If you were on Raymond Walters’s campus on Monday, November 17, or Tuesday, November 18, then you probably saw, or better yet heard something out of the ordinary going on in the lobby of Muntz hall. The atmosphere of the lobby on these two chilly fall days was more like that of a coffee shop than a college lobby. In the lobby, free hot beverages were being served to whoever was interested, and there was a girl jamming out on an acoustic guitar while singing at the top of her lungs, as if no one was watching.
But many were watching. And many were enjoying.
Megan Slankard is the name of the excellent singer performing in the Muntz Hall lobby those two days. Her stop at Raymond Walters was one of many; she is currently travelling the country on a tour that takes her to many small college campuses, similar to RWC.
What many people probably don’t know about Megan is that she is big time. At only 25 years old, Megan has already released three records, which, together, sold 20,000 copies and 20,000 downloads on iTunes. Music has taken Megan around the world; she has been to more than 100 cities and five different countries.
Music has also allowed her to have some unforgettable experiences and meet some amazing musicians. Megan and her band opened for Phil Lesh (of the Grateful Dead) in the sold out show “Rock to Relief 3” at the Fillmore. Megan was also selected as the US performer for the International Festival “In Guitar” in Zurich, Switzerland.
Megan’s music is admired by many, and she has a huge fan base and following, especially so in her hometown of San Francisco. She has been featured in many music magazines, including RockGrl Magazine, Owl Magazine, The Synthesis, Fresh Tracks, and Acoustic Guitar Magazine. She was also chosen for an episode of TLC’s “What Not to Wear”; many viewers of the show found out about Megan’s music this way and right after the show aired, copies of her CDs sold like crazy!
So what is a successful musician like when the music stops and the show is over? She is the same upbeat cheerful fun excited girl that she was when performing. Right after she finished playing her set, I approached Megan and asked her for an interview. Without hesitation, she joyfully accepted- just like that–no break, no pained, annoyed facial expression. Throughout the interview, she was enthusiastic and upbeat, answering all my questions in detail and providing answers that I knew were genuine.
For some reason, I was taken aback by how down-to-earth she was; she did not boast about her record sales or accomplishments, but instead told me about memorable experiences and her inspirations and things that made her the artist that she is today.
When asked to name her favorite bands, Megan’s eyes grew wide. She quickly spouted off a huge list, some mainstream, some not so much. The Beatles were first, because, Megan said with a laugh, “Everyone loves the Beatles.”
Others she mentioned included Regina Spector, Counting Crows, King’s X, Metallica, Blues Traveler, and John Mayer. Megan also confessed to playing hours of Radiohead in the car on her drive to Raymond Walters.
So where did this extremely talented musician get started? Megan grew up in Tracey, California, which she described as being “very small-town–but it was great, I loved it.” She began writing songs around the age of thirteen. “Some of them were horrible,” Megan claims, laughing. “What was I thinking?!”
Megan got the chance to perform some of her songs at her town’s “amateur nights,” which were community events and were broadcast live on a local access TV station. Megan explains that this was how people found out about her and through this she was able to meet a lot of people, including fans and other musicians.
For more information on Megan Slankrard visit her website MEGANSLANKARD.COM or visit her on MySpace.com/MEGANSLANKARD.
Megan has just been selected as a 2009 finalist for the Independent Music Awards in the Covers category for her version of “America” by Paul Simon. She also has a new album due in 2009.