MEGAN HENWOOD
‘Making Waves’
“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There’s also a negative side.”
So said Hunter S. Thompson, probably with his tongue somewhere in his cheek and a sardonic smile across his wise old face.
Megan Henwood, following her appearance at the 2009 BBC Folk Awards (where, at just 20, she won the Young Folk Award with her even younger brother by her side) was unfortunate enough to learn first hand just how prescient this popular old quote would be. Thankfully after a little inconvenience common sense eventually prevailed and young Megan can put it behind her and concentrate on a very promising career.
What for many would have been an insurmountable catastrophe has proved the making of Megan, who feels fortunate to have been able to meet and dispense with this unpleasant challenge so early in her career.
Since winning the award Megan has been busy writing songs and recording her debut album at studios in London and in Henley-on-Thames, which is where she grew up. Meanwhile she has played at festivals all over the UK including Glastonbury, Cambridge Folk Festival, Cropredy, Sidmouth Folk Festival, Secret Garden Party, Oxford Folk Festival, Warwick Folk Festival, Towersey Village Festival and Moseley Folk Festival. She has also toured the UK and supported artists such as Mumford and Sons, Ray Davies, Eric Bibb, Julie Fowlis, Cara Dillon, Eilen Jewell and others.
Megan was exposed to music at an early age watching her mother sing at nearby Nettlebed Folk Club and she developed an ear for a tune while listening at home to the likes of Abba and Queen. As she grew older she found inspiration from the songs of Bill Withers, Tracy Chapman, Bob Dylan, Anais Mitchell and Joan Armatrading, among others.
As a teenager Megan’s songwriting skills continued to develop and she performed, both as a solo artist and with her band, honing her craft on the local live circuit. At eighteen she spent six months travelling where she paid her way playing guitar and singing to crowds in Venice, Thailand, India and Malaysia. It was during this time she fell in love with the people of Nepal and has since returned to Kathmandu twice to record with leading Nepalese musicians Nirmal Kulu, Binod Katal and Shyram Saram Nepali.
Back in the UK, between songwriting and performing Megan regularly contributes to music therapy sessions for people with learning difficulties. These experiences have had a profound effect on her songwriting. Her powerful, poignant and often witty lyrics are woven around wonderful timeless pop melodies and demonstrate a sometimes surprising depth and maturity – all of which can be heard on the debut album “Making Waves” which features some great musicians such as the legendary Peter Knight from Steeleye Span on fiddle, Andy Crowdy on double bass, Nick Fyffe on bass, Barriemore Barlow on drums, plus Joe & Sam Brown , Mollie Marriott, and Megan’s brother Joe. These circumstances have also given her the chance to go back into the studio to re-record and remix parts of the album including a great new song and the result is a truly wonderful debut record, as you'll have seen from the reviews.
