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Our new single, Dream It Now is out today!  The song was inspired by The Dream Act Campaign and all of the courageous undocumented youngsters taking steps of bravery every day in this country.  My mom and her family moved here from The Philippines when she was three years old, and I wouldn’t be here today if she didn’t have a clear path to citizenship.  I believe in a future where hard-working residents have the opportunity to earn the rights that American citizens have.

The amazing Kai Welch co-wrote the song with me while I was living out in Nashville this spring.  

10% of iTunes sales from this song will go towards a Dream Scholarship to fund a young under-served student’s college education.

Big thanks to all the musicians and engineers:

Kai Welch - Keys, Trumpet
Jamie Dick - Drums, Percussion
Jon Estes - Bass, Pedal Steel

Recorded by Erick Jaskowiak
Mixed by Gordon Brislawn
Mastered by Eric Conn

And thank you for listening!  Get the new song here.

In June 2012, on a warm summer night, I was playing a gig in the parking-lot-converted-patio of Luttickens Deli in Menlo Park.  A woman approached me after the show and explained that she and her friend had been sifting through the Palo Alto Almanac calendar updates and stumbled on an announcement for our show.  She came for a glass of wine with a friend, but quickly realized she might have discovered her next TEDx performer.  

Fast-forward several months later, she and I met for coffee at the same said deli.  After a few phone calls and emails, she had me booked for what would become a life changing, eye-opening experience performing at the Intel HQ Auditorium to kick off an amazing group of speakers.  The TEDxSanJoseCA Women conference featured inspiring talks by Adam Steltzner, Traci Des Jardins, Jack Andraka, Dana Vollmer, Simply Sylvia, and more, all drawing off of the theme ‘The Space Between the Head and the Heart.’  To share the stage with my brother Brandon Keely, my dad Bert Keely, and my dear friend Antja Thompson, felt like a testament to the fact that music IS the space between the head and the heart - the conduit that connects the two.  

I’m deeply grateful for the experience, and learned so much throughout each stage of the process. For an independent singer-songwriter like me, this is the kind of step that takes a big leap of courage.  The adrenaline, nervousness, preparation, follow-through, and open-mindedness were all important parts of the experience, not to mention the pre-rehearsal ritual of painting my fingernails TED red. :)  Hope you enjoy the video and share it widely - after all, the core mission of TED is to provide a platform ‘Ideas Worth Spreading!’

Thank you all,

megan

I’m writing from a coffee shop in Arizona en route to Nashville to record my second album!  Sometimes you have to flee the nest for a little while and get out of your comfort zone in order to take the next step.  Sometimes your nest is very cozy and comfy and full of wonderful people who make you smile ALL THE TIME.  But  sometimes you have to send yourself somewhere new, take a break from your day-to-day life, and embark on an adventure full of risks and ramblings.  So I packed up my winter clothes, my guitar, my uke, and all the camping gear I own into my 1999 Honda Accord, picked up my main man Peter, and hit the road.   The first few days of the journey have included cactus thorns, giant boulders, canyon caverns, turquoise waterfalls, sweet dogs that remind me of luna, dissecting scat to learn about the desert fauna, night-hiking, and eating lots of rice crackers.  I may or may not have written a song to my car, begging her not to break down during this road trip… But our aim is still pointed east, and I’m very excited to announce that my brother Brandon and I will be working with Erick Jaskowiak to record this next collection of songs in his Nashville studio.  We’re involving some incredible musicians in the project, including Brittany Haas of Crooked Still as well as Kai Welch, a staple collaborator and contributor in much of Abigail Washburn’s music.  They are brilliant and I hope to soak up all kinds of their music-magic via osmosis while hanging out with them and recording.  The next two months will be filled with new challenges and adventures, and every step we take will be in some way, shape, or form, moving me towards the creation this next album.   More updates to come, but in the meantime, you’ll be seeing some photos on my facebook and instagram. Love, Megan photo by Peter Privitera
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I’m writing from a coffee shop in Arizona en route to Nashville to record my second album!  Sometimes you have to flee the nest for a little while and get out of your comfort zone in order to take the next step.  Sometimes your nest is very cozy and comfy and full of wonderful people who make you smile ALL THE TIME.  But  sometimes you have to send yourself somewhere new, take a break from your day-to-day life, and embark on an adventure full of risks and ramblings.  So I packed up my winter clothes, my guitar, my uke, and all the camping gear I own into my 1999 Honda Accord, picked up my main man Peter, and hit the road.  

The first few days of the journey have included cactus thorns, giant boulders, canyon caverns, turquoise waterfalls, sweet dogs that remind me of luna, dissecting scat to learn about the desert fauna, night-hiking, and eating lots of rice crackers.  I may or may not have written a song to my car, begging her not to break down during this road trip…

But our aim is still pointed east, and I’m very excited to announce that my brother Brandon and I will be working with Erick Jaskowiak to record this next collection of songs in his Nashville studio.  We’re involving some incredible musicians in the project, including Brittany Haas of Crooked Still as well as Kai Welch, a staple collaborator and contributor in much of Abigail Washburn’s music.  They are brilliant and I hope to soak up all kinds of their music-magic via osmosis while hanging out with them and recording.  The next two months will be filled with new challenges and adventures, and every step we take will be in some way, shape, or form, moving me towards the creation this next album.  

More updates to come, but in the meantime, you’ll be seeing some photos on my facebook and instagram.

Love,

Megan

photo by Peter Privitera

MY FIRST MUSIC VIDEO!

at the crack of dawn, i woke to meet a 16-person crew at the apartment of someone i had never met.  there were several photographers,  a giant video camera, and piles of bags of equipment i had never seen.  i was a bit nervous, as i had no idea what to expect and have never quite gotten used to being in front of a camera…  

but the ice was broken the second the bear costume came out.  first the padded chest suit, then the fur body, then the gloves, shoe covers, and the head.  Bear was ready, and so was i.

we spent the entire day tromping around san francisco in a big pack.  first the apartment, where i learned how difficult it is to act ‘surprised’ by finding a bear inside your ukulele case.  then the epic graffiti wall, where we saw how beautifully gritty this city can be.  then to the powell st turnaround, where we gave out free bear hugs, danced a bit, played ukulele and kazoo for crowds of people on the sidewalk, and randomly met mario and luigi on their search for the princess.  our next stop was union square, where we actually found the princess.  she was four years old.  

our final stop was palace of fine arts.  friends and family were already there rehearsing dance moves while we shot some final singing clips in front of an enormous green door.  and just in time, right before sunset, we danced our choreographed number, wrapped up the finishing touches, ate some pizza, and parted ways!

it was a whirlwind of an adventure.  RockBridge Productions pulled it all together.  they are pros.  i feel lucky.