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VIDEO: Langley song release helps others escape abusive situations

A Langley country musician holds a bash at Gabby’s Sunday with a fun and fundraising aspect.

Country music’s Shawn Meehan is pretty psyched about this Sunday’s EP release party at Gabby’s in his hometown of Langley.

But while this 47-year-old Walnut Grove man is up to partying with the best of ’em, and he’s excited for the release of his band’s new single, To Hell With The Devil, this event also takes on a special and somewhat sombre tone for the long-time guitarist and singer.

Country music’s Shawn Meehan is pretty psyched about this Sunday’s EP release party at Gabby’s in his hometown of Langley.

But while this 47-year-old Walnut Grove man is up to partying with the best of ’em, and he’s excited for the release of his band’s new single, To Hell With The Devil, this event also takes on a special and somewhat sombre tone for the long-time guitarist and singer.

The event is, in part, a fundraiser for Ann Davis Transition Society. And that holds significance for Meehan, the frontman for the Me And Mae band.

“This cause is dear to my heart,” Meehan shared with the Langley Advance.

“They help abused woman and their children find safe haven. And, when I was a kid my mom was in a similar situation. If it wasn’t for my aunt, who was a nun, taking us into her monastery, we would have had nowhere to go.”

Knowing the importance of the work that this and other transition societies do to help so many families in time of “utter crisis,” Meehan feels good knowing the release of the Me And Mae latest single will help.

“I love that this place exists and happy to be supporting them,” he said.

As far as the new single, that’s something that definitely gets Meehan revved.

To Hell With the Devil is the country anthem that 2017 needs, he said, explaining how he passed around four of their new songs to trusted industry people, family, and friends and this song was “mostly everybody’s first pick.”

The song was co-wrote and co-produced by Meehan and his friend Cameron Belter.

“We had been talking about writing together for a while, and when we finally did, this song happened so fast and naturally. It was like it was handed to us as a gift,” he said.

They decided to release it to radio when everyone “least expects it,” he said.

“It’s rare that new releases happen at this time, because everyone is pushing Christmas singles.”

This is anything but a holiday song, he said, noting it was released to radio yesterday (Monday, Dec. 4).

“It’s the perfect way to cap off the year and head into 2018 with grin,” Meehan said of this song.

He explained that this new song features playful and cheeky back-and-forth lyric between himself and female vocalist Caitlin Canning.

“It’s hard not to sing along with Caitlin as she says to her cheating boyfriend, ‘To hell with the devil, you men are all the same’,” Meehan said.

He discovered the wonders of a guitar at age 11, strummed with numerous rock bands until he was stumbled into country music in 2011, and formed Me and Mae in 2012.

More new music is set to be released from Me And Mae early next year, and the group is expecting to be on the road in both North America and Europe (including a stop at Threshold Music Festival in the United Kingdom next April) during 2018.

Their new Devil song is available on Spotify, Apple Music/iTunes, and other digital retailers, and streaming services.

For more info and the most up-to-date tour info., people can visit them online: www.meandmae.com.

Better yet, they can see them in person Sunday, Dec. 10 at Gabby’s Country Cabaret, 20297 Fraser Hwy., starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 at the door, with partial proceeds to the transition society and Blanket BC Society.

The show will also feature special guests Ould & Co., Hillside Outlaws, and Whiskey May.

READ: Pivotal moment pending for Langley musician

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This family picture was captured at the monastery, with Shawn Meehan (right), his little brother Todd (left), and his late mother Patricia Niles (centre). “I was a bit cuter back then,” Meehan said. (Special to the Langley Advance)


Roxanne Hooper

About the Author: Roxanne Hooper

I began in the news industry at age 15, but honestly, I knew I wanted to be a community journalist even before that.
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