Meg and Dia

Meg and Dia
Background Information
A.K.A.	The Meg & Dia Band
Origin	Draper, Utah
Genre	Indie Rock Indie Pop Acoustic
Years active	2003-present
Label(s)	Doghouse Warner Bros.
Associated Acts	The Yellow Butterfly Project MEGaTOm
Website	http://www.meganddia.com/
Members
Dia Frampton Meg Frampton Nicholas Price Carlo Gimenez Jonathan Snyder
Former Members
Kenji Chan Ryan Groskreutz Aaron McMurray Andrew Grosse

Meg & Dia is an American band formed in 2003. It was founded by sisters Meg and Dia Frampton, and is now a five-piece act with additional members Nicholas Price, Jonathan Snyder and Carlo Gimenez.

Meg & Dia (also then known as The Meg & Dia Band) released its first album, Our Home Is Gone, in 2005. At the time, the band consisted of just the two Frampton sisters, and the album's tracks were mostly acoustic songs. Meg played guitar and provided back-up vocals while Dia sang. A year later, they released their second album, Something Real, their first album released under Doghouse Records.

The band signed with Warner Bros. Records in 2007 and released here, here and here in 2009 via Sire Records.

History

The Frampton sisters

Meg and Dia, of Korean and American descent, were raised in St. George, Utah, and are the founding members of the band. Present day (2008-2009) They live in Draper, Utah and one of their songs is the theme song for Salt Lake City, Utah.When they were children, Meg received a karaoke machine and Dia received a guitar as a Christmas gift. They later realized that Dia was the more natural singer and Meg the guitar player. Dia began singing at local county fairs and retirement centers while Meg taught herself to play songs that were on the radio. Their father was a DJ in South Korea, and the women often listened to his extensive record collection.

The Meg & Dia Band

“For Christmas when we were kids, ironically Dia got the guitar and I got the karaoke machine. We quickly learned, however, what we were natural at and destined to become. She became really focused on her voice and began singing little country ditties at local county fairs and retirement centers. I started out playing whatever was on the radio or whatever happened to be in my buddies' CD player. My dad was a DJ in his early twenties so he had quite an extensive record collection that I listened to occasionally. After I experienced my first heartbreak and I thought the world was going to end, the natural way to console my tattered heart was to write a song. Of course my parents, being the supportive and loving caretakers they are, showered me with much undeserved praise and encouraged me to keep writing. My sister and I heeded their advice and began writing and playing original songs together." – Meg

Our Home Is Gone

Meg & Dia self-released their debut album, Our Home Is Gone, in 2005. Only 1,000 copies were ever produced (all of which were distributed by the Frampton girls themselves). The album featured a mostly acoustic style of music, as it was only Meg and Dia in the band. They toured extensively in support of it, sharing stages with such national acts as Limbeck, The Format, Mêlée, An Angle, Koufax, and Steel Train.

After a few acoustic shows playing the songs from their debut album, they decided they needed a bigger sound. They recruited drummer Nicholas Price, and later guitarist Kenji Chan in 2005. Nick was Meg's car mechanic after she was involved in a minor car accident (Which also is the result of the name for the EP What Is It? A Fender Bender). After Nick joined, Meg and Dia found bassist Ryan Groskreuetz.

Something Real

In January 2006 recorded a second album, Something Real, with producer Stacy Jones of American Hi-Fi and Bill Leffler. As a teaser for the album, Meg & Dia released an EP titled What Is It? A Fender Bender, on both iTunes and the Tower Records website in July 2006. What Is It? A Fender Bender featured Monster and Indiana, and would also be part of their upcoming album. That album was soon-after released on August 8, 2006. Something Real is made up both new works and revamped versions of acoustic songs from Our Home is Gone. The songs "Indiana", "Masterpiece", and "Nineteen Stars" were rerecorded with a full band, while parts of "Timmy" were incorporated into the song "Roses".

In September 2006, it was announced on the Meg & Dia MySpace page that guitarist Kenji Chan was leaving the band to focus on his solo career. His departure was on amicable terms. The band found a replacement a Canadian guitarist Carlo Gimenez via YouTube, and the band was once again a five-piece act.

Promotion through MySpace

The band gained popularity through self-promotion via MySpace; they were selected as the official MySpace band on the Warped Tour 2006. Being selected as the official MySpace band came about in a peculiar way; technical staff were supposed to shut down Meg & Dia's official MySpace due to a virus script posted by a fan. However, the technical difficulties resulted in the band gaining the attention of Tom Anderson, co-founder of MySpace, who then entered them into a contest to become the official MySpace band at Warped Tour; Meg & Dia won. Meg & Dia played at Warped Tour 2006 in the MySpace tent, which had a dirt floor in lieu of a stage.

Meg & Dia returned the following year, playing the Hurley.com stage in the 2007 Warped Tour. The band continued touring and played alongside Anberlin, Jonezetta, and Bayside on a national tour in early 2007, and with Say Anything and Saves The Day in Spring 2007.

2007

On February 19, 2007 it was confirmed that Meg & Dia have signed a deal with Warner Bros. Records. The song "Roses" was featured on the TMNT movie soundtrack. In September, Meg and Dia provided back-up vocals for The Rocket Summer for their "Yahoo! Who's Next?" debut. The video for "Monster" was nominated for the mtvU Viral Woodie Award in 2007. It advanced past the first round, but lost in the final round to We've Got A Big Mess On Our Hands by The Academy Is.... Meg & Dia finished the year on tour with The Spill Canvas, PlayRadioPlay!, and Treaty of Paris.

Meg & Dia are also involved in To Write Love on Her Arms and peta2. The band appeared in an anti-fur ad and also sponsored a fashion contest on the peta2 website.

Their song, "The Mighty R-E-A-L", was the official anthem for Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer; it has since been changed.

2008 - 2009

At the end of 2007, it was announced that Meg & Dia would open for Angels & Airwaves on a 2008 US tour. The Color Fred and Ace Enders were also opening acts. Following this tour, the band headed to Los Angeles on March 17, 2008 to record here, here and here.

In 2008, the band embarked on its first overseas tour in Europe, and received positive reviews by many European critics. They have traveled to such places as Amsterdam and Munich, increasing the band's international awareness.

Meg & Dia also made their first UK appearance at the annual Give It A Name festival in 2008. The band played in London on May 10 and Sheffield in May 11. Shortly afterward, Meg & Dia were part of a ten venue spin-off tour in England, Scotland and Wales, aptly titled 'Give It A Name Introduces' along with follow American artists Four Year Strong, Mayday Parade and The Color Fred.

The band's last major tour before the release of their 2009 album was the Take Action 2009 tour. They accompanied headliners Cute Is What We Aim For and opening acts Anarbor, Every Avenue and Breathe Carolina. A portion of all ticket sales was donated to non-profit organizations.

The band has signed on to perform at Warped Tour 2009. This will be their third appearance, following 2006 and 2007.

here, here and here

here, here and here was released on April 21, 2009, over a year after recording was completed. It was sold in three formats- CD, CD + DVD package, and on vinyl. The album marks the band's first new release since signing with Warner Bros. (distributed through Sire Records) and the first with the band's current lineup. Musically, the album differs from previous efforts, as a result of experimentation with new instruments (strings, synths, harmonica and alternative percussion) and the inclusion of guest vocals (Tom Higgenson on "Bored Of Your Love"). Tonally, the album includes more mature themes such as religion ("Black Wedding") and politics ("Are There Giants, Too In The Dance?"). In contrast to the heavily literature-inspired Something Real, only one song from here, here and here has been definitively linked to a novel ("Hug Me" was inspired by Brave New World), and several songs were written by Dia in response to her then recent breakup ("Going Away", "Kiss You Goodnight"). The title of the album comes from the eponymous closing track, which alludes to the composition process of Mozart in the lines: "'Here, Here, and here.' He pointed to his heart and mind and ears."

The first single from the new album, "What If", was released on January 27, 2009. The second single, "Black Wedding", was released a week later. The video for "Black Wedding" was released exclusively on April 14, 2009 for play on MTV and MTV.com.

Members

Dia Frampton

Dia Frampton (born October 2, 1987) is the lead singer of the band. She attended Dixie High School in St. George, Utah and Shadow Ridge High School in Las Vegas, Nevada; she graduated early (by taking the GED) in 2005 then moved to Salt Lake City with her sister to further their music career. She cites as influences Rufus Wainwright, Steel Train, Joni Mitchell, The Mars Volta, Rocky Votolato, Ben Folds, Coldplay, Death Cab for Cutie, The Cranberries, and Cursive. During live performances, Dia plays percussion instruments, such as the cowbell and tambourine, and occasionally a Casio Privia keyboard. She almost always performs without shoes on.

Dia often recorded a "song diary," an impromptu recorded song, on her MySpace page. She explained, "It was something very raw, and to be honest, something that I was slightly embarrassed to put up because of the quality but I did anyways, for any of our listeners who would care to hear something not hot off the production belt, but something more organic and 'home made.' It made me feel better to share my feelings with people who could connect, and I think that is what happened with many."

Meg Frampton

Meg Frampton (born April 3, 1985) plays guitar and does back-up vocals for the band. She attended and was a cheerleader at Dixie High School in St. George, Utah and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. She enjoys reading 18th century British literature. She lists East of Eden, Atlas Shrugged, Forever Amber, Frannie and Zooey, The Great Gatsby, Indiana, Lolita, Nine Stories, Pride and Prejudice and works by Ernest Hemingway as some of her favorites, and gets lots of inspiration from the books she reads. She also writes most of the songs on the albums, and finds comfort in her novels. On stage, she alternates between a Vintage White Fender American Telecaster and a Gibson ES-335 Dot in sunburst, and a white Gibson Les Paul Custom, though she has also played a black Gibson Les Paul Studio in the past. For acoustic songs, she plays a Taylor 814ce acoustic. Meg often performs wearing cap sleeve dresses. Meg provides the lead vocals and plays keyboard for the song "Rebecca". Recently Meg has provided intro solos for some of the band's songs during live performances such as Roses and Monster.

Nicholas Price

Nicholas Price (born May 27, 1984) is the drummer for the band. He was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and began playing drums at the age of 14. He was also in the 2004 University of Utah's Drumline. Drumming influences: John Bonham, Chad Smith, Jose Pasillas, Jimmy Chamberlin, Dave Grohl, Joe Morello, Stewart Copeland. Nick plays a Yamaha Absolute Maple kit in a vintage natural finish. Nick met Meg and Dia when Meg crashed her car in the grocery store parking lot and ended up bringing it to Nick to fix.

Jonathan Snyder

Jonathan Snyder (born July 29, 1986) is the bassist of the band. He was born and raised in Bergen County, NJ. He began playing bass at age 13 in a local pop punk band Duckhunt. After some member changes and heavy life experiences, Duckhunt became Madison based in Dumont, NJ. The band toured for the better part of four years, including Hellogoodbye's first East Coast stint, until they amicably broke up in September 2006. Meg & Dia found Jonathan through Aric Phillips who worked for Doghouse Records, their label, at the time. Nick contacted him through Myspace and he became a member of the band. On stage, Jonathan plays a Fender Jazz Bass through an Mesa amplifier.

Carlo Gimenez

Carlo Gimenez (born September 1, 1982) is the lead guitarist for the band. He was born to Filipino parents and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He began playing guitar at the age of 9. He states influences as Paul Gilbert, Joe Satriani and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Nick found Carlo on YouTube when he was browsing videos. Carlo had several videos of himself playing, which impressed Nick, who sent him messages asking him to join. On stage, Carlo usually plays a black Gibson SG, though he has also played a White Fender Telecaster. He is a fan of the Back to the Future trilogy, often referencing the line "You guys probably weren't ready for that...but your kids are gonna love it!" after warming up with a solo.

Personnel

• Mike Kaminsky - Manager
• Ben Wygonik - F.O.H.
• Ping Kounvichit - Guitar/stage Tech
• Dave Shapiro - Booking
• Nikki Herceg - Press
• Keren Poznansky - Press
• Leslie the Snuggly Teddybear - Merch

Band members

Band Role	Year
	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008 - Present
Lead vocals, keyboards	Dia Frampton
Rhythm guitar, vocals	Meg Frampton
Bass		Ryan Groskreutz		Aaron McMurray	Jonathan Snyder
Drums		Nick Price
Lead guitar			Kenji Chan		Carlo Gimenez

Influences

Meg and Dia have stated in interviews that many of their songs are influenced by literature, and that it has had a big influence on their lives. Many of their songs are based on books: "Monster" was based on the Cathy Ames character in East of Eden by John Steinbeck; "Indiana" was based on Indiana by George Sand; and "Rebecca" was based on Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. "Tell Mary" was based on Mary by Vladimir Nabokov. "Hug Me" is based on Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

"Courage Robert" was influenced by and written about Robert Schumann, a famous pianist and composer. The song "Here, here and here" references Mozart.

Live covers

Meg & Dia often play cover songs live. Among their preferred is "When You Were Young" by The Killers, and "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" by Jet. During the 2007 Warped Tour, the band alternated between covers of "Maneater" by Hall & Oates and "No Rain" by Blind Melon. When the band opened for The Spill Canvas in 2007, they added "New Shoes" by Paolo Nutini to their set list. For their headlining tour, they transition from their song "Masterpiece" into the solo and second half of "Santeria" by Sublime, which fans refer to as "Masteria". The band has also covered Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Side projects

The Yellow Butterfly Project

In July 2005, Dia's friend Ian Shane Tyler (of Las Vegas, NV) decided to spend time with her one last time just before she left Las Vegas. Dia went to Ian's house and started playing a song she had been working on (on piano). Ian thought it would be a cool song to record. It was titled "Yellow Butterfly". After recording the song, Dia and Ian dubbed their project "The Yellow Butterfly Project", alternatively known as Dia & Ian. To date, the side project has only produced the one song. Dia sometimes starts shows with a solo keyboard rendition of "Yellow Butterfly".

MEGaTOm

MEGaTOm was the name of a 2006 collaboration between Meg Frampton and her then boyfriend Tom Oakes, former guitarist/vocalist of The Higher. The only publicly released song from the project was "The Fireworks Started." There was a blog posted on their official MySpace stating that beside the current circumstances that they would still continue with the project but something has yet to be released.

Discography

Albums

Date of Release	Title	Label
August 12, 2005	Our Home Is Gone	Garden Grove
August 8, 2006	Something Real	Warner Bros. Doghouse Records
April 21, 2009	here, here and here	Warner Bros. (distributed by Sire Records)

EPs

Date of Release	Title
2006	What Is It? A Fender Bender
2006	Warped Tour Sessions
2007	If You're Poor, Find Something to Sue Somebody For

Compilations

• A Santa Cause 2 - Contributed "Joey Had A Smoke"
• Warped Tour 2007 Tour Compilation - Contributed "Monster"
• Take Action! Vol. 6 - Contributed "Monster"
• Take Action! Vol. 7 - Contributed "Roses"
• Take Action! Vol. 8 - Contributed "Halloween"
• Purevolume.com Lost Sessions - Contributed "Roses (Acoustic)", "Lessons In NJ (Acoustic)", and "Masterpiece (Acoustic)"

Singles

• Monster
• Roses
• What If
• Black Wedding

Music Videos

• Monster
• Roses
• Black Wedding

External links

• Meg & Dia Official Website
• Meg & Dia at Myspace
• Meg & Dia at PureVolume
• Meg & Dia at Last.fm
• MegandDia.org - The Unofficial Meg & Dia Site
• Doghouse Records
• Interview with Meg & Jonathan (01/29/09)

This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Meg & Dia. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Less Than Jake Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.