meg elsier’s ‘spittake’ at Baby’s
On The “Amazing and Weird” Experience of Connection Through Risk
by calli ferguson
Photo by Jacq Justice
meg elsier’s stage at Baby’s All Right was gravitating in this special wy where both artist and audience could feel seen.
Ahead of her set opening for FINOM on the second-to-last night of their Not God Tour, Elsier reflected on all that risk and vulnerability have taught her with her recent debut album, spittake. Through the whirlwind of a new city nearly every night, the album’s reception has shown her just how deeply something so personal—and in many ways, so risky—can resonate with others. Maybe it’s a testament to the power of leaning into fear. But the thing is, for Elsier (and so many with the impulse to create) moving through that fear to make her art is not much of a choice– but something that simply can’t be helped. Her call towards music is as terrifying as it is inevitable. By embracing the creative muscle of authenticity, she’s crafted songs that resonate with listeners in such a way that the connection becomes mutual.
I had the pleasure of sitting down with meg elsier as she geared up for the Brooklyn show supporting FINOM. Below, we dive into her reflections on touring, her journey with spittake, and what’s next…
Calli : So how are you feeling about playing Baby’s tonight?
meg elsier: I’m so excited. I've never been! A shit ton of my friends have played here, and so I know all the lore about it. It's nice putting a face to the venue.
And you're on the last leg of the tour with FINOM. How's that been?
Amazing! I've never toured before, so this is like jumping in and not knowing what to expect. And I just get to listen to their music every single night, which is a blast. It’s the best. So it's been the smoothest, easiest thing. They're so kind and fun and talented.
I feel like it's perfect because it's gonna be about two weeks by the time we end.
You have one more night, right?
We have Pittsburgh, and then we play a headline in Cincinnati and all the way back home which is sweet.
It’s cool – I've never played any of these cities, I get to hit the Northeast. Hayden who’s my drummer, he's just my human– we've been dating for fucking 10 years. But he's from Detroit, so we started in Detroit. I have family in New York, Boston, and Philly. So we just hit every single spot.
What a fun adventure. Any highlights along the way?
Philly was fucking amazing. So fun. And the sound was amazing. Burlington was nice. It also was the first dip into New England. Because first was Toronto, Montreal, and then we hit Burlington. And the leaves were changing, I [was] back in my element.
It was just gorgeous.
“I’ve always been so afraid of [making music], but it’s always been a part of me.”
Well I’d love to talk about your music and your story with your music. How did you first get into playing and song writing?
I don't even know. I always sang. I was so nervous, but I just remember being really young and thinking, ‘Oh, I can sound like that person. Let me try and do that.’ So, I always loved playing and singing so obnoxiously. Like, so annoyingly. But it was fine.
And writing… I was literally talking about it the other day! I think one of the first songs I wrote [about] Ocarina of Time from [The Legend of] Zelda. I remember writing a song when a character died, and I was too emotional to do anything. So I wrote about it.
I've always been so afraid of it, but it's always been a part of me.
When you were a kid did you want to be an artist?
Yes. So my grandma would get us Broadway tickets for Christmas. I would go see something like The Lion King and see kids performing. Therefore… I can do this, right?
But I didn't commit to it being something I could ever do until senior year of high school, when they're like, ‘Why don't you make a four-year commitment to what the rest of your life is going look like?’
And I just couldn't do anything. I almost self-sabotaged everything until I was like, I have to do music.
I'm glad you did…
Literally same. But it took me a while to accept that I was gonna do it. I was just nervous too. It's so fucking vulnerable.
Totally. Being an artist is so cool. But also, your work is your heart.
I feel like a thing with artists too, is a lot of them are chameleons. Which I love. You can read a room really well and you know how to navigate certain things. So to be authentic with yourself is an interesting muscle deflect– especially when people pleasing is such a normal and rewarded thing.
So when I need to kind of introduce myself to have a sustainable career, or to do whatever, it’s so fucking scary.
Sometimes, I find with artists and creatives, you can't help but not. It’s hard, but there you are showing up and being vulnerable again.
Exactly. It's the one thing, though, I’m happy doing.
“ifshitfuq” was my first song. This album was the first thing I've ever released. And I lingered for a very long time, and sometimes you can get frustrated— my friends were on their fourth project or something.
But I'm happy that where I'm starting from is so authentic to me. I don't have to pretend for the next however many years to push it– it’s easy now.
photo by Jacq Justice
photo by Jacq Justice
“I’m way more receptive to taking risks. Because I did it, and it was scary, but I didn’t die! And that’s a good fucking thing to know!”
So how did the spittake come together? How was that process?
I feel like the timeline is so bizarre, but when I first moved to Nashville, I would play with guitar and have harmonies. And that was so safe for me. I went to music school, and you're trained to sound pretty. You're trained to use technique and all of that. So I spent so long time doing that, and I got so frustrated. To the point where seeing people play who were doing their own thing… I would get so jealous. It's so embarrassing. But it was like… You're freeing yourself. And I really wish I could do that. But I don't have the fucking guts right now.
So I was lingering on that for so long. And then I was writing songs and learning how to demo myself. Because if I'm not gonna let anyone else in, I can at least learn how to fulfill a sound. Then I just had so many songs I was playing live that I really wanted to do.
Then Ryan McFadden, who’s a very close friend, [and I] were like, “Oh, maybe we'll just meet up and talk about it.” And soon it was, “Okay, let’s just do an album.” We had 11 songs.
And it truly was the perfect moment in time.
How has the release been? How has it felt putting it out into the world?
Amazing and weird!
The thing I have gained from it is I feel like it was a slight risk. It's not like the craziest thing, but I don't know what exact genre it is, and it's not the easiest, [most] digestible album. But I feel like you get rewarded by taking risks. And that's been the reception: the people who connect with it really connect. And that's just the greatest thing.
I just do truly believe that for the people who connected with it, it makes me feel– I don't want to say I did it selfishly, because that's not it— but it makes me so happy because I'm like, Oh my god, I'm not alone! Thank you for receiving it!
Where sometimes we think that the audience gets to feel like they're not alone. But, I also get to feel so much less alone. It makes me feel so much safer on stage and everywhere.
Oh that is so cool! I heard someone say in response to the question of whether making your art is selfish that actually, no– it’s one of the most selfless things you can do.
It’s so bizarre because when you’re doing something for yourself and being organically you, it can feel selfish cause you’re not catering to anyone. It's totally the opposite, but I also totally empathize with that, because I’ve felt like that forever. It's so much easier to linger in that world.
It's wild, though, how people can connect with things from so many angles and in so many strange ways.
It freaks me out in the best way every fucking time that someone after a set will just talk to me about it. And I don’t know why I felt like I was the only one! But to be face to face with someone who is like, “I feel the same way” is psychotic. It’s wild.
How has it felt, then, bringing that live and performing those songs for a face-to-face audience?
Amazing and weird! So I get so fucking nervous all the time. Before every show. I’ll shake, I'll feel like I need a vomit...
But specifically with this tour, the fans want to listen to good music and they want to learn. They're super receptive to openers, they want to hear something new. So this tour has been playing to rows that just have people that are really open and wonderful. So I'm extremely lucky to hop on to that and to get to play to those crowds.
They’re just such a great group of people and musicians, and when their audience reflects that as well, it's just super cool.
Oh I love to hear that! So what’s next?? Are you writing new music?
When we did spittake, the recording of it had no timeline really. But then when we had a release date– videos and visuals are incredibly important to us– so we kind of had this stockpile of an album and videos, and we knew exactly what we wanted to do.
Less on this tour cause we’re playing the album, but in Nashville, we'll play brand new songs to just try them out. So we went in with Ryan to kind of flesh out a few of them.
But another album, for sure, is written. And then me and Jacqueline– she's my best friend, but also the one who did the majority of the videos— we're already talking.
“I work with my best friends, which just gives you a lot more freedom and a lot less fear.”
I got so inspired by the process of making the last one that I just kept going! Now I have a clearer idea of how to communicate. I'm way more receptive to taking risks. Because I did it, and it was scary, but I didn't die! And that’s a good fucking thing to know!
Yes– That’s all it is!! So did you have your vision for the videos and the visuals the whole time? Or how did that come together?
It was more like we had the songs— Ryan and I did our week in the studio with amazing players. And then I was talking with Jacq about it, and we had no fucking money but we're both such fashion/visual people. I think that's such an important part of music. I'm way more of a visual listener.
But we went through and we [chose the] songs that were tickling us the most visually. I sent her images or write-ups of what I was feeling when I was writing [the song]. And then she came back with ideas. And that girl's fucking brain and what she translates…!
But also, I play with Hayden, and Deshawn, and Ryan— I work with my best friends, which just gives you a lot more freedom and a lot less fear. So working with her, she'll pull things out of me that I couldn't get from another director. She just has these ideas that are so out of the box. And sometimes I think I can't do it, but when she makes you feel like you can, you can.
Oh, that’s beautiful. So cool. Okay before I let you go get ready for your set, is there anything else that you want people to know about your music?
I’m just appreciative of anyone who wants to listen. And if you love it, that makes me really feel happy and so connected.
