Buck Meek

Buck Meek
Meek performing with Big Thief in 2018
Meek performing with Big Thief in 2018
Background information
Birth nameAlexander Buckley Meek
Born (1987-07-10) July 10, 1987 (age 37)
Wimberley, Texas, U.S.
GenresFolk
Labels
Member ofBig Thief
Websitebuckmeekmusic.com

Alexander Buckley "Buck" Meek (born July 10, 1987) is an American musician from Wimberley, Texas, best known as the guitarist and backing vocalist of Big Thief. He has released three solo albums: Buck Meek (2018), Two Saviors (2021) and Haunted Mountain (2023).

Early life

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Meek was raised in Texas and was introduced to the guitar at a young age, playing blues and folk at local venues in his youth.[1][2] Similarly to the other members of Big Thief, Meek attended Berklee College of Music, but he did not form a band with his future bandmates until after they had graduated.[3] After Berklee, Meek moved to New York City, busking at the 14th Street-Union Square and Bedford Avenue subway stations to pay his rent.[4]

Career

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In 2014, Meek released two EPs with Adrianne Lenker, a-sides and b-sides.[1] The following year Meek formed Big Thief with Lenker and Max Oleartchik after they met Oleartchik in Bushwick, Brooklyn, recognising him from Berklee College.[5] Meek has recorded five studio albums with Big Thief to critical acclaim.[6] Their 2019 album U.F.O.F. was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.[7] Meek released an eponymous debut solo album in May 2018, and Two Saviors in January 2021.[8][9][10][11] Two Saviors was recorded at the corner of Royal and Desire in New Orleans, LA[12] alongside producer Andrew Sarlo, who also worked on all of Big Thief's studio albums.[13]

Meek appeared in the Alma Har'el-directed Bob Dylan concert film Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs of Bob Dylan, which debuted on Veeps.com on July 18, 2021.[14]

Personal life

[edit]

Meek and bandmate Adrianne Lenker married after they met in New York.[15] The couple divorced in 2018.[16][17] He lives in Southern California with his wife, Germaine Dunes, whom he met in the Netherlands.[18][19]

Discography

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Studio albums

[edit]
Title Details Peak chart positions
US
Curr.

[20]
Buck Meek
Two Saviors
  • Released: January 15, 2021
  • Label: Keeled Scales
  • Formats: LP, CD, cassette, digital download, streaming
Haunted Mountain
  • Released: August 28, 2023[21]
  • Label: 4AD
  • Formats: LP, CD, digital download, streaming
82

EPs

  • a-sides (with Adrianne Lenker; Saddle Creek, 2014)
  • b-sides (with Adrianne Lenker; Saddle Creek, 2014)

With Big Thief

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References

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  1. ^ a b Naddaff-Hafrey, Benjamin (November 9, 2017). "The Lore Of Big Thief". NPR. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  2. ^ "In Conversation: Buck Meek". Clash Magazine. January 12, 2021. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  3. ^ Maldonado, Eva (August 10, 2018). "Indie rock band Big Thief talks Berklee, Boston, and being vulnerable". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  4. ^ Joe Pug (March 19, 2021). "Episode 101 - Buck Meek of Big Thief". The Working Songwriter (Podcast). N/A. Event occurs at 25:38. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  5. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (April 30, 2019). "The Big Themes and Big Dreams of Big Thief". The Ringer. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  6. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (February 28, 2020). "Big Thief review – brawny folk-rockers beguile the big leagues". The Guardian. Archived from the original on February 28, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  7. ^ Hogan, Marc (November 20, 2019). "5 Takeaways from the 2020 Grammy Nominations". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  8. ^ Naddaff-Hafrey, Benjamin (March 2018). "Big Thief's Buck Meek Goes Solo With Ramshackle 'Cannonball!'". NPR. Archived from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  9. ^ Mongredien, Phil (January 17, 2021). "Buck Meek: Two Saviors review – too laid-back for his own good". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  10. ^ Hussey, Allison (May 19, 2018). "Buck Meek: Buck Meek". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  11. ^ Greene, Jayson (January 21, 2021). "Buck Meek: Two Saviors". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 21, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  12. ^ "Two Saviors, by Buck Meek". Buckmeek.bandcamp.com.
  13. ^ Lim, Eddy (October 6, 2020). "Big Thief's Buck Meek announces new album, shares new single | NME". NME. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  14. ^ Rapp, Allison (July 18, 2021). "Bob Dylan Delivers Intimate Virtual Concert, 'Shadow Kingdom'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved July 18, 2021.
  15. ^ Gottsegen, Will (October 22, 2020). "Going Deep With Adrianne Lenker". GQ. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  16. ^ Barlow, Eve (May 1, 2019). "Big Thief's exploratory folk is alternately intimate and expansive on 'U.F.O.F.'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  17. ^ Petrusich, Amanda (October 12, 2020). "Adrianne Lenker's Radical Honesty". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  18. ^ Burin, Rick (August 21, 2023). "Love, honesty and Buck Meek". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  19. ^ Mitchell, Matt (August 23, 2023). "The Folklorish and Affectionate Wisdom of Buck Meek". Paste. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  20. ^ "Buck Meek Chart History: Current Album Sales". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  21. ^ Minsker, Evan (May 24, 2023). "Big Thief's Buck Meek Announces New Album Haunted Mountain, Shares Video for New Song". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 28, 2023.