MANISTEE -- It takes about one minute of speaking to local musician/songwriter Meg Gunia to come to the conclusion that this is a person who has a real strong passion for music and the desire to perform it.
Gunia has been performing publicly for the last three years and is one of the up and coming artists who is quickly making a name for herself on the local music circuit. For a young artist who hasn't been performing publicly that long, she has a rare ability to grasp and hold the attention of a wide variety of age groups with her music.
"When I perform I do covers and originals that range from the 1970s all the way to today's music and hits," said Gunia. "My goal is to get as big of a variety as I possibly can to connect with the majority of the crowd.”
She has discovered that every gig she performs can bring a different response from the crowd.
“Every crowd is different as some are quieter, but they come up after to say they enjoyed it while others are cheering for every song," she said. “But I definitely try to connect with the crowd.”
Gunia said she keeps that in mind as she continues to expand her playlist.
“Whenever I learn a new song it’s done with the idea of learning a new song and an older one, as I try to mix the songs up while performing them,” she said. “It also keeps it fun.”
Gunia said the music she performs doesn’t lean strongly toward any one artist and she tends to focus on works that capture her attention.
“I will play Stevie Nicks, Taylor Swift, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young and Coldplay,” she said. “I kind of have a mix, but within the last year I have been going a little more country with Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton and artists that people recognize.”
She said the move to more of the country genre has also opened her eyes to the music of different artists.
“Last year I got a request to do a Kasey Musgraves song and I really didn’t know her at the time,” said Gunia. “After doing it I kind of noticed my voice went good with it and learned another one which prompted me to like that kind of music more and more.”
Her confidence and skill is also growing in her songwriting. It is something she feels adds to her depth as an artist.
Manistee musician Meg Gunia has several performances slated in the coming months:
- 7 p.m. on April 2 at Stormcloud Brewing Company in Frankfort
- 9 p.m. on May 26 at The Pelican's Nest in Bellaire
- 7 p.m. on May 29 at Stormcloud Brewing Company in Frankfort
- 6 p.m. on June 18 at Pleasant Valley Farm and Vineyard in Hart
- 9 p.m. on June 23 at The Pelican's Nest in Bellaire
- 9 p.m. on July 9 at The Pelican's Nest in Bellaire
- 9 p.m. on Aug. 20 at The Pelican's Nest in Bellaire
“I have nine original songs of my own which are kind of Indie folk and have been writing music since I was about 12 years old,” she said. “Once you believe in your own music it is kind of easy to play it in front of people.”
Music caught her attention at an early age; she was only 10 years old when the music bug hooked her. Since that time her confidence continued to grow until she reached the point of wanting to try performing in public.
“I ran into another performer named Mark Hansen at the Fillmore and he asked be to perform as a special guest of his at Douglas Valley Winery,” said Gunia. “After playing there with him it kind of got my confidence up and I started booking my own gigs.”
Gunia also discovered that once she got out there and was heard singing in the public domain it began to open doors for her.
“Now I have a lot of venues reaching out to me, which is pretty cool, rather than me reaching out to them,” she said. “It’s been keeping me real busy.”
One of the many joys she gets out of performing on stage is the interaction she shares with the audience as they react to her music. Being a solo performer leaves her in a one-on-one type of experience with those in the audience as she sings.
“I honestly like performing in front of different people and crowds,” she said. “I love performing music in general and singing as it is just an enjoyable experience. I kind of have an instrumental background that I play over with my guitar to make it a little more lively sound.”
She has performed in the Ludington, Traverse City, Frankfort, Manistee and surrounding areas in a variety of venues.
“I played at Stormcloud in Frankfort, the VFW in Custer, Hopscotch in Traverse City, at the Riverwalk up in Elk Rapids and St. Ambrose in Beulah to name a few,” she said. “I am starting to go around and play in a lot of different areas. I also play at weddings and at backyard barbecues for people who have smaller gatherings ever since COVID hit as that kind of changes things up a little bit.”
Like most area performers she has high hopes that COVID-19 is on the decline which will open up more venues to returning to more of a live entertainment format.
“It seemed like last winter there wasn’t many, but this year it is easy to get booked up,” she said. “In the summer there wasn’t many issues because of the outdoor venues, but last winter nobody wanted to sit in a crowded room so I didn’t have many gigs. This winter and spring is looking good for booking gigs so far.”
To learn more about her music, search for Meg Gunia's Music on Facebook, which has videos of her performing and links to her YouTube videos. She has musical performances on Spotify as well.
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February 27, 2022 at 02:13AM
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Manistee's Meg Gunia gaining attention on local music scene - Manistee News Advocate
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