Meg Hackett
EZ folk Page: http://c1.ezfolk.com/meg/
radio: http://c1.ezfolk.com/meg/?radio=199
This is a very special interview I had put together with my sister Meg Hackett. I have always been a big admirer of her talents and dedication. I have learned so much from her! The music profession has not been an easy road to travel and it takes a LOT hard work, discipline and true dedication to get there. I am very proud of of her and all of her achievments she has made throughout the years. She has played out with a number of bands and then later started soloing on her own. She has had a several interviews both on local television and radio. This past year she has been working on some showcase events with a number of other artists. She currently has 2 CD's out which are for sale at her website http://meghackett.com as well as her latest CD at I-tunes, Amazon and CD Baby.
Currently, she is pursuing a teaching degree, doing gigs, teaching students and an athlete on top of all that!!! I don't know how she manages to juggle her schedule to fit it all in but she is just truly amazing! I know she will be an awesome teacher as she got me started on the guitar when I was much younger. She showed some basics on how to play in such a way I was able to take off learning on my own. Meg thank you for the honor of this interview and for being such an awesome sister! Big hugs Holley :)
HOLLEY HALL: Hi Meg! Please tell us all about your music background?
MEG HACKETT: Violin was my first instrument, starting way back in 4th grade. My Sister who also took up the violin as well,
was a much better player than me. She actually practiced, I did not. I had no patience to support an instrument with my
chin, though now I love playing the mandolin because it's the same tuning as the violin. My Half Brother Billy introduced the
guitar to me when I was in my early teens and was drawn to that instrument instantly. I guess with the influence of jazz
from our late Father (who used to crank the stereo listening to jazz) influenced me to study jazz guitar with Sal Salvador. I
had a few guitar teachers, Sal was one of my favorite teachers, he really taught me how to play the guitar and to sight
read. Steve Famigliette was my second favorite guitar teacher. He helped me to develop my soloing, by showing me a whole
different approach to improvisation. That's a concept approach I like to teach my students who want to learn about soloing.
I consider myself a novice compared to a lot of the great guitar players that are out there. I also I studied voice as well,
with a few different teachers and as a friend had said, you take what you learn from each teacher to help guide you in the
direction you want to go with your voice. The teacher that helped me the most was Jean Westerman Gregg (who taught at the
Music School of Hart, in Hartford, CT). She knew the mechanics of the voice. She really helped me understand about the
mechanics of the voice and about healthy singing. Especially when I sing out a lot, I really needed to know how to pace
myself, otherwise I would run into real trouble. So I will always be grateful to her for that.
HOLLEY: Do you prefer to play music as a profession or a hobby?
MEG HACKETT: I have been playing professionally for a lot of years. There was a time I felt really burnt out from playing out
so much that the fun was not there anymore. I did take a step back for a while and took a break from it. Some of my friends
who are great music enthusiasts, have helped me find the joy in playing again, as well as looking through the eyes of my
students. Now, I just love to play, especially when it comes to being creative. I have one student who writes great lyrics
for such a young person and though she does not know how to play an instrument, I help her put the song together, write an
arrangement for that song, then record it. So that's a lot of fun, to write for someone else.
HOLLEY: When and how did you first become interested in music? How long have you been playing music? What instruments do you play?
MEG HACKETT: Ever since I was four, I just loved music:) Giving away my age here I have been playing starting with the
violin, for 41 years!! I can't believe it's been that long but I guess when you feel passionate about something it's great
to have an outlet that you can go to. I currently have 3 six string guitars, Yamaha, Gibson and a Washburn, 2 twelve string
ovation guitars, one Fender Strat and an ovation Mandolin.
HOLLEY: Does anyone in your family play music?
MEG HACKETT: As you may already know, my sister who is writing this interview, is a very talented musician. She plays violin,
mandolin and has quite the selection of guitars as well. My cousin Su is also a very talented Singer/Actress. My Niece
Marina plays Sax and electric guitar ( I have been giving her lessons on the guitar). My Half Brother Billy as well as my
Half Sister Wendy both play guitar. Even both of our grandmothers were very talented in their own right, one played the
piano, the other was a singer in Vaudville. I've heard through my relatives that she was the first woman to sing on the
radio.
HOLLEY: What are your songs about?
MEG HACKETT: The songs that I write about is more about true life and reflections of what is going on in the world. I feel
you have to write what you feel passionate about, especially if you want to make that kind of connection with the audience.
HOLLEY: Do you write your own songs? Do you have any particular songs you consider your favorites?
MEG HACKETT: I do, but don't always have the time to write as much as I would like. When I do get into the creative moment,
I will do a quick recording of the idea (especially when I have to run out the door and want to finish the idea later) then
go back and really pick it apart till I finally get it where I want to go with it. A lot of ideas are based on what's going
on in the world, it could be a phrase that someone might say, it could be what I might be feeling in the moment, there are so
many ways to draw ideas from. I guess my favorite type of songs are songs I feel emotionally connected to.
HOLLEY: Who are your musical influences? (Site specific examples.)
MEG HACKETT: There are so many great Artists out there. Funny with the way I write you would never think of me as one who
would be more of a technical musician, but I am. I love Sal Salvador (he played with many great jazz musicians as well with
the Stan Kenton Band), Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Weather Report, Bella Fleck and the Flectones, Michael Hedges, Stevie Ray Vaugh, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Eric Johnnson, Steve Morse, just to name a few great guitar players. Singer Songwriters,
Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Raitt, Ella Fitzegerald, Lambert Hendrix and Ross, the list is endless.
HOLLEY: What live performance experience have you had? (Any industry showcases?)
MEG HACKETT: As I mentioned before, I have had many live experiences. I have toured the Northeast from Vermont,
Massachusettes, Rhode Island, Connecticut as well as all the little islands, Nantucket, Block Island, Martha's Vineyard as
well as far south as Florida. I've also played at The Foxwoods Resort, along with many other resorts.
HOLLEY: What are your musical goals?
MEG HACKETT: Just go get out there and have fun:) Keep playing till I can't play anymore.
HOLLEY: Have you recorded any previous CDs or posted any audio files on the Internet? What
type of recording process did you use? Who produced your recording?
MEG HACKETT: My first CD was more of a homegrown style. I recorded a lot of the songs off of a friends digital recorder.
There are just a few songs that I recorded on that CD that made it into the studio. The last recording, my folks helped
greatly on. If it wasn't for them, this CD would not have been made possible. With the changing of the times in the music
industry you are much better off recording then have the songs digitally distributed. No one buys CD's anymore
unfortunately, unless you sell them at your show. The my most recent CD was produced by Donna Summer's Music Director Jens Wendelboe. A very talented jazz trombonist, who also writes and arranges, in fact he is on tour with Blood, Sweat and Tears. On one of my songs on my recent CD, "Badada", Jens does a cameo performance on his Trombone. Michael Terry who also played a big role in the recording production played quite of few of the instruments on my recording as well.
HOLLEY: Where do you have your music posted online?
MEG HACKETT: You can find my music pretty much anywhere on the internet, from Itunes, Rhasody, IndieHitz, CDBaby, you name it. What is great about CD Baby, if you want your music to be distrubuted to several internet companies, they will do it for
you for no extra charge once you have your CD posted on their website.
HOLLEY: Any Music Videos? If so what are they about?
MEG HACKETT: No videos yet, but hopefully soon:)
HOLLEY: Do you have CD/Audio files for sale? If so, where can they be purchased?
MEG HACKETT: You can buy my CD's off of my website www.meghackett.com , www.cdbaby.com/meghackett just to name a couple.
HOLLEY: In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your
taste in music?
MEG HACKETT: I hate to say it but CT is not one of the best places for creative or live music. It's not like Chicago, Austin,
New Orleans, Boston, New York. Especially in this economy a lot of musicians have had to put down their ax just to make ends
meet. It's sad that people look at music or any of the arts as an extra than a necessity.
HOLLEY: When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?
MEG HACKETT: I haven't done any writing in a while. The only writing I have done, when I have a student that presents and
idea that they have written and I help them put it together for them. Or a friend who needs help on an arrangement in a
song.
HOLLEY: What inspires you to write music? How do you go about composing songs?
MEG HACKETT: I think inspiration can be about anything. I guess for me if I feel that I have something I really want to say I
will do it. Lately I haven't had much to say.
HOLLEY: Lately what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like
yours or different from yours?)
MEG HACKETT: I like to listen to all different styles of music, old, new, rock, jazz, folk, contemporary, blues, fusion, it
doesn't matter, if it's done well, or if it has a powerful message, it's all good to me.
HOLLEY: Name a band or musician, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time favorite recordings by this band/musician?
MEG HACKETT: There are too many to list but one of my favorite recordings I passed onto one of my students, he tells me, it's
his favorite recording "Saturday Night Live in San Francisco" with Paco De Lucia, Al Dimeola, and John McLaughlin. They
sounded like they had a blast playing together that night.
HOLLEY: Do you teach music? If so what age groups? Method of teaching?
MEG HACKETT: My students age range from 9 to 50:) I teach both guitar and voice. I don't have a real method of teaching, I
do instil some of Sal's and Steve's methods on guitar and for voice try to teach the healthier ways to sing.
HOLLEY: When is your next live performance?
MEG HACKETT: Tomorrow in Bethlehem, CT at the Painted Pony.
HOLLEY: Do you have any advice/experience you would like to share with fellow artists you think would be helpful?
MEG HACKETT: Never lose the passion to play. Have fun, that's why we do it:) It's always fun to share this outlet with
family and friends who both play and listen.
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