We were lucky to catch up with Meghan Holton recently and have shared our conversation below.
Meghan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Last September, I quit my well-to-do corporate job in digital marketing to pursue writing and producing music full time. I realized that spending my days in banal meetings, running advertising campaigns for these conglomerates to increase their quarterly profits. That’s not how I wanted to live. I’d rather have less money and spend my time working on meaningful projects that I will forever hold dear.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I played guitar through my teen years, always learning cover songs to play at campfires and family events. Writing songs never seemed to come, though I would often try, I couldn’t find a way to feel inspired and original on guitar.
One fateful day, I had a new roommate (Matthew Mcgoogan, also local Denver artist) who moved in and set up his music studio, including Ableton, in our living room. Little by little, he showed me how to use Ableton to make any sound or song I could imagine, to record. Everything changed. Being able to create in this way unlocked a entire new world for me, I felt limitless on what and how I could create. Words and melodies started coming up in a way they never did with just guitar, and I haven’t stopped since.
I’ve grown so much since those early production days, and I am proud to call myself a professional artist, producer, and mixing engineer now. I have had the pleasure of working with some great artist in the local Denver scene and beyond, including ii/LO, Aya Mcguire, Rocky Mountain Duo, and Scotty Holton. The mon cher genre hangs around indie electronic/dreampop style, but producing for other artists has allowed me to work with blues, folk, irish, pop and beyond.
Playing live is a whole new level of joy and experience that I couldn’t of ever dreamed of back in those early days, To think that I’m playing songs that I wrote, on stage, with my partner (Caitlyn Sullivan), in front of so many people – it feels surreal every time.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Supporting the arts for the sake of art. Not for capitalism, or acclaim, or any of that nonsense. Society today has a constant pull toward commercialism and numbers – how many tickets can you sell? how many followers do you have? We can forget that none of that really matters, it has always been about making things that make people feel. Providing ways to support artists so that they can focus on creation seems like the way to go. Local support goes along way. This could include, grants, nonprofit initiatives, and venues creating solid bases and trust.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
I’ve been doing A LOT of reading lately. 2 big ones come to mind. Rick Rubin’s “The Creative Act” and Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Big Magic”. It is always good to be reminded how magical this whole thing is (creating), that we are trying to channel something bigger than ourselves. 
Contact Info:
- Website: moncher.us@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moncher.music/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moncher.us/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/moncher_music
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzP2dAiKj-9fLijIoU8gcWA
- Other: Twitch (live stream music production on Tuesdays & Thursdays): https://www.twitch.tv/monchermusic
Image Credits
Matthew Mcgoogan Lacy Saenz Kat Fernandez Sara Monteith