This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I am really busy today, which explains why I haven't blogged, but I promise to blog some later. Sorry.
But one thing I do want to talk briefly about is "The Voice," which aired its second episode last night.
Carson Daly. the show's host, said that the following episodes will feature 32 of the best "undiscovered" talent in America — in his words.
Imagine my surprise, then, when Frenchie (a semi-famous contestant on "American Idol" who was booted for appearing in some scandolous pictures) sang in the first episode, and then last night, Dia Frampton sang.
I couldn't believe my eyes. Undiscovered? I've talked to Dia several times over the past few years when she was part of the nationally touring sister act Meg & Dia. Then they called her a book author or something like that, with no mention of her past experience.
I'm torn. Like any good Utahn, I want to root for a Utahn, but my heart goes out to some of the 16-year-olds on the show who really define "undiscovered."
I pulled two stories from the archives that feature Meg & Dia: both are from 2009:
1.
Sixty-eight musical acts are scheduled to perform at the Vans Warped Tour this Saturday, with many of them on the grueling, cross-country trek for the first time.
But Utahns Meg & Dia are veterans, with this the young women's third time performing at a rock tour known for catering to teenagers with XY chromosomes and a penchant for sweating profusely.But the duo don't mind, they told The Salt Lake Tribune in interviews.
"There's a lot of guys out here," said Meg, 24, who shares the last name Frampton with her 21-year-old sister, Dia. "That's not necessarily a bad thing. I don't know I could handle a whole tour of girls.
""I've been into boyfriends since I was 15," said Dia. "I've been single for a whole year now, and it's scary.
"The two women, who tour and record with three men but still keep the moniker Meg & Dia, released their album "Here, Here and Here" in April. Produced by veteran producer Howard Benson (My Chemical Romance, All-American Rejects), the albun's 13 songs, written entirely by guitarist/singer Meg and lead singer Dia, chronicle the past few years in the life of the band, with their customary literary and classical influences and straightforward lyrics that deal with relationships, often broken. (The album's title comes from a response Mozart gave when someone asked him about his art: "There's nothing to composing. You just need to focus on here, here and here," he said, in reference to his head, heart, and ear.)
Meg was born in Logan and raised in St. George, and attended the University of Utah for two semesters before leaving to focus on her career. Dia, also born in Logan, grew up in St. George and Draper.
The two were introduced to music as young children, when Meg received a karaoke machine and Dia received a guitar as Christmas gifts. They began playing together at local fairs and retirement homes, and in 2005 released their debut album, the mostly acoustic "Our Home Is Gone." After touring extensively, in late 2006 the women released "Something Real." In 2007, they signed to Warner Bros. Records., a label intrigued by the young women's introspective pop-rock.
"We like to be free and frank and honest, because that's what gets people to listen," Meg said."I figured out [music] was my only way to get some things out," Dia said. "We had so much to say.
"As Warped Tour veterans, the women said they enjoy "taking advantage" of other musical acts by giving them false directions to the communal showers, while knowing where the "secret showers" are in each Warped Tour venue. They're used to the tour's hurry-up-and-wait atmosphere and the sunblock and electrolytes needed to survive, since the tour stops always seem to take place on the hottest day of the year in each city.
Tour mates and fellow Intermountain West residents 30H!3 (pronounced three-oh-three, after the area code of the band's hometown, Boulder, Colo.) bemoan the heat while being appreciative of the opportunity the Warped Tour presents. "It's eight weeks of being hot in parking lots," said Nathaniel Motte, one-half of the Boulder duo that is burning up the charts with its hit single, "Don't Trust Me," which hit No. 7 earlier this year. "But it's summer camp for big kids.
"Though close, Meg and Dia are different in many respects. Chief among them is where the women want to live when the tour wraps up. Meg said she'd like to come back to Utah. "It's nostalgic to go back to St. George, for that slower pace," she said.
But her younger sister, who lives in San Diego now, wants to go to the East Coast when the tour wraps up. "In New York City, no one notices you, even if you have boogers all over your face," Dia said. "In Utah, people like to stare at you."
That's not to say that Dia dislikes Utah. "Utah is always home, whether it's St. George or Salt Lake City or Logan."
Just remember to wipe your nose, Dia, on Saturday.
2.
If you need to do something for the good of the cause next week, consider http://www.DoSomething.org. The nonprofit organization and Web site has partnered with rock bands to create the Take Action Tour, with headliners Cute Is What We Aim For and opening acts (Utah natives) Meg & Dia, as well as Breathe Carolina, Every Avenue and Anarbor.
Part of the tour proceeds will go to DoSomething.org, a national nonprofit that benefits young people who want to make a difference in their local communities.
Shaant Hacikyan from Cute Is What We Aim For and Meg Frampton of Meg & Dia talked with The Salt Lake Tribune about the tour and how they try to do some things, sometimes. Meg & Dia » Meg and Dia Frampton, sisters raised in Utah, began as a duo performing acoustic pop songs until they signed up two more musicians and become a bigger-sounding, more rock-oriented quintet.
Thanks to Internet marketing, the band increased its name recognition and popularity, which led to a major-label deal with Warner Bros. Records and touring as part of the Vans Warped Tour in 2006 and 2007. They'll be part of the tour again this summer.
Meg, who attended Dixie High School in St. George and the University of Utah, is 23, and primarily handles the guitar. Sister, Dia, 21, sings. The siblings write songs together, and the band's third album, "Here, Here and Here," will be released in April. "It took only two months to write," Meg said. "Some people dabble [writing songs] at 10 minutes a time, but sometimes I forget to eat.
"Cute Is What We Aim For » Shaant Hacikyan, the lead singer of the Brooklyn emo band, said he believes in the mission of DoSomething.org, and has lived his life according to some of its precepts. "I tried to put together a hockey league when I was 10," he said.Hockey has given way to taking care of a new band mascot, a 4-month-old pug named Sgt. Sebastian, despite the puppy's penchant for chewing up lyrics.Music is the priority for the young band, which came together in 2005. The band's second album, "Rotation," was released last year and features a harder-edged sound for the pop-rockers.
Part of the new sound can be attributed to producer and Goldfinger lead singer John Feldmann, Hacikyan said, who made band members operate outside their comfort zone. To make them deliberately uncomfortable, Feldmann took the band on field trips to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. And, to make Hacikyan more aggressive playing the guitar, Feldmann would secretly order band bassist Dave Melillo to punch him before takes, the singer said.
Note: Punching someone is technically "doing something," but it won't make a difference in your local community.