in Canada minus the cold weather?

Meg: Well the thing is the cold weather kind of wipes out every other aspect of it. It’s pretty and the people are really awesome actually. We were talking about this today actually maybe the cold weather makes everybody extra warm and nice inside. Maybe the warmth of peoples emotions is all they have because its so cold outside. I love Tim Hortons. I got that 2 days ago. I got a honey cruller, and one of those caramel butterscotch things and it was AMAZING!

Jonathan: If you took out the cold weather Canada would be amazing. The kids are cool so far since we have been here. I try to avoid Tim Hortons just like I avoid Duncan Donuts in the US. I’ll do it every once and a while because they do have good coffee.

Dwayne: The New album is here in April 2009. Why decide to title it Here, Here and Here?

Meg: Here, Here and Here is a quote from Mozart. He said there is nothing to composing meaning its really easy to write music you just have to listen to your heart, your mind and your ears. So he pointed to here, here and here. When we wrote this record, it was never about any specific part of life. It was about music in general. It was about trusting in yourself and whatever point in life your at and working with what you have to work with. That’s how we were as people when we where writing the record we knew we weren’t as far as we could go but we were a lot farther then we where so just take what you have and work with it.

Dwayne: What was it like writing this record compared to the other two? The self released and the other one being on Doghouse/Warner. Now that this one is solely released on Warner Bros Records so do you feel any added stress? 

Meg: When you’re talking about actually writing and recording the actual record there wasn’t any added stress really from Warner. When you’re in the studio, people from the label would pop in and out but they just really let the artist get into recording mode. It wasn’t like a lot of pressure when we were writing. I would say the part where they put the most pressure on us was when in the pre production stages when they would kind of give us their opinion of what they wanted certain songs to sound like or what they wanted the whole record to sound like. It’s really easy to say this is what we want this is how we write it and as soon as we present them with a demo our A&R person we worked with just got it. Contrary to popular belief we had a lot of freedom in the recording. I’ve been completely happy with Warner till now. The only problem I have had with them is our release date keeps getting pushed farther and farther back. Its been hard on all of us being patient for it to come out. They have their reasons the whole music industry is being restructured right now but we just want our record out there.

Dwayne: I have read in some interviews that when you write for a new album you base some songs on literary novels. Do you guys continue to do that on the new record?

Meg: There was not as much on this record. I think there was one song that Dia wrote a song after a book, it was after Brave New World and that song is called Hug Me Until you Drug me. Writing songs after books wasn’t ever a conscious effort it was kind of a accident that happened after our first record. Even though its cool to associated with reading books and being smart, I really wish that wouldn’t have happened, because people come up to us and ask us all these questions about all these books. I’m not a literary scholar! (laughs) I am in a band I didn’t graduate college, I like to think I’m intelligent but I’m not what everyone thinks you know. I love to read but I love to read just to read. And it kinda just got blown up into this thing.

Jonathan: Its more just like songs that got inspired by how you feel after you read a book.

Meg: Ya not just about reading and the facts.

Dwayne: How do you break down the writing in the band?

Meg: Well on this record it was my sister mainly doing a lot of the core songwriting. Then she would come up with a basic chord progression and vocals and I would do my stuff in garage band. Do a lot of guitar parts and make it this big thing and then we will bring it to our band and everyone will add their parts and we will just collaborate with everyone from that point. The song will just grow and change in band practice and then it comes out on the record. I was a little bit surprised our producer wanted us to work through the songs we already had on garage band and I was like “no they’re done. They’re perfect. Why do we have to practice and work on them?” He was like “no then something will come out of it” and always there is a new dynamic brought into the song when everybody’s working on it together.

Dwayne: You and your sister live in LA right now?

Meg: I actually live in LA right now….. Well I just temporarily live in places when we are off tour so I could live in Montana. We are usually just off for a month then back on the road for another six months. So I’ll just go live at someone’s house like off of craigslist. Then go back on the road then live somewhere else. 

Jonathan: That’s what I did too. I lived at our manager’s house for the last month (laughs)

Dwayne: You guys worked with Howard Benson. What was it like working with him and what did he bring to the table that brought out the best in your work?

Meg: I loved working with him because he just had so much experience and could see or hear things that we just would not have been into. For example the biggest thing that I was so stoked on was I showed him a bunch of demos and he would pull out songs I had thrown in the garbage and he would say “NO that one you should play” and I would say “no that ones not good enough”. One that he choose is called Giants on the record and it’s actually one of my favorite songs on the new album. So he just has this insight and ear to know what is going to sound good so once we work through it. We just think our cool experimental stuff is going to be awesome but he’s really good at arranging songs and making things come together. Another thing I’m very happy with about him, that I really didn’t expect him to contribute, was he is just emotionally inspiring. One day for example he brought in this weird keyboard like a robot sounding thing and he was just like here Meg play this and he would leave and go get coffee. I’m intimidated by him because he is this great producer so I didn’t know what he wanted me to do with this weird looking instrument but I’d give it a try. Then I came up with a really cool part. He just believes in you and knows you have the ability to do certain things that you’re not even aware of and then with his support we were able to pull out skills and things that we didn’t even know. And he just made us make the best record we could have made. I loved working with him.

Jonathan: What Howard brings in when you play something is that when Howard tells you something is great I mean he has been around for fucking years. So when he tells you its great you are going to be 100% behind that, he really gives you confidence while you’re recording a record. Him and his whole team Hatch, Mike are just great dudes. They made a great record for us.

Dwayne: Who in your life has been your biggest role model or supporter so far in your life?

Meg: As a musician or a person?

Dwayne: I would say as a person. 

Meg: Whooooa um give me a minute on that one. 

Jonathan: A lot of inspiration comes from my parents. My parents have supported me my entire life. No matter what I wanted to do. Them just supporting me playing music has been amazing. My older brother played music he is the reason why I play music, I have a friend, Jesse Cannon, who kind of took my older brother’s roll and inspired me to stick to it and make good decisions and keep playing music. That’s why I’m here.

Meg: Okay, I am going to have to say I don’t think I ever have a constant one of those people but the person who I can think of recently is Sylvia Platt. Recently I just read one of her books the Bell Jar. When you’re a female working in this industry or any other industry, even though we are a lot more open minded with the president obviously, still there is this stigma of females when they are doing music. They have this stamp on them. We want to try and be a different kind of female not just what you think a female musician would be. So when I read her books it wasn’t typical female she really stood out on her own and like a Sallinger type of book it must have been very hard for her to get that published and try to be a different sort of girl or a different sort of author. I look up to her because she opened up that pathway and dared to go down that road and that’s what I think me and my sister are trying to do.

Dwayne: What is coming up for you guys after this tour?

Meg: We are going to go out with Cute is what we Aim for and Breathe Carolina on the Take Action Tour. Its going to be nation wide. Then we are going to do warped tour.

Dwayne: How do you guys like doing warped tour? I know you have done it a couple times in the past.

Meg: I think its awesome. We are just really looking forward to doing warped tour for warm weather (laughs) 

Jonathan: We joke now but I am dreading that when its going to be 110 degrees

Meg: I’m really excited to see all the stage people and Kevin Lyman, and all his production people. I think we know a lot more of the people playing in the bands this year. I think it will be a fun hang out time this summer. 

Jonathan: Its like all the bands you tour with through the whole year you run into half of them on the warped tour. So its like you already have all these friends so its just so much fun. Its hot but its fun. Like everyone that works for production and runs warped tour are just so cool it’s a great summer.

Dwayne: Any final words or thoughts?

Meg: Just look for our record Here, Here and Here if it ever comes out. (laughs) In April look for it. I guess stay warm, put your socks in the microwave if your toes are frozen. 

Jonathan: That grosses me out, do you do that too?

Meg: I have never done that before.

Jonathan: I caught Dia doing that.

Meg: Dia did that and I just thought that was a new thing that you guys decided to do

Jonathan: No no no it was right after I cooked a bunch of frozen vegetables and she puts her socks in there. I’m like I don’t want to cook anything else in that microwave. 

Meg: That’s so gross!!!! (Laughs)