Owen Pye

The most immediate comparisons that enter one's head upon listening to Highland, Illinois-native Owen Pye's debut CD, If That's Cool With You, are Rhett Miller and Conor Oberst. From the vocal delivery to the production values, he does both comparisons justice. His youthfulness and enthusiasm are evident throughout the CD. The songs primarily and prominently feature just Owen's voice and guitar, but effectively utilize backing instruments and musicians to make an earthy, intimate recording.

Owen played in several bands, including Cat, Jump! (who were featured many a time on previsou Dividing By Zero radio shows) before embarking on his solo career. He's ambitious, too - he's planning a national tour for next spring. Check out his myspace page if you want to help bring him to your town.

He is playing tonight at the Lemp Arts Center with Nicole Lau and Miles Malloy.

You can purchase If That's Cool With You on Secondplace Records' website.

Note: Ezarchive is making life for bloggers all over the country difficult, so, for the time being, I will be posting songs via yousendit, which means you can't right-click to save; you'll have to click on the link, and then download it from the new page.

MP3:
Owen Pye - California (via yousendit)