Meg Baird is an American musician based in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

, United States, who, in addition to her solo career, is known as a founding member, lead vocalist, and drummer for Heron Oblivion, along with members from Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound and

Comets on Fire Comets on Fire were an American noise rock band from Santa Cruz, California, United States. The band was formed in 1999 by guitarist and vocalist Ethan Miller and longtime friend bassist Ben Flashman, who were seeking to create rhythmically ...

. She was also a guitarist and the lead female vocalist in Philadelphia

psychedelic Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science ...

folk rock band Espers, and played drums in Philadelphia punk band Watery Love. Baird frequently collaborates with the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wor ...

-based harpist

Mary Lattimore Mary Lattimore (born 1980) is an American classically trained harpist based in Los Angeles, California. In addition to her solo work and collaborations with fellow Philadelphia musician Jeff Zeigler, she has performed with prominent indie musici ...

Early life

Originally from

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

, United States, Baird's family history is based in the folk tradition: Baird is the great-great niece of Isaac Garfield "I.G." Greer, a historian and Appalachian folk singer born in 1881. His inclusion on one of the earliest albums issued by the

Archive of Folk Culture The Archive of Folk Culture (originally named The Archive of American Folk Song) was established in 1928 as the first national collection of American folk music in the United States of America. It was initially part of the Music Division of the Libr ...

in the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The librar ...

helped expose Baird to folk music at a young age, while she was taking piano lessons, teaching herself guitar, and listening to

Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was fou ...

albums.

Music

While a member of Espers In 2007, Baird released her first solo album, ''

Dear Companion ''Dear Companion'' is Espers vocalist Meg Baird's first solo album. It was released in 2007 to critical praise. The album contains three traditional folk songs, four covers of more recent songs, and two original songs written by Baird. The ...

'', on the Drag City record label. Baird's second solo album, '' Seasons on Earth'', was released in 2011 and received favorable reviews from ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2, ...

'',

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

, '' Spin'' and NPR. This was followed by ''

Don't Weigh Down the Light ''Don't Weigh Down the Light'' is the fourth studio album by folk singer Meg Baird, released in 2015 on the Wichita label in the UK and the Drag City label in the US. Reception ''Don't Weigh Down the Light'' received positive reviews from cri ...

'' in 2015, described as "post-folk" by the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

Bands and collaborations

Baird was a founding member of the Philadelphia psychedelic folk group Espers, whose first album was released by

Time-Lag Records Time-Lag Records is an independent record label based in Portland, Maine. It has released albums by artists such as Phantom Buffalo, Elephant Micah, Fursaxa, MV+EE and the Bummer Road, Death Chants, Six Organs of Admittance, Wooden Wand, Char ...

in 2003. In 2014, Baird joined Heron Oblivion as lead vocalist and drummer. The supergroup includes Charles Saufley, Noel Van Harmonson (

), and Ethan Miller (

Howlin Rain Howlin Rain is an American rock band based in Oakland, California, formed in 2004 by guitarist/singer Ethan Miller. Their most recent album ''The Dharma Wheel'' was released in 2021. Their sound has been described as "classically soulful" and "Un ...

). She also plays with sister Laura in

The Baird Sisters ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

and have released three albums between 2003 and 2011. In 2013, the Baird Sisters joined Glenn Jones on ''My Garden State''. Between 2009 and 2012, Baird played drums for Philadelphia punk band Watery Love. In 2018, Baird and

released their album ''Ghost Forests'' to critical acclaim, reaching the number three position on

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

new age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consi ...

chart.

Touring

As a solo artist, she has toured with many noted fingerstyle guitarists, including

Bert Jansch Herbert Jansch (3 November 1943 – 5 October 2011) was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s as an acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter ...

James Blackshaw James Blackshaw (born 1981) is an English, Hastings-based folk fingerstyle guitarist and pianist. Blackshaw primarily plays an acoustic 12 string guitar and has been compared to Bert Jansch, Robbie Basho, John Fahey, Jack Rose, and Leo Kottke ...

, Micah Blue Smaldone, Michael Chapman, Glenn Jones, Michael Hurley, and Jack Rose. In February 2016 Baird served as the support act to Ryley Walker and

Danny Thompson Daniel Henry Edward Thompson (born 4 April 1939) is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist. He has had a long musical career playing with a large variety of other musicians, particularly Richard Thompson and John Mar ...

on an extensive tour of the United Kingdom. In 2019, Baird and Mary Lattimore toured extensively in support of their album ''Ghost Forests''.

Style and influences

Evoking Appalachian and anglo-American folk ballads, Baird's vocal style has been compared to members of the UK folk-rock scene, including Celia Humpris of

Trees In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

Fairport Convention Fairport Convention are an English folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Martin Lamble after their first gig.) They started ...

Sandy Denny Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny (6 January 1947 – 21 April 1978) was an English singer who was lead singer of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. She has been described as "the pre-eminent British folk rock singer". After briefly w ...

, and Pentangle's

Jacqui McShee Jacqueline 'Jacqui' McShee (born 25 December 1943) is an English singer. Since 1966 she has performed with Pentangle, a jazz-influenced folk rock band. Biography McShee was born in Catford, South London. Her musical career began as a soloist i ...

Discography

Meg Baird

*''Waltze of the Tennis Players/Dear Companion (A Capella Version)'' 7-inch (2006) (Tequila Sunrise) *''

'' CD/LP (2007) (Drag City/Wichita/P-Vine) *'' Seasons on Earth'' CD/LP (2011) (Drag City) *''

'' (2015) (Drag City) *''Furling'' (2023) (Drag City)

Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore

*''Fair Annie'' 7-inch split with

Sarah Silverman Sarah Kate Silverman (born December 1, 1970) is an American comedian, actress, and writer. Silverman was a writer and performer on '' Saturday Night Live'', and she starred in and produced '' The Sarah Silverman Program'', which ran from 2007 t ...

- 7-Inches for Planned Parenthood 10×7″ box set (2017) *''Ghost Forests'' CD/LP (2018) (Three Lobed)

Heron Oblivion

*''Heron Oblivion'' CD/LP (2016) (

Sub Pop Sub Pop is a record label founded in 1986 by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman. Sub Pop achieved fame in the early 1990s for signing Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Mudhoney, central players in the grunge movement. They are oft ...

)

Espers

*'' Espers'' (2004) (Time-Lag) *''

The Weed Tree ''The Weed Tree'' is the second album from Espers, released on Locust Music in 2005. It was, for the most part, a covers album, although it did feature the original song "Dead King". The artists covered were The Durutti Column, Nico, Michae ...

'' (2005) (Locust Music) *'' II'' (2006) (Drag City) *''

III III or iii may refer to: Companies * Information International, Inc., a computer technology company * Innovative Interfaces, Inc., a library-software company * 3i, formerly Investors in Industry, a British investment company Other uses * Ins ...

'' (2009) (Drag City)

The Baird Sisters

*''At Home'' CD-R (2003) (self-released) *''Lonely Town'' CD (2008) (self-released) *''Until You Find Your Green'' LP, ed. 300 (2012) (Grapefruit) * Glenn Jones / The Baird Sisters ''My Garden State'' CD/LP (2013) (Thrill Jockey)

Collaborations and backing vocals

*Meg Baird,

Helena Espvall Helena Espvall is a Swedish-American musician noted for her participation in the post-millennial psychedelic folk and free improv scenes. Her primary instruments are cello, guitar and voice."Helena Espvall interviewed and introduced by Buck Cur ...

, Sharron Kraus, ''Leaves from Off the Tree'' CD/LP (2006) (Bo'Weavil) * Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - '' Ask Forgiveness'' CD/EP (2007) (Drag City)Jurek, Thom. "Ask Forgiveness Review" ''Allmusic'', retrieved April 15, 2009. *

Sharon Van Etten Sharon Katharine Van Etten (born February 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released six studio albums, the latest of which is '' We've Been Going About This All Wrong'' (2022). Early life Van Etten was born in Belleville, N ...

- ''

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

'' CD/LP (2010) (Ba Da Bing!) * Kurt Vile - '' Smoke Ring for My Halo'' CD/LP (2011) (Matador) * Kurt Vile - '' Singles Going Home Alone#6'' split 7-inch (2011) (Matador)

Watery Love

*''Debut 45'' 7-inch (2009) (Richie) *''Two Thrills'' 7-inch (2011) (Negative Guest List/Little Big Chief) *''Die With Dignity'' 7-inch (2012) (Siltbreeze)

Compilations

*''So Much Fire to Roast Human Flesh'' CD (2006) (Bastet) *''Loving Takes This Course: A Tribute to the Songs of Kath Bloom'' CD (2009) (

Chapter Music Chapter Music is one of Australia's longest-running independent record labels. Chapter Music has worked with a broad range of mostly Australian artists, in genres such as rock and roll, indie pop, post punk, country and western and folk. Betwee ...

) *''Meet the Philly Elite'' (with Jack Rose, Kurt Vile, and US Girls) 7-inch (2009) (Kraak) *''We are all one, In the Sun: A tribute to Robbie Basho'' CD/LP (2010) (Important Records) *''Shirley Inspired'' CD/LP (2015) (Earth Records)

References

External links

Official websiteDrag City Records siteThe Baird Sisters official websiteBaird discusses new album ''Seasons on Earth''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, Meg Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American women guitarists Guitarists from Pennsylvania American folk musicians Drag City (record label) artists Wichita Recordings artists Espers (band) members