Meet Meghan
Meghan Cary didn’t mean to be a musician. But when her fiancé unexpectedly died, she picked up his guitar, figured out how to play it, and wrote her debut record, earning her Billboard Magazine’s esteemed Critic’s Choice Award. “I wrote my grief into music and sang my way out of the abyss.I keep making music to help others connect with their own stories and find their joy.”
Her latest album, SING LOUDER, debuted in the top 10 on the US/International Folk DJ Chart, and John Platt of WFUV extols, "These times require songs of compassion and commitment. Meghan has several which inspire us to reach our higher selves, and she sings them with such infectious joy you can’t resist joining in."
With masterful storytelling and award-winning songs, Cary creates a live music experience that is healing, inspiring, and outrageously joyful. Her message of unity and the power of raising our voices together infuses every show, and her song, “Sing Louder”, has become an anthem for the music-loving community.
“You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll beg for more.”
-News and Observer Critic's Picks
Cary is a frequent performer at Philadelphia Folk Festival as well as Falcon Ridge, Spring Gulch, Huntington and DelMarVa Folk Festivals. Her smoky voice, emotional singing, and vulnerable writing garner favorable comparisons to Melissa Etheridge, Brandi Carlisle, and even Bruce Springsteen.
A professional actor and playwright with a successful career in theatre, television and radio, Cary has written and preforms a one-woman show, On the Way to the Waterfall, and is currently collaborating on a Broadway-bound musical. Cary released her first book, Sing Louder: The Stories Behind the Songs, on International Women’s Day 2019, and is currently working on another.
Raised in Hershey, PA, Cary studied math and chemistry at Duke University, with plans of becoming a doctor. She made an about-face at school, ultimately earning her B.A. in drama before going on to obtain her M.F.A. in acting at FSU’s Asolo Conservatory for Acting. She is a founding member of the NYC-based, Actor's Shakespeare Company, and has performed in more than 100 plays throughout the United States and Europe. Cary has supported her creative habit as an on-camera commercial and voice over artist.
As a musician/actor/writer/speaker and the mother of two school age children, Meghan speaks to the subject of life balance with grace and a healthy dose of humor. “As soon as I think I have my story written, someone comes along and changes the setting...or the plot…or the characters. Usually, all three. My mantra: 'If you don't know the words...Sing Louder!'”
Meet the Band
Winning over audiences from the fields of Philly Folk Fest to NYC’s infamous Bleecker Street, Meghan Cary with Analog Gypsies is equal parts folk, rock, gypsy jazz and jam band playing award-winning original tunes ranging from lean-in-and-listen ballads to get-up-and-shake-your-booty jams. At the core of the band are Meghan Cary and Peter Farrell. The guitar and keyboard duo lays down a big musical footprint with cool grooves and tight vocal harmonies.
Add to that the unique bass musings of Jocko MacNelly, the rhythmic melodies of drummer Quint Lange, the not-your-typical-bluegrass banjo playing of Stacy Weathers, and the soulful and rhythmic harp and flute lines of Bob Beach, and you have the Meghan Cary with Analog Gypsies experience: an evening of great tunes, fun stories, singing from your seat, and dancing in the aisles. As one critic exclaims: "You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll beg for more!" (Critic's Pick - The News and Observer)