Slow and Steady
A year ago this month, some friends of mine and I wandered over to the Lakeside Lounge and wedged ourselves into the packed backroom to see Megan Reilly. Although she had been playing around town for yearssince well before her 2003 debut, Arc of Tessait was the first time any of us had seen Reilly perform. We sat transfixed. Every once in a while we would catch each others eye and nod with that Holy shit, this is amazing look on our face. At the end of the set, my friend Steven said he felt like he now knew what it would have been like to see Neko Case before she hit it big. I agreed.
Reilly will often be compared to those who came before heras artists always arebut she is no imitation Cat Power or Jenny Lewis or Neko Case or (insert favorite female singer-songwriter here). Though she too traffics in soulful folk and 21st century country noirwhispering melancholic ballads in an achingly beautiful voiceher timbre is singular, distinguished by a sincere innocence. Her plaintive pleas ring with uncorrupted purity and lack the cynical edge heard in some of her peers.
At the same time, Reilly balances that childlike, wide-eyed simplicity with grace and sophistication. She can turn up the volume and cry out tragically, raising the hair on the back of your neck, in songs like Tropic on Cancer, from her critically acclaimed sophomore effort, Let Your Ghost Go. And her sugar-sweet Southern drawl can be wielded like a secret weapon, complementing the twang of Ghosts title track or the obscure Dylan cover, Wedding Song.
That seductive accent originates in Memphis, the Birthplace of Rock n Roll, as well as Reilly. Ironically though, the rich music history of Memphis had little to do with Reillys evolution as a singer. I grew up outside of the city, in the suburbs, in a sheltered Catholic, Irish house, says the soft-spoken Reilly. My exposure to the local music scene there didnt really happen till I started playing out. That was during her late teen years, and by that point, Reilly had already decided on her musical direction. She says she found a small, but strong musical community in Memphis and quickly made connections.
But playing the same places over and over grew tiresome, and Reilly moved to the big city in 1999, where she quickly gained a fan in Sonic Youths Steve Shelley. Ive been lucky, meeting Steve really helped me get my foot in the door. Shelley introduced Reilly to the New York music scene, as well as some of the musicians who eventually became her band (most of whom have played with her ever since, and will be joining her at Union Pool).
Its been 15 years since Reilly, who is now 31, first started playing the guitar. Shell tell you, as any struggling artist knows, a life in music can be a hard road. But along the way, Reilly found good friends and received a positive critical response, which all helped her keep going. All you need is a small handful of supporters, Reilly says, with humility and gratitude, and I feel like I have that.
Nov. 14, Union Pool, 484 Union Ave. (at Meeker), Bklyn, 718-609-0484; 8, $7.