Welcome to The Rocks Off 200, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community -- a lot more than just musicians, but of course they're in there too. See previous entries in the Rocks Off 100 at this link.
Who? Gag Me, I'm Gorgeous is one of those bands that makes me sad I don't run a column on band names anymore because the name alone is thing of beauty. Over and above that, they have a unique sound that is truly difficult to describe -- a mixture of incomprehensible metal growls and progressive changes, mixed with a style of alternative rock almost like the Breeders. It honestly might be a bit too much, even for a city like Houston that breeds musical madmen like others raise dachshunds.
Part of that genius is Meagan Chambers, whose guitar style compares to everyone from Robert Smith to Tom Morello. She started out life as a band nerd playing the trumpet, but picked up the guitar in high school at the behest of a Bible study teacher who taught her hymns on an acoustic.
Upon moving near The Woodlands after graduation and feeling friendless in a new neighborhood, Chambers began auditioning for bands in order to meet people. Eventually she hooked up with fellow guitarist William Boyett and formed what would become Gag Me, I'm Gorgeous. The band is currently finishing up its first EP and is about to take a Texas mini-tour to Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio.
Home Base: Boyett and drummer Aaron Waggoner share an old wooden house in Conroe that doubles as a rehearsal space. Chambers loves the atmosphere of the place and is happy to attend both practice and just social gatherings there. She's a big fan of playing with the many dogs on the property during smoke breaks.
Despite having only done so once Chambers is big on Fitzgerald's. She was amazed at the sound quality and left the gig with a lot of respect for the setup. She also enjoys Walters because the stage is a nice, medium size.
Good War Story: "I'm not sure if this counts as war, really, but when the boys parted with their previous guitarist he made some choppy dubstep song about hating (and possibly murdering) us and posted it on YouTube," recalls Chambers. "Nothing ever became of it, although it's still online. I really don't enjoy feuds. I try to be a friendly and respectful person."
Music Scene Pet Peeve: Chambers hates unprofessional behavior and a lack of dependability. Show up when you're supposed to, play when you're supposed to, and just all and all act like you're serious about this.
Story continues on the next page.
