Local Band Spotlight: The Somethings

By Lyndsie Kiebert
Reader Staff Writer

When Chris Lynch and Meg Turner talk about how they teamed up to start their new music venture, they play off of one another effortlessly.

“Chris can play almost anything, so the options are limitless,” Turner said.

Chris Lynch, left, and Meg Turner, right, perform at Arlo’s Ristorante. Courtesy photo.

“And Meg can sing almost anything, so there you go,” Lynch said immediately after, creating the easy cadence in their conversation that makes their artistic collaboration equally as effortless.

Lynch and Turner make up The Somethings. With Lynch on keyboard and Turner on the mic, they’re a minimalist act with a resume of experience and a lengthy log of songs.

“I think that we like to do a little bit of everything,” Turner said. “I think that’s why we went with ‘The Somethings’ — because I think we’ve got a little something for everyone.”

Lynch said he and Turner met a few years ago when Turner sang a couple songs with him on a whim.

“The vibe was really cool,” he said. “It’s not always you find people that you think are talented that you click with personally and share the same tastes in a lot of different stuff.”

Lynch and Turner agree that Arlo’s Ristorante is where it all began for The Somethings. Arlo’s is Lynch’s house gig, and now that he often plays with Turner, they still feel really welcome there.

“They treat us like family,” Lynch said.

“If I have an excuse to go sing and eat their food, I’m a happy camper,” Turner added.

Turner is third-generation Sandpoint, while Lynch moved here about 25 years ago. Turner said she’s seen the music scene change in Sandpoint since her years as a teenager, and it’s currently “exploding with amazing talent and cool projects.” Lynch agreed.

As far as their sound, The Somethings are all over the place. Essentially, it depends of what people want to hear, they said. Turner said they try to sample from every decade, though Lynch admits they haven’t delved too far into the 2000s. Turner did say they play “Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man, so contemporary hits aren’t entirely out of the question.

“One of our goals is to try to have a different set of music for every venue we play,” Lynch said.

Turner said keeping up the variety will be essential to making sure the duo, which often plays several sets a week, keeps from becoming “stale.”

“I would say there’s been nothing easier that I’ve ever done in my life,” Turner said of teaming up with Lynch. “I’d literally show up to Arlo’s and would sing with him and he would be like, ‘Hey, do you know this song?’ and I’d say, ‘Yeah, I do know that song.’

Moving forward, Lynch said he hopes to see The Somethings grow beyond writing their contact information on napkins when people approach them about hiring them for gigs. He said he and Turner plan to keep learning new songs, keep playing the rounds in Sandpoint and to hopefully become the kind of music group with business cards.

“We’ve gotten a really good response from a lot of different people about the variety of music that we play. There’s been little tiny kids that can listen, and there’s been people in their 80s and 90s,” Turner said. “People can hope to hear something a little different every time they come out.”

Catch The Somethings this Friday, Dec. 29, at the 219 Lounge from 9 p.m. until midnight.