Megan Slankard showcased at A&R Online.

"With her solid backing band, she could move into Alanis or Jewel's territory for a quick look and find herself a star to swing on" - The Herald, Monterey

With a smooth, bluesy voice rich beyond her years, 20-year-old singer-songwriter Megan Slankard weaves perceptive lyrics and rhythmic guitar into a colorful, soulful acoustic pop, “treating songwriting connoisseurs to her simple yet elegant style.” (The Examiner, San Francisco, January 24, 2003)

She just completed recording a dozen of her new songs for her second CD, freaky little story, which was released September 2003. The CD features songs with her newly formed Megan Slankard Band. A song included on the CD qualified her as a finalist in the 2002 Pantene Pro-Voice Competition, one of five out of over 1900 entries (www.pro-voice.com.)

Her self-produced and independently released debut acoustic CD, Lady is a Pirate, is “clever... imaginative... soulful...” (The Harbinger, Winter 2002) and has sold 2600 copies. On the album she delivers a “strong, consistent collection of 13 distinctive songs,” a trio of which qualified her as a semifinalist in the 2002 Independent Music Awards’ performing-songwriter competition (Musician’s Atlas Magazine and Borders Books & Music.)

In addition to recording, this young artist’s passion for music has lead her to several hundred performances in just five years. Last year alone brought over 100 performances in some 60 cities in four different countries. These included invitations to showcase at the NEMO Music Conference in Boston and NXNE Music Festival in Toronto (Canada,) to tour as opening act for British singer-songwriter David Knopfler (Dire Straits) throughout Germany, to perform as opening act for a Central Park concert headlined by Michelle Branch as part of the Pantene Pro-Voice competition in New York City, and to perform at the international vintage guitar festival InGuitar in Zurich (Switzerland.)

And all this performing pays off: accolades this year include Song and Film’s Spotlight artist for November, Demo Diaries featured artist for September and October, and Acoustic Cafe’s featured artist on the “One to Watch” syndicated radio program (sponsored by the USA Songwriting Competition.) She was also named winner for Best Folk-Acoustic artist in the Modesto Area Music Association Awards.

Megan, who has lived just outside the small, valley town of Tracy, California all of 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 15 landed her first paying gig at the 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, to the blues feel of Blues Traveler.

If you ask her about her musical aspirations, Megan will tell you that she would like to record another CD, go on tour, then record another CD, go on another tour, and then record another CD; did she mention go on tour?