Sister Act

Meg & Dia, a four-piece power-pop outfit out of Utah, is bulwarked by a strong confessional singer-songwriter sensibility and fronted by sisters Meg (21, guitars and lyrics) and Dia (19, vocals) Frampton. In shorthand: They're everything Ashlee Simpson likes to imagine she is. More interesting, though, is the relationship between...

By Cole Haddon

March 8, 2007

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Meg & Dia, a four-piece power-pop outfit out of Utah, is bulwarked by a strong confessional singer-songwriter sensibility and fronted by sisters Meg (21, guitars and lyrics) and Dia (19, vocals) Frampton. In shorthand: They're everything Ashlee Simpson likes to imagine she is. More interesting, though, is the relationship between the two young women; it's straining, out on the road, and even though they were interviewed separately, their mutual frustrations managed to echo each other. If they can survive each other, they could be next year's big thing.

New Times:Before you were Meg & Dia, were there any other bands?

Dia: When Meg started her first band at 16, she wouldn't even let me be in it because she was in high school. "You're not even cool enough to be in the band." Our mother had to make her let me play with them.

NT: Jump ahead three or four years. Meg, when did you realize you should be making music with your sister?

Meg: When I realized I couldn't sing. She had always done karaoke, and I'd do her hair and go and watch her, and she'd sound so great. When I started a punk-rock band, I just couldn't hold my own, so it was only natural to bring her in.

NT: How does the songwriting process work with you two?

Dia: Meg will usually write a song and then I'll look them over and make suggestions here and there. Meg does the same thing with my songs, but my songs haven't really been used on this record [Something Real]. Hopefully, they will be on the next.

NT: How has touring pretty much nonstop with your sister for some three years now affected your relationship?

Dia: [About a year ago], I got a lot more hands-on, which actually started some animosity between us for a while because [Meg] wasn't used to me dictating over her songs. They're her songs; they're her personal emotions.

Meg: There have been so many different things that have affected our relationship. Not necessarily music. More [Dia] growing up. When I see her now, she's grown up and has all these boyfriends I want to beat the hell out of. It really bothers me as she ventures out to become more of an adult.

NT: How is this affecting your dynamic with Dia then, Meg?

Meg: It's become, in a way, a competition, but that's kind of good. I think we could be a little more supportive, though. Disagreements are always floating around.

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