Megan Jean and the KFB: News

The Pine Hill Haints will be us at West Ashley's Tin Roof for a night of uniquely dark punk-tinged Rockabilly and Americana as they make their way across the country in support of their newest disc "To Win or To Lose" (K Records 2009). The evening will open with a special screening of Bill Daniel's black-and-white hobo graffiti documentary "Who is Bozo Texino?" that, "In beautiful black & white, to the rhythm of train wheels and country music...portrays passionate people who have turned away from the establishment and it's rules."-the International Film Festival Rotterdam.

At Noon
Plus, PBR is only 50 cents!!!!!

$10 brunch starting at noon. Bottomless mimosas and specialty bloody Mary's.
6 p.m. screening, followed by music at 8 p.m. $8 at the door, 21 and over. The Tin Roof
1117 Magnolia Rd.



MJKFB Press:
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/feb/04/tin-roof-hosts-americana-bands-graffiti/ Pinehill Haints Press:
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/pine-hill-haints-will-rattle-the-rafters/Content?oid=1738485

Make sure all of you folks in Charleston come on out to this tomorrow! Anything helps!

"Awendaw Green proprietor Eddie White swiftly assembled a full-days worth of acts for the Earthquake Relief Show: Help Haiti this Sunday (Jan. 24) at the Music Farm. Proceeds from donations at the door (they're asking for $10) directly benefit the American Red Cross. The bill features Mac Leaphart, Tater Famine, Ryan Bonner, A Fragile Tomorrow, Megan Jean & The KFB, The In-Laws, Justin James Burke, The Whisperjets, Doug Jones, Mary's Got a Band, The Whisperjets, Doug Jones, Danielle Howle, Josh Roberts and Leslie Branham, and Cary Ann Hearst & Michael Trent. Doors open at 3 p.m."

-T. Ballard Lessman


http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/haiti-benefit-gigs-at-music-farm-and-pour-house/Content?oid=1710788

Songstress Megan Jean lands in Charleston
Megan & Byrne: a full musical spectrum
BY ALLIE RICE

Normally, one doesn't hear much mention of grunge bands when speaking with folk singers, but, true to her unorthodox spirit, Megan Jean Glemboski crosses that line. "I grew up in Seattle during the whole grunge thing, and for me, Nirvana is as traditionally American as Hank Williams," she says.

Megan Jean is one-half of the Charleston-based Megan Jean & The Klay Family Band (or KFB for short). Together, she and her husband Byrne Klay (rhymes with "learn fly") make up this self-described avant-garde Americana duo that has made a name for itself touring the country, DIY-style.

"It's 'Americana' in the sense that our music draws from the full American music spectrum," Megan Jean says of their original music. "Folk, country, rockabilly, surf music, punk ... all of it. And it's avant-garde in the sense that we seek out unorthodox elements to add to the sound."

Megan Jean and Byrne first met in 2004 in New York City, where she was attending N.Y.U., and he was attending New School University. Based in Brooklyn, they decided to start a serious band together. The duo soon became frustrated, however.

"New York is such a black hole for up-and-coming bands. It's so over-saturated and no one seems to care about anyone's music but their own," Megan Jean says.

So what was the logical next step for this musically motivated duo? Pack up everything and hit the road. They initially booked 12 shows in the Southeast.

"We were playing once or twice a month and felt we weren't getting anywhere," remembers Megan Jean. "It was like screaming into the wind. Then one day, I said to Byrne, 'Let's just get out of here.' We left our jobs, our apartment, and pretty much got rid of everything to play the first 12 shows in the Southeast."

A short tour gradually extended into a 200-gig trek covering a span of 50,000 miles. The two tasted life on the road and they liked it.

Touring around in a red/green Suzuki Sidekick, the trio eventually began to wear down — and spending Thanksgiving at a Hooters wasn't exactly their ideal lifestyle. They soon happened upon Charleston, and fell in love with the city.

"We ended up playing some last-minute gigs, which got us back in the game," says the singer. "After another year on the road and many more trips to Charleston we decided to call it home.

The couple settled down in Chucktown and released their debut album, Autumn.

"We found that Charleston is special musically. The talent level is so high, especially among female musicians," says Megan Jean.

Neither of them had ever been to Charleston before, but it the small clubs and tight-knit scene enticed them.

"We found an open mic gig at The Mill in North Charleston, and they welcomed us with open arms," remembers Megan Jean.

"There are so many places to play here, and it's so central to a lot of good music in the Southeast," she adds. "Trust me, we've been all over this country and when it comes to music, there's no place like the Carolinas. People really listen to music here. They care about how it sounds more than whether it's trendy or cool. It was a breath of fresh air for us. That's why we live here."

Hey every​one,​

Byrne​ and I will be playi​ng tomor​row night​ at the Tin Roof in North​ Charl​eston​ with a group​ calle​d the Hotda​mns!​ The deal shoul​d kick off aroun​d 9:30 ish, so come on down and show some suppo​rt for our first​ gig at the Tin Roof!​

The Tin Roof
Satur​day,​ Novem​ber 29th,​ 9:30 ish
Megan​ Jean and the KFB openi​ng for the Hotda​mns!​
1117 Magno​lia Rd
Charl​eston​,​ SC 29407​
(​843)​ 571-​0775

Kiss kiss cooti​es,​

Megan​ Jean

So it's been a while since my last blog, and I decided it was time to fill you all in on what Byrne and I have been up to.

First and foremost, Byrne and I have finally put together our passion project entitled, "Songs Heard Round the World." It's a compilation disc of all our favorite music we've heard in our travels. We hand it our for free with all our cd sales (or just $2 to cover materials without a purchase...) and is only available at our shows, in person. It features 14 tracks from Megan Jean and the KFB (2 tracks feat. Pariah Beat, and one track featuring The Constellasion's Devon Donnelley...), Pariah Beat (Boston, MA), Daniel Wayne (Brooklyn, NY), Slaughterhouse Two (Canton, GA), The Rustic Family (Canton, GA), and Rusty Virgins (Atlanta, GA). This is honestly a collection of the best unsigned talent on the East Coast. The idea is to spread the music of bands that don't tour much, to every place we go, so they have an audience when they finally get there. Byrne and I have been lucky enough to be on the road for a year now, and it has changed our lives for the better. This is our way of giving that to our friends who can't do what we've done (yet). So if you want one of these amazing cd's, come on out to a show and pick one up! If you can't make it, but really really really want one, contact us, and we'll work something out!

After our amazing tour with Pariah Beat, we took a few days off and headed to Columbia, SC and played the Cafe Strudel. Bentz Kirby and the lovely May brought out a bunch of friends and we had a grand old time. After that we were headed up to Charleston, WV for a show that was unfortunately cancelled. We stayed at the Days in there and I got a bunch of hillbilly kids kicked out of the pool, along with their parents for jumping on me while I was swimming. I almost felt bad-I broke up a lovely afternoon of quality family time. Mom and Dad would have to get quietly drunk in front of their kids INSIDE their room, instead of out in the open for all the world to see.

We went up to Chatauqua, OH on Sunday for a very special event held by Dave Bevenger annually called South By South Chatauqua. We ate some amazing food, kicked back by the pool, and heard some great music all day, including the finest rendition of Freebird I've ever heard. Someone yelled it out, and these guys played it. Awesome. We had a great time.

The next day (Labor Day) we were on our way back down South to catch Clint Miller at the Mill in Charleston, but we didn't get very far. In Kentucky, we popped a spark plug (what? I know...), and had to camp out for the night at a cheap motel. We were lucky enough to make it to a gas station, and we have AAA-but along with our car, mechanics don't work on Labor Day. So, we waited it out and got it fixed the next day but alas, not in time for Clint...Someday. We hung out with our friends Jason and Jamie in Charleston for Tropical storm Hannah...(it was pretty wimpy...), and had an amazing cookout featuring some now legendary shrimp fritters that passed through the hands of 8 people while being made...yum.

We took a bit of a break, and then headed down to the beautiful town of Fairhope, AL for a show at Dr. Music Record Shop. Despite Hurricane Ike on the horizon, we had a great turnout and met some wonderful people, including Wade, who owns the shop and puts the shows on. Talk about a wonderful guy. This is a person that just loves music, and does everything he can to make sure he's always bringing it to the people. I cant say enough for this guy. Seriously, check out Dr. Music's Blog at:
http://www.merchantcircle.com/blogs/Dr.Music.251-990-3412. He makes these great journals out of recycled album covers (I got a Dreamboat Annie one, Heart!!!), speakers out of old luggage, and lots more cool stuff. We had a great time.

Next we headed up to Nashvegas, or Nashville to all my West Coasters, to play the legendary Bluebird Cafe. We played a great set to a packed house, and I got to see one of my very best friends from New York, who is now studying law at Vanderbilt. Can't wait to play there again, considering that the place we played there before was a cafeteria. Seriously. With a Burger King in it...

The next day we got up bright and early to play the Blue Plate Special on WDVX Radio. It's a wonderful little show in front of a live audience. We played after the lovely and talented Denice Franke, out of Galveston, TX. Say a little prayer for her, her place was hit very hard by Ike...We have a wonderful recording of the show that will be available soon.

Next we headed to Pigeon Forge, TN (Dollywood!!!) and picked up some kickin' clothes for Byrne. Seriously, I've had to beat the ladies off with a stick...

Then we went to Winston-Salem for a very amazing show at the Garage. We were the featured performer at the open mic, and boy, did they like us. Some of them folks went just a little crazy for Megan Jean and the KFB, which felt pretty good. We sold a bunch of cd's and made quite a few new friends. I can't wait to play there again...

After that was a great gig at Rodi in Gastonia, NC. What a place. Byrne and I figured one of the owners must have been a touring musician. Cause they hooked us up. The people were lovely (especially Mary Catherine, the bartendress...). We got a delicious hot meal (a rarity on the road), a nice chunk of change, and a room at the Comfort Suites. Sorta made us feel like somebodies, which was pretty well appreciated.

That brings us to today, where we'll be playing the Griffin Bookshop and Coffee Bar with our dear friend Emily Barker. I'll write again soon, take care,

Megan Jean

So, Byrne and I are holed up in a cheesy motel room in Wilmington, NC, still recuperating from our tour with the incomparable Pariah Beat. It was everything I like in a NASCAR rally. Fast, furious, and fun.

The dual-bill tour started out at one of our favorite spots, Duncan's. As always, we had an amazing time, and I learned a new drinking game and won the gold. The gold medal. Phleps=8, Megan Jean=1. Boo. We went to Mark and Chris's and had a too good time. That would become the theme of this tour.

The next day we headed off to the Purple Fiddle, first stopping off at Deep Creek lake, which makes you pay $4 to swim. Byrne got so pissed at having to pay to swim that he threatened to poop in the lake. He didn't. Though I suspect this was due to a lack of fiber rather than a lack of commitment. The crowd at the Purple Fiddle was pretty great (albeit geriatric) for a Sunday night. There was a little blonde girl that seemed to think that We and Pariah Beat were engaged in some sort of competition in which Pariah Beat was "showing off by being loud but trying to be quiet." And I thought we were hiding it so well. There were lots of hippies, which nearly sent James Monster into a fit. (Especially when they made him use the hippy side-entrance). We all got a bed and some seriously good food. The mountains were beautiful.

From there we headed through Bluefield WV, which is a seriously cool and nearly abandoned former metropolis and mining town. In its heyday, it was such a big city, that Hitler included it on his lil' ol' list of US cities to bomb. Turns out, he didn't need to. Bluefield economically imploded on itself in the 1960's and has been a ghost town ever since. The Touch of Class nearly died on a hill, but of course, pulled through as it's the finest piece of machinery ever crafted by the hands of man. Nick tried to christen PB's van with a bottle of Miller High Life, and just ended up denting the shit out of it. Highlarious. We headed out to Johnson City where we played an amazing show for a Monday night. We hung out with a dude named Mojo that thought Mojo was the most amazing thing/person/performer/student/philosopher/dude ever. Try talking to Mojo, and you'll learn a lot about Mojo. We spent the night at the Acoustic Coffeehouse, and I woke up to a terrier licking my face. Gooooood times.

The next stop was Asheville, NC. Where we went to Amazing Savings and we found some, you guessed it, AMAZING SAVINGS!!! My favorite was Doctor Kracker's organic crackers. We stayed with the amazing Tessa and Claire. James kissed Nick's naked butt through a window (a tour high-point for me), and some of the boys played dress-up and put on a cabaret. It was a great night. Also, Billy mocked the single most traumatic moment of my childhood. Delightful.

The next day we went swimming in a River on Black Mountain. The minnows tried to eat my flesh off and I got totally freaked out. They eat your dead skin!!! Gross. This was the day I saw most of the guy's balls. Don't ask, don't tell. We played a raucous show at the Rootbar, and shattered our previous record for attendance of 2. It was a good night. We camped in tents and set out for Chapel Hill the next day.

We stayed with Pariah Beat's lovely friend Doug and his wonderful new fiance Amy. The show at the Cave was great, and again, a too-fun time was had by all. There were Sparks girls that Byrne nearly made cry by refusing the Sparks. I had to kill their spunk by telling them that it was the Sparks (and the fact that it tastes like pukey-ass), and not them, that was reason for our refusal.

On Friday we played at our soon-to-be home-town of North Charleston, SC at our favorite place, the Mill. The crowd was amazing, and everyone loved Pariah Beat. We all went back to J and Jamie's place to drink evil Sambuca with Kahuna. I made "stoner sauce" that was quite good.

The next morning, we had an amazing brunch with J&J whilst watching It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the greatest show ever.

We moved onto the Juggling Gypsy the next night and played a great show after swimming in the ocean with PB's awesome friend Rachel. James ran down the street naked in front of highly amused neighbors after Nick stole his towel. The show went well even though we all thought we were going to die. Then after a lot of tears and a whole lot of hugging (okay, no tears and a lot of "fuck you guys..."), Pariah Beat and Megan Jean and the Klay Family Band parted ways after our week of touring together. If you don't know them, check out Pariah Beat. They're in our top friends, and not only do I love every single one of those pretty things, I love their music too.

Take care, and I'll write again soon.

Megan Jean

We're here in Johnson City, TN and I am once again reminded of how much cooler the South is for music than any other place in the country. From weirdo crazy-eye musicians ripping off our songs (yes, it happened), to Gollum-faced SOB's fucking us on the door split (oh yes...), to just plain rude New York City hipsters, we're glad to be back at a place like the Acoustic Coffeehouse. Jim Benilisha is a Saint among club owners. Though the pollen be fierce, and me allergies mighty, I love Johnson City Tennessee.

Today we begin the first day of our final tour for our debut ep "Autumn." We'll be hitting a number of places that we've been to, and some that will be completely new to us. Today is Byrne's birthday, and yesterday I got a fortune in a cookie said that I would be showered with good luck before my next birthday, which happens to be the last day of this tour. So, it begins with Byrne's birthday, and ends with mine, and the cookie said it'd be good. So, needless to say, I'm feeling pretty confident. Hope to see all those familiar faces (except for that one girl that said we sounded like Silverchair. You go to hell). We head off in a few minutes, and we can't wait to see you all.

So the end of the year is coming soon, and due to the influence of VH1 on mine and every other American's life, I feel the need to encapsulate it in one fell swoop in the ever popular form of a Best of 2007 List. But the difference with this list is that you may have never heard of anyone on it. But that's the point. Take my word for it, pass it on, and check out these amazing singers, songwriters, and bands that Byrne and I have been privileged to meet over the course of our musical travels. So without any further ado, here is the first annual Megan Jean and the Clay Family Band's Best of Truly Independent Songs of the Year List. (In no particular order). This isn't MTV after all...)

1. "Pub's Crawl" by Daniel Wayne.

We took this kid, this guy, this amazing songwriter on tour with us. We fought like family and played like kids, and I'll remember it for the rest of my life. Pub's Crawl is the kind of song that sweeps you up in it. It makes you feel small, and bigger than the world, all at the same time. It's heartbreaking and hopeful, just like the purest prayer you've ever heard. "People are vicious, people are cruel, people don't think a thing like you do, people are lonely, people are puddles, under the rain they cause...people are people. I'm people too." Take it to heart and you'll be a changed person. Please check it out, with the rest of Danny's amazing work at www.myspace.com/danielwaynesongs.

2. "Coals and Water" by Angel Snow

We met her at a competition that we both lost. When she started playing this song, I nearly lost my composure. There's a line in it that takes you completely off-guard the first time you hear it. "Tell me how you gonna walk on coals and water too?" I've never heard the human condition so succinctly and poetically rendered as in this song. She's located in Nashville, and I expect to hear great things of her in the future. Please do yourself a favor and check her out at www.myspace.com/angelsnowmusic
3. "Kiss" by Adam Masterson

I first saw Adam at a house party in Manhattan, unamplified and accompanied by his own guitar, a single snare with brushes, and enough charm to power the space program should they choose to convert to green energy. As a performer, I've never seen better. He has so many amazing songs (Avenue Walk is gorgeous...), that it was hard to pick a favorite. We played a handful of shows together, and I always looked forward to hearing his set. His melodies are achingly beautiful on "Kiss," and the lyrics convey a sense of sincerity lacking in most every love song you'll ever hear on the radio. This lad's back in London but makes it Stateside every once in a while. Please check him out at www.myspace.com/adammastersonmusic
4. "Down at the Robert E. Lee Motel" by Clint Miller

So here's the deal with this one. I've never actually met him. I was turned onto his "Ballad of a Modern Day Cowboy: A Tragedy in Three Acts" by some friends we met in UpChuck (that's North Charleston, SC for y'all that don't know). They said this kid was amazing. They said this album was one of the best they'd ever heard. They said he was my age, and when I heard it, I wondered what kind of demon he'd sold his soul to get that voice. When they showed it to me, I couldn't help but agree. "The Robert E. Lee Motel," serves as the opening for his Rockabilly Opera (though I hate to attach labels...and that one hardly does it justice...) "It was like suicide in room 35 down at the Robert E. Lee Motel." Please listen to the whole thing. Buy it and pay attention. It is available at www.cdbaby.com/millerclint and check him out at www.myspace.com/cowboyclintmiller
5. "Sinners and Sailors" by Casey Schuck

We love Casey Schuck. He looks like Apollo, and I think he sings like him too. He writes music for those of us that have perhaps taken a beating or two by this great game of life, and manages to see you through to the sun. "Sinners and Sailors," has unfortunately been taken off the site, but ask him please and he'll give it back. It's a beautifully angry, heartfelt, and tragic tale of life and love any everything in between, with a voice that's strong and true. Send your love to Casey, and take a listen to the rest of his work at www.myspace.com/caseyschuck
6. "Babylon is Fallen" by Pariah Beat.

This is, without a doubt, our favorite band out there. They put on the most energetic fucking firecracker of a live show that I've ever had the privilege of seeing first hand. They make you shake and rattle and fall right down like the walls of Jericho. You feel every note in the gut. They are a fearless band. Their music is intelligent, defiant, angry, and jubilant. We've had the absolute privilege of playing several shows with them, and I will continue to support this band until you're as familiar with them as I am. If you're out in the country (They're in Boston...), write them and tell them you'd like them to come out and play your town. They tour regularly, and you won't be disappointed. Just forget them shoes and dance like the world is ending. Please check them out at www.myspace.com/pariahbeat and take a look at the upcoming tour dates. They could be near you soon!

So kids, that's it for next year. Read it, take a listen, buy some shit, support some truly independent music, and go and see 'em next time they come your way.

Megan Jean and Byrne

Well, we have a ton of video for the last tour, journal entries, and pictures. I'm sorting them out, and it will be fantastic. Just you wait. For now, we're lying in wait. I can't specify where, but suffice it to say-it's rainy. We have a lair. The last installment of The Genuine American Tour will be coming soon, check the calendar, and if you want us to play in your area, then let us know where...