Non-binary songwriter Meg Duffy is bringing their band Hand Habits to the Ukrainian Village in Chicago on Sept. 28. Duffy is originally from Upstate New York and is now based in California, where they play regularly with Kevin Morby’s live band. This seasoned professional is also a member of Perfume Genius’s band as well as their own project Habit Hands.
Only a few weeks ago, Hand Habits recorded an Ohia cover song, “Lioness,” for an upcoming album titled I Will Swim to You: A Tribute to Jason Molina.
Their studio album as Hand Habits, Blue Reminder, had them collaborating with an impressive lineup of musicians and showcases an introspective body of work. This has led to a life on the road and Meg called up to talk about it before the Chicago date at Empty Bottle.
Windy City Times: Are you calling from Canada?
Meg Duffy: Yes, I am in Vancouver on the tour.
WCT: Explain the concept of Hand Habits.
MD: It was the moniker I chose over 10 years ago. I didn’t love it, but I was into alliteration, and it stuck. After I made the first record and started touring as Hand Habits, it became too complicated to change.
It is still me. Some people think it’s a personality or a persona. It is a container, and it will always change shape. It’s liberating in a way to be Meg Duffy, and I am trans, so if I ever decide to change my name, I won’t have to change my artist name too. Hand Habits is also my band.
WCT: You have a full backing band?
MD: Yes, and I have been playing with them for a while now. I prefer to always have a band. Think of it like Mount Eerie. Phil Elverum plays solo and under that name as well. It’s like that.
WCT: Similar to Perfume Genius, his real name is Michael Alden Hadreas.
MD: Exactly. I can tell you for a fact that’s not that Perfume is not his first name.
WCT: Were you at the Pitchfork Music Festival in 2023 when he performed in Chicago?
MD: Absolutely. I have been playing with him for about five years. I remember it was a hot day.
WCT: Yes, it was sunny in the afternoon. His long red gloves were quite memorable.
MD: He has an eye for fashion.
WCT: When did you first discover you have an ear for music?
MD: I played drums in elementary school. The teacher said to pick an instrument, and I picked what I thought was the coolest one. I started playing guitar when I was 16.
WCT: How many instruments do you play?
MD: I play bass, guitar, drums and piano. That’s about it.
WCT: Talk about your album Blue Reminder, which was just released in August. Does Blue represent sadness to you?
MD: No, blue doesn’t represent sadness to me. I tried to challenge that association a little bit. I would say the songs on this record are the happiest I have ever written.
Some people may feel blue is sad or melancholy, but blue can represent a wide range of emotions. Within sadness, it’s usually a person grieving a loss or something that was happy that we want back. There’s a memory or homage that isn’t there. I was really interested in that for this record because when I was making it, I was with a partner. At the time it was the most serious and adult relationship I have had. There was a challenge there to let myself be known and I had a fear of being vulnerable. I was used to writing heartbreak songs, so this one was a happy one for me and I wanted to take advantage of that. I didn’t take that feeling for granted.
WCT: “Bluebird of Happiness” is not a sad song.
MD: Totally.
WCT: When songs are mellow, how do you engage the audience in a live setting?
MD: I have a rocking band right now who are amazing. I am playing with a four-piece. There is a lot of improvisation, and the set list is dynamic. I love improv and it’s how I first started playing music. That’s where I first found my addiction to music.
It’s expressing myself in the moment and not having it be the same every time. It’s making the energy from the audience a huge part of how the night goes. This makes it not feel like a transaction and not do the same thing every night. I wouldn’t be able to do that.
This particular set of music involves a lot of improvisation, and the band comes together to do that.
WCT: The set list is not the same every night?
MD: We change it up and subliminally, we are trying to be a jam band.
WCT: Musicians don’t do that as much as they used to.
MD: I love a song, but it can also be so many things. It can explore what a song means to me now versus what it meant to me when I wrote it. That’s been really fun for me while on this tour.
WCT: Isn’t this a long tour for you?
MD: Yes, it is. I do the West Coast next, then I go to Europe and Australia. After that, I am going to bed. [laughs]
WCT: You can sleep during the holidays. Is “Lioness” a new single?
MD: Yes, it’s a cover song that I was asked to record for a tribute album.
WCT: What are the challenges of being an independent artist these days?
MD: It’s a slog and there’s not a lot of money in it. At this point, I am looking to break even on the tour, so we will see. It’s hard with the economy, and people don’t have big budgets to go to concerts. When they go, it might only be an arena show or with streaming services, they might not buy a record. There are not that many opportunities to support the artistry. It’s like being in direct competition with a big business, which is super challenging.
WCT: I have heard that selling merchandise is an important part of making money. Do you feel that is true?
MD: Well, you have to go on tour to sell merch, and it also costs a lot of money to make merch. I am grateful to do so much session work. I get to play at venues where I can make a little bit of money and I have been doing this for a long time. I feel bad for new artists when it costs them thousands of dollars to make merchandise. When you go on tour to sell it and everything, while out on the road costs money.
I am out here and having fun. People buy my records, and they come to my shows. I am super grateful for that. What I will say is that it’s harder than it was 10 years ago.
WCT: Have you seen the queer crowd come out to support you while you are on tour?
MD: Absolutely and it’s really nice. There are usually two types of people who come to my shows: queer people from ages 25 to 35 and guitar dads who are taking pictures of my pedalboards.
It’s a real melting pot in the audience of a Hand Habits show. There are supportive family members with their non-binary older kids at the concert.
WCT: Is there a queer artist that you admire right now?
MD: The low-hanging fruit answer is Perfume Genius. I have been in his band for five years now and I admire the music he makes. He’s incredible and it’s inspiring to be in that realm. I was influenced by him even before I joined the band.
I am on tour with Fashion Club and she’s amazing. I watch her every night and she puts so much heart into her set.
WCT: I listened to her in preparation for this interview and her some wild soundscapes in her music.
MD: It’s amazing and she produces almost all of it herself. I think she is going to really bring it when she plays in Chicago.
WCT: How you visited Chicago many times in the past?
MD: Yes, and I love Chicago. I was just there this past June with Perfume Genius at The Vic Theatre.
WCT: Are you going on tour again with Perfume Genius soon?
MD: Yes, it’s part of the same tour I am on. I am doing double duty for both of the groups this year.
Hands in the air for Hand Habits at Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave. on September 28 at 9 p.m. The event is for ages 21 and over, with tickets only a click away at emptybottle.com. More tour dates can be found at handhabits.band.