FOR AS LONG as he can remember, Brandon Meeks has been consumed by music.
“Some of my earliest memories are banging on pots and pans in my mom’s kitchen,” he says. “Then, even as a small child, my family members and I would get together, and one of the games we would play was we’d pretend to be a band.”
Having now become a fixture of Indianapolis’ jazz and hip-hop communities, Meeks was recently awarded Creative Capital’s State of the Art Prize for the state of Indiana, receiving a $10,000 unrestricted grant in support of a performance project he’s calling “Unsung Giants” that will honor under-recognized Indiana jazz legends.
“I’m the recipient for Indiana, and with it being the first year of the prize, I’m the first one to ever get the award,” says Meeks, who plays bass and also produces hip-hop beats. “It’s a major validation of my work on a national level. With there being an unrestricted grant connected to this prize, it gives me an opportunity to afford the work that I’m doing to elevate the stories of under–recognized jazz legends here in Indianapolis who are still with us.”
A native of Gary, Indiana, Meeks moved to Indianapolis in 2004 and quickly connected with drummer and longtime bandmate Richard “Sleepy” Floyd. The two would go on to start a hip-hop project together called Native Sun with Meeks on bass, Floyd on drums, and Bobby “B Young” Young as the MC, which helped Meeks to grow as both a musician and self-marketer.
“Gaining an understanding of how to approach hip-hop added a whole new dimension to my playing,” he says. “All the stuff I do for myself as a solo artist, I also honed those skills with Native Sun. Things like running an email campaign, building a website, releasing music, and building a social media presence. I would be the main driver of those activities, and that was really a training ground for me to learn those skills. It really gave me a chance to learn how to be my own marketing machine.”
Like so many, Meeks says the Covid-19 pandemic served as a reset for his music career, as he began focusing more heavily on his solo work.
“During that time, I really started digging into making beats every day,” Meeks says. “That led into me doing an online podcast called Breakfast Beats, where I was just showcasing my production work. As that started to build an audience and a following, it just became clear that doing more as a solo artist and stepping back into the bandleader role full swing was my obvious next progression.”
Having since transitioned out of Native Sun, Meeks has shifted the focus to his solo endeavors. In April, for example, he will release a live album titled On the Shoulders of Giants, which was recorded at the Jazz Kitchen with his trio. Next month, he will also perform at the Jazz Kitchen with esteemed Chicago vocalist Meagan McNeal.
Reflecting on the impact the Indianapolis jazz community has made on him, Meeks says it all comes back to the scene’s welcoming atmosphere.
“The biggest impression the jazz scene has had on me is just how open everyone is and how people embrace each other,” Meeks says. “Everyone here who’s older than me has been welcoming and supportive for the most part in a way that’s different from what I’ve experienced in other genres.”
