Tony Meade

Band Story

Tony Meade’s music is as contradictory as its creator… Romance and cynicism. Hope and longing. Beauty and grit. These are the things that define the music and the musician. A contradiction that somehow makes sense.

Tony was born and raised in the hills and valleys of West Virginia, a land of contradictions itself – a place of conservative values and union labor, of startling beauty and stifling poverty, of struggle and soul. It was here that he had his first musical experiences, simultaneously experiencing the traditional country gospel of his ancestors, all the while sneaking into this older sisters’ bedroom to pilfer and explore their collection of 45’s, “pretending I was giving concerts, using the bed as a stage.” 

It wasn’t long before Tony had latched onto the first two albums that would act as a catalyst for his own music in later years. “In 1983, I bought my first albums (on cassette). The first was Synchronicity by The Police, and not long after that came War by U2. That pretty much settled my favorite music for the rest of my life. I think I picked well," says Tony. He would later complete his triumvirate with the release of Definitely Maybe by Oasis in 1994, but of these early influences, Tony says “there was just something about that music, that, even though I was really little at the time, just spoke to me. It was just... different, and yet it was melodic and catchy and had so much passion and reality supporting it. I wouldn’t have articulated it like that at the time – I just knew it was special music.”

Though he had developed a deep appreciation for songwriting and musicianship at a young age, it wasn’t until his late high school years that he developed ambitions as a performer in his own right. “I was muscled into doing musical theatre, mostly because I had the same teacher as my older sister, and she was really talented. I didn’t know I could sing, so I just tried to fake it. It wasn’t until I was getting lead roles that I realized you can’t fake being able to sing. I could.” 

Tony spent the next few years overseas with the US Army, during which time he taught himself to play the guitar and took the first tentative steps into the world of songwriting. “In the beginning, I was either trying really hard to be creative and different, or essentially re-writing cover songs. It wasn’t until a bit later that I found out how to write in my own voice… And that the secret to saying something is to just say it.”

After short stints in Charlotte, where he began performing with his first acts, and in Seattle, where he learned the art of recording, Tony relocated to Denver in 1998. Not long after, Tony began playing a succession of rock’n’roll bands, beginning with the raucous pub band Free Beer, which then morphed itself to two incarnations: the American roots rock band The Revelators, and the comedy-cover band, The Sally Struthers All-Stars. It was from the members of these two lineups that Tony formed the power-pop trio Feedback, which saw the full-flowering of Tony’s songwriting abilities.

In addition to his passion for writing and performing his own music, Tony is also an experienced live sound and recording engineer. He has produced albums for local artists such as Denver solo artist Xiren, among others. He has also participated in recording projects for major acts The Lovemongers and Garbage.
Not My Day is Tony Meade's first solo release, a collection of songs from his past and present, and a preview of what's to come.

Tony is currently recording the follow-up to Not My Day, a full-length album to be released in 2012.