No one knows the plain language of the Barroom better than Meiko (mee-koh), a waiter at the Hotel Café in LA's Cahuenga Boulevard arts district, she has been privy to any conversations no sober heart would choose to be public so it seems to be a shock when she stands up for same crowd and openly proclaims sweetest secrets of her own beautiful heartbreak
The self-titled Meiko in Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter is at once tough and tender raw fun never exactly what you expect her and her songs all explore loss and loneliness, but none of them seem to live there "I find it hard to write love songs," Meiko says "I write frustrated Love Songs" With a keen eye for detail and a vivid gift of narrative Meiko collects uneven moments and devasta something conversation snapshots and turn them into deceptively simple tunes with a quiet gentle tones and stunning imagery
Messages from Roberta Georgia (population 808) Meiko grew up in a real log cabin built by her father's hands, it was her dad's affinity for The Eagles The Allman Brothers Band and others who gave her Meiko public sensibility "He had this beautiful old Gibson Guitar," she recalls "And he played and sang to me from the cradle" Obviously a child can not yet discern a cover song from an original "Imagine my surprise years later when I heard some band named Led Zeppelin playing my father's song - 'Stairway To Heaven "- the radio"
It is no surprise, however, that an early diet of blues and folk rockMeiko gave an appetite for other sonic nourishment from Nina Simone and Sade to the Cocteau Twins and Patty Griffin After high school her hunger for musical expression carried her to the door of the Hotel Café And from the Barroom floor Meiko listened She listened to play Griffin Living With Ghosts songs that shook her heart, she listened to the Sia song that surreptitiously made her cry, "I thought how fun it would be if I could pull the tears from some waitress in a bar somewhere" Meiko says
Then something strange happened to people who Meiko had listened began to listen to her instead First at open-mic nights ago, during an early slot in a WEEKNIGHT eventually opening for Patty Griffin, and then people started talking again, alocal buzz led to recurrent airplay last released the collection Meiko songs in LA taste maker station KCRW National buzz led to television placements and a stay on top of the iTunes Folk album chart with more than 200000 downloads
Intense label interest followed by Meiko finally allied with MySpace and DGC after sensing a common vision for their future "I felt that my creativity would be left to flourish, she says" Rather than being formed into something else "Meiko has continued to hone their songs at the Hotel Cafe scene, and record them in the late - night sessions - with perhaps a glass of wine or two to carry out the brutal truth
months after the initial release Meiko's Lucky Ear / MySpace / DGC debut has been remixed remasteredand in the case with some fan favorites completely remake Itnu also includes a brand new single "Boys with Girlfriends" a saucy primer on the dangers of befriending women with jealousy of female companions Among the album's many highlights are the sumptuous folk-pop confection "How Lucky We Are" , "Under My Bed" showcases the versatility and strength of Meiko is a singular voice as she considers souvenirs left by a former flame and the spare and compelling "Reasons To Love You 'reminds us of why it was prominent in the fourth season premiere on television 's Emmy-winning "Gray's Anatomy Rare song" New Road "is a duet with the indie songwriter AM
With all her recent recognition Meiko has had little time to reflect on his former profession, but she has definitely moved pthe vocational "I retired from the waitressing field earlier this year," she Muses "Getting up in the morning and writing songs is my new profession" And if you ever find yourself at the bar, she is definitely worth a listen
