Meg Kirsch Q&A

By Megan Hoff

 Hailing from Rochester, Minnesota, Meg Kirsch has lived in the cities for ten years. After playing in bands with friends for a while, she just released her first EP, “Street Cat,” in February. Read about the inspiration behind her single, “Hometown,” and why everyone should go see a concert in a different country.

What got you interested in music?

I grew up listening to music. I don’t really ever have memories where I wasn’t making some sort of music, whether that was like writing over my parents’ old cassette tapes or screaming Britney Spears around the house.

Who are your biggest musical influences?

It feels so silly to say The Beatles, but I think that’s probably the longest standing influence that I have. I don’t know that it even translates well into the music I create, it’s just like who they were as musicians and writers is just endlessly inspirational. Right now I feel super inspired by people who are writing songs that are breaking out of song forms and structures that we have experienced for so long. I think that we’ve started to put stuff in boxes, and so writers like Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers who write a lot of, like, sort of stream-of-consciousness… it’s more about feeling than it is about sticking to any sort of structure, which I think is incredible.

How does it feel to have your first EP released?

Oh, my gosh, it’s crazy. It feels so awesome. I guess it’s almost been a year since we’ve recorded it, so it just feels like I’ve been hanging on to it for so long. The fact that it’s actually out in the world and people can go listen to it is crazy… I still go on Spotify… it came out on Friday [Feb. 8], and I’ve gone back each day to make sure that it’s still real.

You released a single, “Hometown,” from your EP. Can you talk about the inspiration behind this song?

A lot of the songs are story-based; they’re not like a direct experience. It’s a lot more metaphor[ical]... “Hometown” is the only tune that came about from a real experience. In that moment, it was like the whole song was formed in my head, and I had to go write it down. I was working at a store called Madewell, and one of the things that was part of my job was unloading all these boxes of clothes. I was pulling out all these shirts, and one of them had the graphic [of] the hometown of someone I had dated in college, which was so funny. Immediately, I was reflecting… in college, I had a really hard time being honest with how I was feeling, just kind of in general in all aspects in life. It’s really just a song about reflection, on times when you feel like maybe you were not super nice. You would have done it totally differently now with all the experience you have… that song is super special to me.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

I sit in a sulky mood for as many weeks as it takes to get out of it. I wish that I was one of the people who wrote through it… but I really am just the person who’s like, “I guess this is just not happening for me!” Which I would love to change, but I just wait around until I can write something good again, I guess.

Who would you love to collaborate with?

I think it would be rad to maybe work with a band like Fleet Foxes or someone who just does some crazy stuff… Oh, I just heard this musician, her name is Liza Anne. I have just a massive crush on her.

Have you ever played in front of a live audience before?

Yeah, I have. I’ve been really lucky, I’ve played in bands with friends for many years. I played in a band called Oklahoma, and I’ve done a bunch of collaborating with friends in their sort of space… I’m excited. It’s a little bit different… because usually, when I play out, it’s always been just me and the guitar if I’m playing my songs. That’s really fun, but I feel just a ton of pressure to do all the things all at once. I’m super excited for it to be a full band with my stuff, playing the things that are on the EP, because there’s just a little bit less riding all on me. I get to have a little bit more fun.

What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?

In 2017, my husband and I went to Paris, and we saw the band Phoenix… in their kind of home digs, and that was absolutely incredible. By and large, the best show I ever went to. Not only was it like great music in this beautiful city, but it was like a whole different cultural experience. Even just something as simple as experiencing music is different, even though it’s still an arena full of people. Now anytime someone goes on a trip overseas, I’m like, “You should try to go to a show! You have to!” And I feel like that’s not something when you’re traveling that you think to do. Like, you have all these restaurants that you wanna try and museums to go to… you just experience the culture in a really normal but intense way.

Favorite song at the moment?

It’s called “I Love You, But I Need Another Year” and that’s by Liza Anne. She’s so killer.