edited by courtney marie
photos by Leah Jones
artwork by Marco Zavala
Let us celebrate the fourth wonderful & worthy recipient of our Songwriting Scholarship project: Megan Storie! If you haven’t already heard Megan’s music at a Spiderweb showcase or in one of her projects playing around town, we think you absolutely should, which is why we invited her to come record a new song at Shiny Sound Recording Studio alongside producers and musicians Corbin Childs, Jacob Greenan, and Conor Wallace late last month! Photographer Leah Jones was also there and managed to capture some beautiful moments of collaboration of her camera, which you can view here. After a successful and action-packed day of music-making and souffle-eating (but that’s another story), a new track was born, and we are thrilled to share this beautiful song with you today.
Give "Fade Out" a listen while enjoying this lovely artwork inspired by Megan’s piece, created by Spiderweb artist Marco Zavala, as well as a quick interview with Megan in which she discusses the origins of the song, her experience recording with Shiny Sound, and what’s up next for her many musical projects!
Tell us a little bit about your journey with music.
My father was a musician growing up so it has always been a big part of my life. I started performing with him at age 10 and have been involved in music ever since. I began writing songs and playing shows throughout high school and college. I formed a band called Exit Glaciers in 2013 that has since disbanded. I now perform under my name with a backing band.
When you knew you'd have a half-day at Shiny Sound to record this song, how did you feel about it?
I was excited to have the chance to work with friends on something new. And of course I was grateful for the opportunity, because recording isn’t always cheap.
What were your anticipations for recording and how did it go?
I wanted to come into it without expectations and see how the song developed. It was great working with Jacob and Corbin, very fun and relaxed. They really helped take the song in a cool direction!
Can you give us a little background about your song "Fade Out"?
The song comes from reckoning with past experiences. I was in an emotionally abusive relationship a few years ago that took a pretty big toll on my life and health. I had been isolated from my friends and completely run down. It took me awhile to heal from that, but I’m grateful to be surrounded by loving people now.
What are your interests and passions outside of music?
I love reading and drawing. I wish I had time to do more of both.
What or who are some of your influences as a musician/artist/writer?
Laura Kasischke is my favorite poet. She did a reading at UNT while I was studying creative writing and I’ve been a fan ever since. Her work is so strange and beautiful. It’s even a little spooky at times. I’ve also been greatly influenced by musicians like Lucinda Williams, Sharon Van Etten, and Andrienne Lenker, and Jason Molina.
What would you like to accomplish creatively this year?
I’m still working on putting out an LP for my solo stuff and hope to have it finished soon. I am also working with my guitar player on another project called Yarrows. It’s been nice to have a vehicle to try new and different things musically! We’ve got a couple new songs on SoundCloud.
If you loved the concept of this project, YOU'RE IN LUCK! We got to wondering, why don’t we do this all the time, with many different musicians, to create a whole catalog of new songs and sounds? With that simple idea, Spiderweb Salon’s Songwriting Scholarship has been born! We’ll be working with Shiny Sound Recording Studios, a lineup of professional studio musicians, and a new musician every month to record an original piece of music to share with the world. If you’re looking to get involved, send along a submission, and if you just need an awesome place to record your next project, look no further than Shiny Sound.