LOS ANGELES (www.meganslankard.com) - Megan Slankard, a 21 year-old singer/songwriter who is a self-described "fashion victim", rapidly expanded her fan base after she received a national television makeover on The Learning Channel's What Not To Wear this past Friday, July 16.
In six hours, 55,000 people hit her website, creating an overload that shut down the site at 2 a.m. for eight hours. By noon Saturday, CD Baby was sold out and backordered by the hundreds, and Amazon.com had her two titles in top 10 sales for the day. The message board at www.meganslankard.com was packed with kind comments from new fans around the United States and Canada.
The show, which featured Megan's songs "Too Bad You" and "Mockingbird" as she got the look of a rock star, gave her instant credibility. Her CD, freaky little story, was No 5 on Amazon.com the day after the show aired, behind Jimmy Buffett at No 1 but ahead of featured artist Norah Jones. CD Baby sold over 200 units and had 270 backordered by noon on Saturday.
Megan, a Northern California native who recently celebrated her 21st birthday, is also being featured on KFOG's Local Scene, the latest compilation from San Francisco AAA powerhouse KFOG, with "Too Bad You," which the station is also playing. Slankard performed four songs live on KFOG July 9, and last week visited KOSO in Modesto and KQPT in Chico.
With a smooth, bluesy voice rich beyond her years, Megan Slankard weaves perceptive lyrics with the acoustic-driven alt-pop of her backing band. Freaky Little Story is already garnering critical acclaim on a national level. One song from the CD qualified her as a finalist in the Pantene Pro-Voice Competition out of almost 2,000 entries, and Megan was the featured artist this past January (as well as October 2003 and September 2003) on Demodiaries.com, an online industry resource for music business executives.
Other recent accolades include being a finalist for RPM Direct Presents: Unsigned Artists Volume 3 compilation CD, A&R Online's featured artist for December 2003, and Acoustic Cafe's featured artist for October 2003 on the One to Watch syndicated radio program. Megan has performed in over sixty cities in four countries, including showcases at the NEMO Music Conference (Boston) and NXNE Music Festival (Toronto), two tours as support for David Knopfler of Dire Straits (Germany), a Pantene Pro-Voice concert (New York City), and a performance at the InGuitar international festival in Zurich (Switzerland).
Megan's debut, Lady is a Pirate (2001), is solo acoustic, three songs of which qualified her as a semifinalist in the Independent Music Awards performing songwriter competition. Sales of both records have reached over 4,000 copies since 2001.
Megan, who has lived just outside Tracy, California all her life, began guitar lessons at the age of ten when she received a Beatles songbook as a gift. A few years later she started singing and composing her own songs, and at age fifteen landed her first paying gig at a local bar and grill. Her love of music grew from the Beatles to encompass a wide variety of styles, from the acoustic rock sounds of Counting Crows and John Mayer, to the modern jazz of Al Jarreau and bluesy rock of Blues Traveler.
"This seemingly innocent 20-year-old singer-songwriter has surprised audiences and critics across the country with her smooth, bluesy compositions. A breath of fresh air in the world of female pop singers, Slankard's sound is vibrant, emotional, and very addicting." - Santa Cruz Sentinel
"It's as if you've opened an emo pop Jack-in-the-box - the outside is adorned with hearts, rainbows and peace symbols, but turn the crank, and after a little acoustic rock fanfare, out pop the twin figures of Alanis Morissette and Ani DiFranco in all their fierce, über-female kick-ass-itude. Such is the shock when an adorable 20-year-old hippie gal opens her mouth and belts out sharp, punchy original tunes with radio-quality professionalism.
Tracy, California's Megan Slankard clearly aims to paint the music industry paisley, and let's be honest - it isn't exactly hurting her mission that her every molecule radiates disarming cuteness. Keep your eye on this one." — Good Times, Santa Cruz County.
Tour Dates:
7/22 Tracy, CA @ Performing Arts in the Park
8/6 Modesto, CA @ St. Stans
8/7 Tracy, CA @ California Dry Bean Festival
8/20 San Francisco, CA @ Red Devil Lounge
8/21 Livermore, CA @ Cedar Mountain Winery
8/26 Ben Lomond, CA @ Henfling's
