JOHN OWENS


 

YEAR: First

MAJOR:Undeclared

HOMETOWN: Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

What’s your instrument of choice and why?

 Sometimes it’s bass, sometimes drums, sometimes saxophone, sometimes piano, but I own the most guitars and am the most proficient in guitar.

What are you involved with musically?

 Off campus, I play my own music, often with my roommate Jeremiah Mahoney and my girlfriend Casey Richards. On campus, I play saxophone in a jazz ensemble, and  am in Male Call.

 

 Who are your biggest influences?

 Tom Waits. Pete Seeger. Woody Guthrie. Bob Dylan. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals. Fugazi. Desaparecidos. Django Reinhardt. Dr. Dog. Queen.

Who have you been listening to lately?

A ton of Nick Drake, Andrew Bird’s Bowl of Fire, Rufus Wainwright and Son House.

What’s your plan for the future?

 I have no plans for the future really. As long as I’m painting and playing music, I’ll be fine, but everything else seems pretty up in the air.

 

 Any advice for aspiring musicians?

 

 Play the way that you want to and don’t let anyone else tell you what is right or wrong. If you are being honest with yourself then you will have honest music. Come up with your own style and musical personality.