New Music Friday: Meg Rilley & Clare Cunningham

Welcome to the final edition of our New Music Friday showcase artist features for this month’s showcase at The Basement East! While I’m sure we’ll be featuring more of her music in the future on the playlist, this week we’re featuring Meg Rilley’s “Run From Hell”!

I had a great time discussing this song with Meg! Here’s what she had to share:

K: Tell me a little bit about what inspired ‘Run From Hell’. What do you want our community of listeners to know about it?

M: “Run From Hell” I thought it was really fun. My producer on this song was Grady James, and when he sat down with me I didn’t know what I wanted it to sound like but I knew I really liked the song and that it was resonating live with people. We sat down and recorded just the scratch vocal, scratch guitar, got some drums down, and then he said, “now I just want you to sit there and trust me.”, and he started playing a B3 organ. At first, when it was just bare bones, I was like, “I don’t know about this, it’s just not something that was ever in my mind.” He was like, “No, I need you to trust me”, and we got to the end of it, and now that song would not be the same without that organ sound in it! So, I just really love that sound; I really think it brings the song together and to life!

I had written the first verse and chorus in my room, I didn’t even have a guitar in my hand; it actually wasn’t my normal songwriting process. I was alone in my one bedroom apartment at the time, walking in a little circle, humming this melody, and the words were just kind of coming to me. They weren’t really about anything in particular but I knew I liked them. I kind of came up with the chorus, I came up with the first verse, and then I sat down and figured out which chords would go behind it. Then I was going to Florida to meet up with the guy I’d been dating at the time, who was also a songwriter, and I said, “I have this verse and chorus but I don’t know where to go with the second verse.” And in a little room behind the stage we were playing on that night, we just banged out the second verse and finished the song, and that was it!

“Run From Hell” is gritty, smoky, dense, and sweet, like bourbon-infused molasses. To whomever coined the phrase “swamp rock” to descibe Meg’s sound, I tip my hat. No truer words have ever been spoken. Although not an utterance is made of New Orleans in “Run From Hell”, I was instantly transported to the bayou; eveloped in an eerie, mystified scene. From start to finish, this song is gnarly and captivating, and tinged with temptation and mystique. Put in on and allow yourself to be entranced this evening.

Make sure to come see Meg play “Run From Hell” at our showcase on March 20th! Tickets can be purchased at the link below!

In addition, this week we’re featuring Clare Cunningham’s song “Éireann i mo chroí” (Ireland in my heart). Earlier this week, Erin met with Claire to talk about her upcoming debut performance later this month at The Grand Ole Opry! In her interview with Erin, Clare had this to say about “Éireann i mo chroí”:

“I wrote it 5 years ago when I first moved to the states and it’s my favorite song to perform live…This song is so special to me because it was the first Celtic song I ever wrote. It encompasses my heart, soul, and culture, all in a few minutes. It’s a super personal song yet it continues to gain the most amount of love from listeners. They truly feel my soul when I sing it.  It’s also the song that I close out every single show with and I go to Ireland every time in my mind when I sing it with my eyes closed.”

The love for her homeland resounds through Clare’s vocals and hits you right in the chest. This song transports the listener to a time and place within and outside of themselves; a place with knowing, misted air, with lush green underfoot, and rich with a sense of solidarity and wonder. Although I’ve never been, “Éireann i mo chroí” left me reeling with pangs for a home I’ve never known.

Put this song on while you pack your impromptu bags for Ireland, and in the meantime, go watch Clare at The Opry on March 18th!

If you have music you’d like featured on the New Music Friday blog and playlist, submit your music to us in the contact section on our site!