Vadawave is the love child of Quinn Allman (former guitarist of The Used) and his wife, American Idol finalist Megan Joy. On paper, grungy guitar dude and pop princess might seem like an odd match, but one listen to Vadawave’s debut EP, Out of Body, and you quickly realize that the couple make beautiful music together.
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Crave is exclusively premiering Out Of Body, a six track musical melange that showcases Vadawave’s unique blend of soul and sentiment that channels shredding guitar riffs and rapid fire drums into fierce dance pop power ballads — think Paramore without the (melo)drama.
I had a chance to talk with Quinn and Megan “Meg” over email about music, marriage and what their “song” is.
Crave: Is there one quality that crosses over to having a healthy marriage and a functional band/group?
Quinn Allman: Probably communication. We tell each other everything, whether it’s within our personal relationship or when we’re working on music we don’t hold back, even when it’s difficult.
Megan were you a The Used fan before you met?
Meg Joy: Oh yaaaa. I was definitely a fan of The Used. I grew up in Utah and they came out when I was around 17, it was super exciting and unlike anything I had heard before. My friend had one of their posters and I would drool over Quinn and tell her he’s going to be mine one day. Haha!
Quinn what was your thoughts on American Idol? Had you heard Megan sing?
Quinn: I was touring so much at that time I never really had a chance to stay caught up with television or what was happening in the world. It wasn’t until a mutual friend of ours introduced us that I first heard Meg sing. I was blown away not just at her vocal abilities but also as a writer, she could craft hooks and lyrical imagery that was completely unique. I thought she was the coolest girl I’d ever met, and she still is.
“Escape” is a heavy song about a heavy subject — The Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS Church). What’s the backstory?
Quinn: We were both pretty familiar with the FLDS culture from living in Utah. Meg had read Carolyn Jessops book Escape several years ago and we had both seen documentaries that had deeply effected us. About two years ago we found out that one of Warren Jeffs main facilities “Alta Academy” was right in our neighborhood. Finding that out jumpstarted a mini-obsession for us where we dove into reading and watching everything we could about the religion. It was heavy on our hearts and minds for quite awhile. The song ended up happening naturally through our passion for the people suffering (mostly unknowingly) in the culture.
Do you have “a song?” As in the song that reminds you of when you met? Maybe your first dance wedding song?
Quinn: When we first met we would drive up the canyon near where we live, I had just discovered the band Menomena the day before I met Meg. I showed them to her and we both loved it, especially their song “Tithe” (hear it below). While driving up the canyon we would blast it, the sounds and vibes matched our unfolding feelings perfectly. We ended up walking down the aisle to the “Tithes” intro less than a year later.
Out of Body is your first release as Vadawave. What did it teach you about each other that you didn’t know before going into it?
Quinn: Out of Body was an awesome learning experiencing for both of us. Learning each other’s strengths and different approaches to songwriting was very helpful. I think we both learned how to let go of preconceptions and insecurities we had of ourselves and to lean on each other when creativity wasn’t always flowing.
