Meg Duffy

Meg Duffy is an American musician and guitarist who has played as a studio musician on records by The War on Drugs, Weyes Blood, and William Tyler, among others. Duffy was also a member of Kevin Morby's live band, and is the sole member of indie-rock band Hand Habits.[1] Duffy's Hand Habits project has been compared to Angel Olsen and Big Thief.[2]

For those of the same or a similar name, see Megan Duffy (disambiguation).

Meg Duffy
Meg Duffy (center) performing with Hand Habits at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK in 2019
Background information
BornAmsterdam, New York
GenresFolk, indie folk, indie-rock
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsGuitar, slide guitar
Years active2013–present
LabelsWoodsist Records, Saddle Creek
Associated actsHand Habits, Kevin Morby, William Tyler, The War on Drugs, Amber Arcades, Mega Bog
Websitehandhabits.bandcamp.com

Background

Duffy is originally from Amsterdam, New York, and first started playing guitar at 17, although they had played drums since 5th grade.[3] After graduating from high school, Duffy attended Schenectady County Community College for guitar performance.[3] After graduating from college they briefly relocated to Albany, New York, prior to joining Morby's band in Los Angeles, California.[3] Duffy uses non-binary gender-neutral pronouns.[4]

Session work

Duffy is an accomplished session musician and is credited on a number of albums. Most recently they played on William Tyler's instrumental album Goes West.[5] Duffy played a distinctive slide guitar solo on "Holding On" off The War on Drugs' Grammy winning album A Deeper Understanding.[6] Duffy contributed guitar, slide guitar, and bass on the albums Fading Lines (2016) and European Heartbreak (2018) by Dutch artist Amber Arcades.[7][8] Duffy played slide guitar on "Seven Words," a 2016 track from the album Front Row Seat to Earth by Weyes Blood.[9] Duffy appeared on Mega Bog's albums Happy Together (2017) and Dolphine (2019).[10][11] Duffy was a regular member of indie rock musician Kevin Morby's live band from 2015 to 2018, and played guitar, piano, and bass on his 2017 album City Music.[12]

Equipment

Duffy plays a Fender Lone Star Stratocaster with a rosewood fretboard.[13] The guitar is set up with Seymour Duncan pickups configured with a single coil at the neck position, a single coil in the middle position and a humbucker at the bridge position.[13]

Hand Habits

Duffy is the founder, primary songwriter, and only permanent member of the Los Angeles-based band Hand Habits.[14] Their first release as Hand Habits was a 2012 split record titled Small Shifts (included as part of the pinky demos).[15] On September 25, 2015, Hand Habits released double EPs titled This Sounds Like Nothing Tonight and This Sounds Like Nothing Before.[16][17] Their first full length record Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void) was released by Woodsist Records in 2017.[18] Wildy Idle was self-produced by Duffy and recorded partially in Saugerties, New York and partially at their home in Highland Park.[13] Kevin Morby said about the album: "Wildly Idle feels incredibly intimate, like a secret between her and the listener. It hits soft, like warm water, and before you know it it is all around you – a bath, and Meg's whisper has made its way inside you." [19] In reviewing the album for Pitchfork, Quinn Moreland wrote: "Duffy sings of romances come and gone without ever sounding jaded or spiteful; future love promises a mystery, a sensuality that’s open like the road." [18]

On March 1, 2019 Hand Habits released their second studio album, placeholder.[20] Duffy stated that the songs on placeholder "are about accountability and forgiveness .... These are all real stories. I don't fictionalize much."[2]

Discography (as Hand Habits)

LP
  • Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void) (2017)
  • placeholder (2019)

EP
  • pinky demos (2012)
  • Small Shifts (2014)
  • This Sounds Nothing Like Tonight (2015)
  • This Sounds Nothing Like Before (2015)

Live albums
  • Audiotree Live (2017)

References
  1. "Hand Habits' Meg Duffy Is Your Favorite Indie Rocker's Favorite Guitarist". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  2. Creek, Saddle. "placeholder". Saddle Creek. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  3. Lomberg, Cory (January 11, 2017). "If You Like Being Chill, You'll Love This Band Guitarist Meg Duffy Started". Noisey. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  4. "Meg Duffy of Hand Habits Embraces the Undefinable". FLOOD. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  5. "William Tyler: Goes West". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  6. Listen to 'Holding On' by The War on Drugs, retrieved March 7, 2019
  7. "Fading Lines – Amber Arcades | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  8. "European Heartbreak – Amber Arcades | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  9. "Weyes Blood: Front Row Seat to Earth". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  10. Moreland, Quinn (February 6, 2017). "Mega Bog: Happy Together". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  11. Moreland, Quinn (July 3, 2019). "Mega Bog: Dolphine". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  12. "City Music – Kevin Morby | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  13. March 28, Adam Perlmutter; 2017. "Hand Habits' Meg Duffy: Guitar Poetry". premierguitar.com. Retrieved March 7, 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. "Hand Habits". Hand Habits. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  15. "Small Shifts, by Hand Habits". Hand Habits. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  16. "This Sounds Nothing Like Before, by Hand Habits". Hand Habits. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  17. "This Sounds Nothing Like Tonight, by Hand Habits". Hand Habits. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  18. "Hand Habits: Wildly Idle (Humble Before the Void)". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  19. "Wildly Idle (Humble Before The Void), by Hand Habits". Hand Habits. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  20. "Hand Habits: placeholder". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
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