Upcoming country band, Megan & The Common Threads have announced a PledgeMusic campaign as they are set to release their debut EP, offering a wide range of rewards for pledgers.The band grew from the solo project of front-woman Megan O’Neill, whose track 'Don’t You' featured on hit US TV show Nashville and debut EP Coming Home was named UK EP of the Year by public vote at the W21 Music Awards.
We talked to front-woman Megan O'Neill to find out more about the band and their campaign.
For those who may not be familiar with your music, how would you describe yourselves and your sound?
Megan & The Common Threads are a six piece Americana band based in London. We are from all over the EU - two Irish, one Scottish, one Welsh, one English and one Italian - hence why we initially joked that we should be called Megan & The European Union!!
Our new record is dabbling more in a Country-Rootsy sound than the previous EP Coming Home (2015) which was more Country-Pop.
How did Megan & The Common Threads come together?
For about 18 months (2013-2015) I had been playing under my own name 'Megan O'Neill' with two incredibly, trusty guitarists (Tom Smith & Dan Clark) and we were really enjoying being an acoustic trio. But after 18 months we decided that we needed to expand the sound - especially ahead of this new record. So we recruited in November 2015 for bass, drums and fiddle.
What/who are your influences? What/who has influenced this upcoming EP?
I have a lot of influences ranging from old-school, classic country singers to modern folk
singer-songwriters. I listen to all genres of music (aside from Heavy Metal) and at the moment am really loving Brandi Carlile's album 'The Firewatchers Daughter' and The Tallest Man on Earth.
I think with the upcoming EP our influences as a band have really come from one another which I'm really happy about. All six of us have been feeding off each others' ideas and artistic input. Its been really awesome to see the sound develop over the past 6 months.
Besides being able to boast that they were there from the beginning, what else is on offer for potential pledgers?
There is so much on offer! You could have an original song written about you or a loved one (which we think is such a unique gift idea!) or a personalised birthday video of us singing! Top pledgers can book us for a live show at a venue of their choice (even at their own homes) either as an acoustic or full band AND pledgers also have the opportunity to be thanked by name on the EP itself (in a hidden track)! There are also loads of smaller goodies up for grabs such as t-shirts, VIP guest list passes, handwritten letters and signed CD's.
Finally, where can fans catch you live in the upcoming months?
We have a number of shows coming up in August and September in London and surrounding areas. They're always listed on the website so you can check those out here.
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You can find out more information about the PledgeMusic campaign here.
