Folk singer-songwriter and native Georgian Meiko expected to see a lot of things on tour, but she never expected to be at the epicenter of a national event.
“We happened to be in Philadelphia when the Phillies won the World Series. We happened to be in Cincinatti and got to hear Obama speak. And we happened to be in Chicago when Obama was elected,” she said.
Meiko, along with a number of female artists including Rachel Yamagata and Kate Havernik, found herself in Chicago on Election Day while traveling cross-country as part of The Hotel Café Tour, a recurring series of shows performed by up and coming talents in various venues across the United States and Europe. The current, fall tour marks the first time the line up features exclusively female singers.
“It’s like summer camp,” said Meiko who will play as part of the tour on Saturday at 8 p.m. at Blueberry Hill in The Delmar Loop. “It’s really inspiring to be around so many different singer-songwriters.”
Meiko, who is signed with MySpace Records/DGC, has seen career take off in the last year. Her songs have been featured in films and televisions shows, and she’s performed on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien”.
“All these things are just evolving,” she said. “It’s been overwhelming … It’s crazy how you can create something and put it out to so many people.”
Her album was featured as an “Indie Spotlight” on iTunes, and Perez Hilton blogged about her.
“It kind of snowballed from there,” Meiko said. “I feel really lucky to be part of this whole Internet thing.”
But things weren’t always as exciting for Meiko.
She waited tables while recording her self-titled debut CD, and released it herself before signing with the label.
“It was really long and grueling,” she said. “They say blood, sweat and tears and it really was.”
After signing, she was able to go back and make changes to the album.
“I added a new song. I rerecorded a song,” she said. “[It’s] nothing too drastic.”
Meiko’s interest in music started at an early age.
“I was raised by my dad,” she said. “He’s just been playing guitar for me since I was a little girl.”
At a young age, her father recognized an affinity for music and bought her a guitar. Neither of them have looked back since.
“Song writing was pretty much instantaneous for me,” Meiko said. “[My father] never really wanted to be in the limelight He’s really supportive.”
Growing up, she listened to a lot of music, but a couple of artists really influenced her style.
“I really stuck with Edie Brickell. I think that helped me learn how to write a song,” she said.
Being on tour with a group of artists has taught Meiko that no one artist’s creative process is exactly the same.
“It takes a little while for me to get into the groove of song writing,” she said. “When or if I pick up the guitar, I try to write a song. If I can finish a song in one sitting, those are usually the ones I record. If I can’t finish the song in one sitting, I don’t finish.”
Meiko has nothing but compliments to say about the artists she is touring with and encourages people to come out and see the show to witness the camaraderie between them.
“It think it’s obvious that we’re having fun on stage,” she said.
“We’re collaborating a lot lately . . . We kind of switch off around like a round robin kind of thing.”
After the tour ends, Meiko plans to take a break from the whirlwind, going back home to Georgia for the holidays.
“This is the longest tour I’ve ever done,” she said.
The Hotel Café Tour ends on Nov. 18 in Los Angeles.
For more information about the tour or other participating musicians visit www.thehotelcafetour.com.
Meiko’s music is available on iTunes and can be heard on her MySpace at www.myspace.com/meiko.
