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Owen is the solo project of Chicago native Mike Kinsella. Upon performing in a handful of other groups with his brother Tim Kinsella (i.e. American Football, Cap'n Jazz), Mike began performing under the name Owen around 2001. Much like American Football, nearly every Owen song is centered around an intricately complex acoustic-guitar rhythm and accompanied by his distinctive, withdrawn voice. Instead of recording in a studio, Mike chooses to take the money that Polyvinyl would have spent on sessions and uses it to purchase his own home-recording equipment. Being that the majority of his material is just guitar, vocals, and occasional light percussion - this is very feasible. It gives his music an even more "home-ier" vibe than it already has.

The best part about being an Owen fan, however, is not just listening to his music - seeing him play live is also an experience. You would assume from his music that it would be a pretty dull thing, but Mike's slightly drunken humor and sarcasm make it the furthest thing from lame. Living in Manhattan for the past several years, I've had quite a few chances to catch him live when he goes on tour - and although he may never play more than five or six tracks, it's always a pleasure. With that being said, below I'm posting up a live clip of him playing the track "Breaking Away," as well as an mp3 of his song "Good Deeds." Check back later this weekend for a new Podcast!




"Good Deeds:"



THE SKINNY: Owen is the acoustic solo project of Chicago rocker Mike Kinsella
FAVORITE TRACK: "Good Deeds" off of "No Good For No One Now" (2002)
APPROPRIATE FOR: Late night drives, falling to sleep, breaking up with a significant other
FOR FANS OF: American Football, Matt Pond PA