Meg Elsier Raises the Roof 

Meg Elsier played the rooftop of the Bobby Hotel for Backyard Sessions curated by WNXP

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I got the experience of a lifetime when I was invited to meet and greet indie-rocker Meg Elsier by the Bobby Hotel and local public radio station WNXP.  The independent station curates a rooftop concert at the hotel called Backyard Sessions and it is truly a unique experience.  The Bobby is in downtown Nashville and is what you might call a boutique hotel.  Each room is eclectically designed and presents itself as its own piece of art.  The entire building is such.  On the rooftop there is a bar, pool, a stage, and a 1956 Greyhound bus that doubles as a lounge space. So yeah, the Bobby hits a little different. 

I brought my niece, Becca, as my plus one guest and didn’t know what to expect when encountering this rising star.  Meg Elsier is just 30 years old- as is my niece- and she is quickly rising up the ladder of stardom in the industry.  Nashville Scene magazine just awarded her the Best Indie/Rock Debut Album by its writers a few days ago.  Meg debuted her record, Spittake, in June. The album deserves any accolades that it gets.  I had been listening to it on my playlist for about a month before I got the news that I would have a face to face with this Berklee College of Music prodigy. 

I love the emotional tug-of-war that this LP presents.  One can totally relate to the turmoil of sound that both crushes and calms its listener.  There is talk of pain, and relationships and guilt wrapped in sorrow within her lyrics and there is also a bouncy resilience and fight in its sound.  This is why the music is so good.  It is so real.  Seeing her live is like being at the beach and being pounded by the waves yet relaxed and at peace when you are between the breaks.  But let us go back to our congregation.  

Becca and I were standing near the stage when a liaison from the hotel brought Meg and her bass player Jashaun Smith out for introductions.  In my head I had mapped out the possibility of treating this like a proper interview, but that format floated into the purple and orange sunset that caressed the sky around us.  Meg seemed to skip towards us as Jashaun acted as her shadow and meandered just in the background.  You could not ask for a warmer and more caring person to enter your life.  I immediately recognized that her music was her outlet for the discomfort and rage that she sometimes feels, but life drives her to embrace the beauty.  She can leave her work at the office so to speak. 

We just hung out.  The four of us, for about 45 minutes, were just people in a moment.  Jashaun gently pulled from that background role and joined us in stories, laughter and celebration that we were here together.  Meg talked to us about what was going on with her and the band, but also asked us about what we were up to.  She genuinely wanted to know all about our stories.  How did we arrive in Nashville, our jobs, and our thoughts about anything were important to her.  I can imagine that she is probably tired of being interviewed and wants to explore the joys of her rising star. I wanted to enjoy this moment too. 

Meg loves music and art and so the Bobby Hotel lent the perfect backdrop for this very special engagement.  She told us about the title track and album namesake Spittake and how it has duality to it. That it’s funny and comical upfront but it has a violence in its action. Meg Elsier had that attitude in spades.  Offstage she is very funny and bursting with an energy that is quite palpable and onstage she is so filled with “all of it” that she jerks and moves with chaotic purposefulness to emancipate the outrage and fury. 

Our conversation was lovely and as the duo left us to grab a meal before showtime we all hugged it out.  Becca and I would find our spot at a high-top along the outside wall of the roofs edge, grab a quick bite a beer and wait for our new friends to reappear. 

Jason Moon Wilkins, the Program Director for WNXP, came out on stage to announce the beginning of the show and the end of the rooftop series for the season. The weather was gorgeous, and we were ready to see Meg do her thing live.  As the band came out to plug in, I stood stage left, in front of Jashaun and his bass.  I asked to get a photo of the legal pad page with the Sharpie marker writing and he graciously held it up for a photo. Meg took to the microphone and announced, “I’m Meg and we are on a roof”.  Then they ripped into the set with ‘IZNOTREAL’.

Fuzzed out guitar riffs, tightly slapped drums and a guiding bass line put us exactly where we needed to be. The frenzied control of comfortable sounds that caused our shoulders to sway and motioned the rest of our body and soul to follow was undeniable.  Meg’s voice is undaunted, truthful, pure, and unwavering.  The words she first speaks in melody are “Did you just/ Just turn me on? / I feel a little different”.  They resonate poetically prophetic and engulf us into her world. You cannot look away.  You mustn’t look away.  She is our sherpa tonight and she will guide us in the direction that takes us home. Sonically, it’s a blend of rock and alt-rock with grungy grabs and subtle pools of electric solitude. It’s messy in the way that you want it to be messy because life is messy.  In our earlier talks Meg had alluded to the fact that she wanted this record to be her mirror.  A reflection of her most inner thoughts, desires and feeling were being gifted to the audience for them to pull what they needed and find their solace in the music.   

The set was a voyage of phenomenal adventure.  Meg’s sound has been compared to others.  Some articles I researched spoke of Mitski and Olivia Rodrigo.  I’d say that there is a balance of PJ Harvey and Billie Eillish, but I also think none of that is fair.  It is certainly flattering considering what all those artists have accomplished, but I do not like pigeon holing someone’s art.  Meg has her own sound and it’s great.  Like really, really, great. 

As the set wound out to an end that none of us wanted, I asked Jashuan if I could get that scribed playlist on yellow paper. He said “Absolutely”, as I also passed him my own Sharpie for him and the band to sign the list.  They were so nice and obliged my request.  Meg even wrote “You’re Perfect” with two drawn smiley faces above her name. 

Later in the evening I sat with Meg near the pool and told her how much I appreciated her sharing her brilliant artistry with the world.  She spoke of how much fun it was and how she was so happy with those who came to out see her.  She reiterated that our earlier meet up was so much fun and how it is great to make a real connection with the people.  That is what Meg does.  She makes us connect.  She creates community, which is such a crucial part of our society that we often shy away from. The last thing I told her was “You’re gonna win a Grammy someday”.  She smiled with enthusiasm.  We hugged it out one last time.