We had a chat with soulful singer-songwriter Dan Owen about playing live, his new single Fall Like A Feather, and the brilliance of the blues:
How would you describe your music for people who don’t know you?
I’d say that it’s massively influenced by the blues because that’s what I started off playing. Over the years, though, I’ve found a load of other music to listen to, so it’s changed quite a lot because of that. It’s now just influenced by everything – from all the old bluegrass stuff to EDM, there’s a whole load of influences in there. I’m not really sure what genre it is yet!
You’re heading off on your headline tour next month – are you excited?
Yeah, I can’t wait. I’ll be touring for about three months, so it’ll be a long time to spend on the road, but I’m really looking forward to it.
What’s your favourite song to play live?
It varies. To sing, it’s one called Splinter, but there are a couple that are great fun to play because the crowd get really into them. It’s always a great feeling to have people reacting to your music, and it’s fantastic to see people feeding off the energy of the songs.
Do you prefer playing festival sets or your own headline shows?
They’re quite different, but I’m not sure I prefer either one. Festivals are fun, because everyone’s excited and feeding off of the energy of the festival, but at headline shows you can take the time to get to know people a bit more.
What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Biffy Clyro. It was at the Isle of Wight festival, and at the time I didn’t really know who they were, but I was absolutely blown away when they started playing.
You’re also doing a co-headline tour with Jack Watts later this year – what will be different about doing a co-headline tour for you?
It’ll be nice to go out with someone and get to know them a bit. It’s always nice to meet people who are doing the same thing I’m doing. I’m pretty sure that we’ll end up writing together on tour, too – when you put two musicians together, something usually comes out of it.
You’ve just released Fall Like a Feather – how would you describe it?
It’s probably one of my slower songs. I’d just say that it’s a nice little chilled-out song. It got to number eighteen in the iTunes Singer-Songwriter charts, so it’s definitely done a lot better than we expected it to! We should be releasing a few more songs over the next couple of months, too – we’ve been working a bit on an EP, so that should be on its way pretty soon.
What made you want to start making music?
I started playing guitar when I was nine, and my guitar teacher taught me a load of old blues stuff. When I was about thirteen, I started playing in pubs with my sister – she was a singer, and I was a guitarist, so we used to go and sit in pubs and jam sessions until the early hours of the morning. Getting to school the next day was always a struggle! I actually failed Music at school, and that was probably because I was in the pub until one or two in the morning… Actually, it was probably just an excuse for my dad to go to the pub…
Who’s your ultimate musical icon?
I’ve always said Willie Dixon, just because he had so many different sides to him. He was an instrumentalist, a singer, a songwriter and an arranger, and he also happened to be the king of the blues. What a legend.
Can you talk us through your usual songwriting process?
I’m not sure that there is one. I write a lot, but whenever I’m writing with someone else I prefer to just go with however they normally do it. I do like to start with a beat, though – I’ll just get a tempo that feels right, and then I’ll lay something down on top of that with my guitar and harmonica. I’ll then get a melody, and then I’ll put some lyrics down over the top of it.
Are lyrics important to you?
Yeah, they are. I like using them to tell stories – I’ve got a lot of stories to tell, so it’s a handy way of getting them all out there! That’s the difference between playing covers and playing your own songs – with your own songs, you’re singing about something that’s actually happened to you, which is always quite nice to do. It’s great to see people getting into the story of the song, too. That’s always a nice feeling.
Which of your songs are you most proud of?
At the moment, it’d have to be Fall Like A Feather, just because it did quite well! I wouldn’t say that it’s my favourite, though. I’m not sure if I have a favourite.
Out of every song ever recorded, which do you wish you’d written?
Ooh, that’s hard! I thought that Take Me To Church by Hozier was amazing. I’d have been pretty happy to have written that one.
Describe yourself in three words?
Raw, enthusiastic and energetic.