Chilling With Caroline Meade

By Sean Maldjian, Contributor

Photo by, Meghan Marshall

Meet Caroline Meade

A self-portrait by, Caroline Meade

Would you rather…

your left eye twitches for the rest of your life or you always feel like you have to sneeze?

Looking like you have to sneeze is quite a wistful look. So sneeze.

Some questions with Caroline Meade

What do you like most about the NYC music community

I love that there's always something going on. I have a lot of artists around me, so it's nice to always have a friend's show to go to. I've seen a lot of the bands I'm friendly with play numerous times. It's really wholesome to watch them grow. There's a lot of smaller venues that I loved that closed, so I really hope a new wave of inclusive spaces will pop up soon. I really miss Silent Barn, Brooklyn Bazaar, & Sunnyvale :(

Is there anyone who you bounce your ideas off of?

My mom. She’s the goat. She just knows when something isn't working. Tough love has always been the best way to reach me. I always wait to show my band something until it’s completely finished. I’m super superstitious and private about the creative process, so I'd say my mom and my roommate Katherine are the only two people who see me when I'm writing. But I think that moment of “come look at this!” is crucial to the process. It feels like Santa came and you have to share it with someone to make it real.

Tell us about your new single “I HATE IT !”. What was the inspiration behind it?

Oh god. Well, I’m hesitant to fully genius my lyrics (even though it’s one of my favorite things to do), because everyone I’ve played it for has had a different perspective than mine. So I want people to have their own experience with it. Once it’s out, it’s not just mine anymore. I played it for a dear friend recently over facetime, and she said that every few lines reminded her of a different person in her life and that really touched me. It was such a natural song to write given what I was going through at the time, that I genuinely blacked out while writing it. I think I wrote it in less than 30 minutes. I write a lot about what I call grief-in-the-parallel-universe. It’s the stage of mourning someone and still screaming out to them because you cannot fathom that they cannot hear you. But anyway, I’m a nauseatingly goal oriented person and this year in particular, I accomplished some goals I had since I was 15. But the person I started out trying to make proud isn’t around anymore. And it’s okay most of the time, but sometimes I stop and look around at my life in complete shock. Like I live in their path-not-taken. And sometimes I get angry about it. I’m doing all the things I set out to do, I just never expected to be doing it alone. It’s all the good parts without the person I expected to share it with, and sometimes that makes me wanna scream.

There is a line at the top of the second chorus that I’ve been waiting to use since I was 13. The late great Chris Cornell wrote in Andrew Wood’s memorial book “2-THE LOVE MASTER, SAVE MY SEAT IN THE OTHER WORLD. 4-I-KNOW IT'S A SOLD OUT SHOW!” and I have never forgotten it. I can’t even wrap my head around how haunting and sweet it is. I’ve waited for the right song to use it in / the day it truly resonates with me, and that’s “I HATE IT !”. That’s why Chris Cornell is credited as a writer on the track.

If you could only use 10 words for the rest of your life what would they be?

Love, dear, hella, deadass, kind, friend, mid, thanks, listen and extraordinary.

What is your ideal recording environment?

The less people the better. I get overstimulated when there are too many cooks in the kitchen. So me, an engineer on the board, and then a player in the live room is calm and good for me. When it’s vocals, I need to not feel rushed. Vocals are by far the most stressful part of the process for me. I need a lot of positive energy in the room and for everyone to be having fun, including myself.

What is your go-to Karaoke song? Why?

Darling Nikki by Prince. I love the drama.

Digital, Records, CD, or Cassette. Which is your favorite format of music? Why?

That’s an awesome question. When I'm alone, listening on my airpods while I citi bike (especially at night) is quite magical. I sing when I bike. When I’m at home, I have a beautiful record player that an ex boyfriend got me and the whole vibe of that part of my house is perfect to share a song with someone you love.

What is your favorite park in NYC? Why?

That is by far the hardest question you have asked. I’m partial to Central Park, cause I always went to Sheep's Meadow with my friends in high school and I have a lot of great memories there. I remember growing up, whenever it was the first hot day of the year, I would come home from school and watch the news and they would show Sheep’s filled with people tanning. I love how after a harsh winter, New Yorkers will act like they’ve never seen the sun before. We are seasonally so dramatic. But Carl Schurz Park is my favorite park in Manhattan. Bloomingdale Park in Staten Island was my childhood park. There’s so much to do there, it’s amazing for a kid who can’t stand still.

What is your dream neighborhood to live in? Why?

Right now I live in the West Village, and besides moving a little more West of where I'm at right now, I'd love to stay where I am. It feels like home and at this point, I could probably draw you a map of the whole West Village by memory. I go on a ton of walks, especially when it’s humid and the streets are busy with people coming home from going out to dinner. It’s my favorite thing to do. I grew up traveling a lot, so I always dreamt of temporarily living in other cities. On the list is Barcelona, Paris, and Mexico City.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

My goodness, what dangerous freedom. I’m so excited for this song to be out in the world and for people to connect with it. This is the prologue to all the music I’m about to put out, so I’d say to anyone listening or waiting for the songs coming later: enjoy the ride and everything means something. Also, there is a music video for “I HATE IT !” coming on August 19th that I made with Grace Pomilla and Lianne Richards and their team (Bimbos Productions) and I've never been more proud of something. Grace and Lianne are the real deal, and the vision of “I HATE IT !” came to life in an unimaginable way because of them. You’re in for a real treat.