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Publication: FullValueREVIEW.com
Date: July 9, 2007
Title: Utah's lightning in a bottle - the Meg & Dia band
HOW TALENT, DETERMINATION, AND LUCK LANDED A MAJOR LABEL DEAL
One of the benefits of being in the scene rather than just reporting on some band assignment, is you hear a lot of bands that fall into the 'if somebody with pull heard these guys' category. You develop an eye also for what looks commercially appealing but somewhere down the line, you mentally pick a band or three that you feel will break through because they have that 'it' factor. With this week's re-issue of 'Something Real' unto Warner Bros. Records from the earlier Dog House Records release, the Meg&Dia Band has become the 'next big thing' icon for myspace Indy bands. And The Review has chronicled this band and called the shot from the beginning, but let's re-up the story of a band truly with the 'it' factor.
It all started when Full Value Entertainment did a brief stint hosting shows in Fullerton, CA, at a place called The Alley. Having a liking for the Indy music scene quietly going on up in Utah, Bill had booked the Utah girls, Meg and Dia, now on their first tour as a band, with supporting musicians, bass, drums, lead guitar, and the band to open a show. The set was mostly a sound check for the remaining acts, but the girls weren't down or overly upset over the sound problems but rather concerned that we didn't hear their vocals, their sound. They showed a clear determination and a solid professionalism impressive for someone as young as they. The 'bought'en' CD ('Hello' to all you Iowegians out there) treated my ears to the delicate harmonies The Alley failed to deliver live, and the disc offered a chance to hear the beautiful and haunting lyrics written by this vastly talented but grounded set of striking sisters, so closely akin as to appear almost as twins. Visits to the early website bios revealed more of the artistic depths through perceptive poetry and short stories. Two days after Fullerton they played Temecula at Madlins. That live performance almost pushed me back over the line to being a tongue-tied tourist fan. I was stunned and infatuated, but I wasn't alone. Like two Johnny Appleseeds, Meg & Dia, and the band left M&D fans sprouting up wherever they toured as witnessed by the string of comments left on their myspace. It felt good to read all those comments from time to time and see how many young people, male and female, validated my feelings of admiration and awe for this band and the talented frontwomen. But 'good' is only good without the 'it' factor and achieving your destiny requires the 'it' factor. For Luke, it was buying those droids, for Meg&Dia, it was a myspace virus.
Somehow the band's popular social page, on the website started by Tom and showing all the extensive touring dates of their second non-stop tour again after they played here twice (and again I was in heaven), got a virus so viral that Tom himself went to their site to squish it. While there, perhaps seeing the myriad working tour dates or reading a comment or two dozen, he stopped to listen and was hooked by the M&D siren song harmonies. And just like that, the Med & Dia Band is on the MySpace Warped Tour stage (2006). Having just been featured showing a nice B&W shoulder shot of the girls in the Inland Empire Weekly (6/28-7/4 issue, page10), 'Not Just Another Warped Tour', the M&DB this year will be on the Hurley stage, the third largest main stage. And so now Warner Bros., a major label, has picked up the band. For all us 'back in the day' fans who own one of the 1000 DYI demos, you are holding a piece of music history to your heart. For those who have 'Something Real' on Dog House Records, you have a collector's item. For all of us who have seen and heard this band over the years, we have the satisfaction of seeing the world come to know a group we knew they would one day. Who knew?? We knew!! |
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