Jan 2, 2024
Discovering Meredith Edgar is
one of my best memories of 2023.
In Part 1 of this episode, get
to know this singer/songwriter who was born in San Francisco. Her
parents had been here a while, but soon after giving birth to
Meredith, the family moved around a bit, first to the South, then
to the Northeast, and finally, back to the South Bay.
"Silicon Valley" was vastly
different than the other places Meredith spent her early life in.
When her family moved there, she was in third grade and happy to be
in a more diverse place. She ended up spending her middle and high
school years in the South Bay, eventually spending more and more
time in The City.
Music was always an integral
part of Meredith's life. As she puts it, her parents have "eclectic
taste in music." She says that there was always music playing—at
home, in the car. Her dad also played guitar.
Meredith started playing violin
at 4. Later, she joined her junior high choir. And by the time high
school rolled around, she had started playing guitar, writing
songs, and playing out. "Out" at that time meant open mics at Red
Rock Coffee in Mountain View, and Meredith shares the story of her
first time doing that. She says that she's deeply grateful to have
found music, fast-forwarding to tell the story of her
dog's passing away in late September of this year and how
playing helped her grieve.
Then we go back again to her
late-teen years. Meredith was ready to not be in the suburbs
anymore. She and her friends came to SF to go to shows or go
dancing at spots like Pop Scene (330 Ritch) and 1984 (Cat Club).
When she made the leap north to live in The City, she didn't play
out right away. But the South Bay band she was still a part of
fizzled out.
When she first got here, she
was in a bad relationship that also eventually ended. After that,
Meredith's music picked back up. She worked at Macy's in cosmetics
and shares a fun sidebar about kittens and puppies up for adoption
over the holidays at the department store.
Around 2007 or so, she
picked up music yet again, writing, playing out, doing solo shows,
playing originals and covers. She preferred to be solo because of
her desire to be self-sufficient.
We end Part 1 with a chat about
her siblings. Meredith's brother is six years younger than she is
and is an artist here in The City. Her sister is a year older than
her, but didn't grow up with the family. In fact, they didn't know
about her until Meredith was 18. She says that they're good friends
now.
Check back next week for Part 2
and a bonus episode of Meredith playing a few songs just for
you.
Follow Meredith Edgar on Instagram
We recorded this episode at
Royal Cuckoo Organ Lounge in November 2023.