Local brothers nominated for separate Grammys

Wimberley is often talked about as a special place — it is “A Little Bit of Heaven” after all. Often described as an intersection between nature and art, the town has developed a reputation as an artistic haven cultivating the spirit and building community in a way that allows creativity to thrive.

That reputation was bolstered last month as three of Wimberley’s own were nominated for Grammy Awards. Sarah Jarosz, who has won two Grammy Awards, was nominated once again. But, in an even more rare feat, two brothers who grew up in Wimberley were nominated for separate Grammy Awards — a first for both young artists.

“It is very unusual for such a small town to have multiple Grammy nominations,” Dylan Meek said. “I think it shows that anything is possible. Anyone can achieve anything, even if you are from a small town. Wimberley is a very special town, but even if you are from Wimberley you can get a nomination for a Grammy. You can achieve your dreams.”

Dylan Meek co-wrote Invincible, a song on “Into the Spider-Verse.” The entire soundtrack for the Blockbuster movie was nominated for a Grammy. His brother Buck Meek also received a nomination as the new album “U.F.O.F.” for his band Big Thief is nominated for Best Alternative Music Album. It is the first Grammy nomination for each of them.

A little over 20 years ago, Bill and Valerie Meek moved their family from Houston to Wimberley to raise their two children in a small town. They may not have known it then, but that decision would impact the boy’s lives for years to come.

“It changed my life,” Dylan said. “It was the best thing … They wanted us to grow up in that environment. It is a beautiful town, down to earth. It is a special town and an artistic community. It is a different lifestyle in Wimberley. It is, in my opinion, the best place to grow up.”

After a lifetime of practice, it took Dylan Meek just four hours with two other artists to write the song that ended up on the soundtrack for "Into the Spider-Verse."

Wanting a more artistic-oriented education, Bill started an after school program called Arts For the Heart. Part of the education included local musicians expounding on their expertise. Ray Wylie Hubbard taught songwriting. Jill Jones showed children how to yodel.

“There are too many influences to count,” Buck Meek said. “At that point, all I had played were Nirvana songs, and it blew my mind open to the possibility of expressing yourself through song.”

Outside of the program, there were plenty more who helped shape the musical talents of the youth.

“They had the Blue Grass nights at Charlie’s (now Kate’s Place) with Mike Bond and Mike Fowler and their friends,” Buck said. “I know Sarah Jarosz spent a lot of time with them, but I would sit in and play rhythm guitar sometimes. Then Slim Richey would have these parties out in Rolling Oaks with all these great old players from the area. They would sit out around a campfire and play. Just being exposed to that, those guys really raised me.”

Buck is known for his skills on the guitar, though his brother Dylan said that he is one of the best songwriters he has even known. Dylan was a piano prodigy.

Jimmy Neeley was a jazz piano legend. While he cut his teeth with the likes of Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker in the 60s, Neeley eventually moved to Wimberley.

“I remember asking my Dad if he had heard of this piano teacher who was supposed to be legendary and tough,” Dylan said. “He said, ‘Oh yeah, that’s our friend Jimmy.’”

Buck Meek’s band Big Thief has gone from playing small venues with sparse crowds to selling thousands of tickets to every show.

Neeley took Dylan under his wing.

“His thing was you don’t have to pay me for lessons, but anything I am teaching you, you have to learn and master or I won’t teach you any more. And don’t come back to me until you’ve learned what I am teaching you,” Dylan said. “I was very inspired by that and by him. I wanted to be just like him. That is what made me want to be a professional musician and pursue it and take it to the next level.”

Both brothers eventually found a home at Katherine Anne Porter School, graduated and moved on to further education in music.

That led them to move to New York City to try and build their brands and hone their musical talents. Dylan met Ray Angry, a keyboardist with The Roots, who play on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Angry helped him get a few gigs where he met storied producer Om’Mas Keith. Four years ago, on the day Dylan moved to Los Angeles, he got a phone call from Keith, who asked him if he was in LA and available to come to the studio to work with rapper Aminé. The serendipitous timing resulted in a fourhour period where the trio wrote four songs.

“Then years go by,” Dylan said. “I thought that session didn’t go anywhere. I thought I would never hear those songs again. They were all great songs, but in the music industry sometimes you write songs for somebody or with somebody and the label won’t release the song or it will just be kept on file but never released.”

One day, he got a call out of the blue.

“I get a call from Om’Mas, and they were going to use our song in a Spiderman movie,” Dylan said. “… Then the sound track got nominated for an Oscar and won last year. And then this year coming up it got nominated for a Grammy.”

While Dylan was in LA and touring around the world, Buck was still in New York. He started playing with singer Adrianne Lenker.

“We were traveling the country in an old busted Chevy van playing in basements,” Buck said.

They slowly added to the band filling out with a drummer and a bass player. They toured the country for four years all the while building up an extensive list of new songs. In 2019, the band released two separate albums to clear the plate. The first, “U.F.O.F.” was nominated for a Grammy.

“I saw Big Thief when it was just (Buck) and Adrianne,” Dylan said. “And I remember seeing them when there was no one in the bar, and now to see them grow to where they are selling out tickets for 5,000 or 6,000 people. And now be nominated for a Grammy for their band. I have seen them put the work in. They deserve it.”

Buck was similarly proud of his brother’s accomplishments.

“Dylan is one of my heroes with his work ethic and his humility with the craft,” Buck said. “Since he was six to eight years old, he has practiced hours on end every day... He works so hard, but he has always revered the heritage of music also. When he was studying with Jimmy he had so much reverence for his wisdom and knowledge, just the magnitude of music in general… I think his Grammy nomination is just the start.”

It all started in Wimberley with two brothers falling in love with music and the support system the town offers helping them reach their dreams.

“I think it is a testament to the love and community you find in Wimberley through music,” Buck said. “There are all these amazing musicians. It is a magnet of spirit, because of the water, the hills and the stars. I am not surprised that there is a group of people being nominated for Grammys from Wimberley, because if there is one thing I have learned in the last seven years of living on the road it is what people want more than anything is to connect to something real. They want to see someone express themselves in the most genuine way with the intention of building a connection with the instant community you can find with a person on the stage. That is what people really want when they go to a show, and I think Wimberley provides that. That genuine and supportive community is what I was raised with in Wimberley playing music.”

The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2020 in Los Angeles where both brothers will find out if they win their first Grammy Award.

To find out more information, visit Dylan Meek's bandcamp page or Buck Meek's website.