SF Music Speaks: An Interview with Rob Owen
Rob Owen is an indie singer/songwriter who creates music that is born from highly personal emotions but which has universal applications. Driven to write by the tumultuous experiences of heartbreak and the loss of his grandmother, Rob has turned his feelings into art. But this isn’t to say that his songs are for the downtrodden. They are uplifting, almost poppy, and they are filled with gems of lyrical insight like these lyrics from the title track to his new CD, Barefoot in the Rain.
Be done with burdens that hold you down to yesterday
Don’t lose sight of
What it means to be barefoot in the pouring rain.
In this interview with SFV, Rob tells us about that new CD and also gives us information about his musical history and his goals for the future.
Tell us the basics of your musical history. Music is in me. Grandfathers on both my mom and dad’s sides were naturals. One of them was a self taught piano player and the other a professional singer. I myself began with drums around 13 and piano around the same time. I dropped piano and picked up the guitar in my late teen years. By the time I was 20, I had experienced my first real heart-break. I had also witnessed my grandmother’s peaceful departure. Both of those experiences affected me deeply. Between dealing with a broken a heart and coming to terms with a realization of our own impermanence, I was driven to begin writing.
If you had to sum up your sound, what would you say? I’m normally placed in the singer/songwriter genre. Others have put me in indie/pop and adult contemporary.
What can you tell us about your new CD? It could be described as a statement. One of opposition toward self-created conflicts, complexities, and dilemmas we can somehow find ourselves in. My producer and I went for an “organic minimalism” in the sound of “Barefoot in the Rain”. There are very few over dubs. The CD is quite simple. It does not sound like a young singer drowning in the pool of his own pity. It is not a “she left me, now all I have is this bottle and my pickup truck ” kind of CD. It is uplifting. The lyrics are quite personal, yet universal.
What is your favorite song to perform live? “In This Home” or “Barefoot in the Rain” (which can both be heard on his Myspace page).
Do you have a favorite SF venue? I need one! Someone book me with a good venue in SF! I would love to open for a local city favorite or touring act.
Which spots in the city can you be found in when you’re just out and about? You can find me at a museum or in China Town.
Where do you want to be (musically) a year from now? I’d like to have another full length cd out. I’ve already put together a three song collection tilted “in 3’s” due out in 4-6 months. But I’ve got to focus on “Barefoot” right now. I’d like to have a good Bay Area following and a list of good venues that I will be playing.
If there was anything that you could make sure your fans knew, what would it be? That I’m that everday guy that smiles at you as you walk by with your head turned away. I’d like my fans to know that I truly aim to connect with them at the depths that they only think about, but can’t express. I want my songs to spark something inside my listeners that let them know that they are not alone on their path.
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[...] we found out recently from his San Fran Voice interview, Rob Owen is a local indie singer/songwriter whose work takes a serious look at emotional tumult [...]
[...] in the Rain, a few months back and San Fran Voice paid attention. He told us a bit about that CD in his initial interview with us, giving us insight into its uplifting qualities and its “organic minimalism” approach to sound. [...]