Take some riffs from Nirvana, mix in a dash of Kylie Minogue’s glitter and run it through Daft Punk’s decks and only then will you have a product that sounds remotely like anything on Walter Meego’s debut album, Voyager.
Chicago natives Justin Sconza (vocals, keyboards, guitar) and Colin Yarck (keyboards, synths) are the duo behind the band, which was named after Sconza’s ‘alter ego.’ The two met while attending University of Illinois, but it wasn’t until after they graduated that the band was formed.
‘We started fooling around making music in a friend’s basement,’ Yarck said via telephone while the band was driving through Texas. ‘We had a show one day and after that it was like, OK, we’re a band now.’
After a few lineup changes and independent releases, the band was signed by Sony and the boys have been chugging along ever since.
‘Our sound just kind of happened,’ Yarck said. ‘We use a lot of synthesizers.’
The electro aspect of the band’s eclectic sound ultimately was the most challenging thing to deal with when it came to assembling a live show, Yarck said.
‘It’s really a trial-and-error thing,’ he said. ‘We try until it sounds good. We use playback samples and stuff and are constantly searching for ways to manipulate the sound live. We’re not just pressing play on a record.’
The band, currently on tour with Ra Ra Riot, is also making waves on the small screen as well; their songs ‘In My Dreams’ and ‘Forever’ have been featured on Ugly Betty and in last summer’s Heineken campaign.
‘It’s surprising, we enjoy it,’ Yarck said. ‘We weren’t expecting it. The label just kind of let us know one day.’
While trekking across the country on their first major tour has been fun thus far, Yarck admitted to missing his own bed.
‘It’s super fun and quite tiring, but it’s all worth it,’ he said. ‘Being able to play the material live is great because it’s incredibly immediate. But after a while, you do feel like it’s time to go home, relax . . . maybe take a nap.’
Walter Meego are playing at the Middle East Downstairs on Oct. 18.