Although Meet Me @ the Altar’s musicians grew up scattered throughout the East Coast, they all loved the same thing: the edgy pop-punk sound.
Edith Victoria, Téa Campbell and Ada Juarez found their calling in the hot, crowded pits of the Vans Warped Tour and in the sweaty, liquor-soaked dwellings of punk clubs in their hometowns.
They bonded over their adoration for pop-punk bands like Neck Deep, Knuckle Puck and The Story So Far and dreamed of playing for large crowds like their idols.
“Their crowds reacted how we wanted our fans to react to us,” said guitarist Campbell.
After seeing each other post covers of pop-punk songs on YouTube, the three began a seven-year climb up the proverbial music ladder in 2020. Following an explosion on the social media app TikTok, Meet Me @ the Altar was signed by Fueled by Ramen and began writing and touring.
Meet Me @ the Altar didn’t embark on its first headlining tour until last March, though.
“The energy has been so unmatched at our headliner shows compared to when we were opening,” said drummer Juarez. “People are just way more into it since they know us. It’s just so much fun when everyone there just knows the lyrics or knows the vibe.”
The band will play Tucson at 191 Toole for the first time on Tuesday, June 6, and it’s looking forward to creating an inclusive space for fans.
“The one (cool) thing about our headliner is we’re able to see our fan base for the first time in person and the types of people we bring to the show. We really bring a whole melting pot of everyone in so many different walks of life,” Campbell said. “I think we’re giving everyone a safe space to just feel welcomed and feel safe and I think it really means a lot to our fans because they’ve been wanting a band like us for a really long time.”
Meet Me @ The Altar — one of the genre’s few bands to include three BIPOC women — has generated millions of streams on songs like “Hit Like A Girl,” “Say It (To My Face)” and “Garden.” “Say It” was also featured in a Taco Bell commercial.
“We’re still asking ourselves how we managed to get it played in that commercial,” said vocalist Victoria.
“(Taco Bell’s) music department is just on it,” added Campbell. “They hit us up about it and I don’t even know how they came up on the track. But it has breathed new life into it and we have gained so much traction off that.”
Even though “Say It (To My Face)” has become one of the band’s biggest hits, the song is the show’s kick-off track. This allows Meet Me @ the Altar to play deeper cuts like “Rocket Scientist” off its latest record “Past // Present // Future,” which hit the airwaves in March.
Although Meet Me @ the Altar is proud of its success, the mission is to inspire the audience to pursue their passions.
“We always really push the message of, ‘If you have a dream, it’s OK to chase it,’” Campbell said. “We have gotten exactly where we are by believing in ourselves and going after what we’ve learned even when the odds seemed to be against us.
We just want to encourage people to do what they want to do because at the end of the day, you only have one life and one opportunity.”
Meet Me @ the Altar w/ Kid Sistr and Chloe Lilac
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 6
WHERE: 191 Toole, 191 E. Toole Avenue, Tucson
COST: $20
INFO: meetmeatthealtar.com/tour and 191toole.com
