Singer/songwriter
Megan Reilly composes a lilting kind of beauty that is much like
Cat Power,
Rilo Kiley's
Jenny Lewis, and
Tanya Donelly. Born in Memphis in 1978,
Reilly began taking guitar lessons at age 15. She formed her first band, Lucynell Crater (named in honor of a Flannery O'Connor character), shortly thereafter. Performing in and around the Memphis bar scene and recording a single with
Doug Easley for Loverly Records kept
Reilly busy for the next few years. In the new millennium,
Reilly headed north for the bustling New York music scene. Within a week, she was befriended by
Sonic Youth's
Steve Shelley. He was so impressed with
Reilly's work with
Easley, he helped her land some gigs in the city. A showcase performance for CMJ with
Joel RL Phelps and
Johnny Dowd also followed.
Reilly's debut album,
Arc of Tessa, was released on Carrot Top in 2003. Her stunning sophomore effort,
Let Your Ghost Go, followed in early 2006. ~ MacKenzie Wilson