From East Lothian to East Nashville to Kansas City
"A Series of Melodic, Emotive and Irresistibly Reverberant Americana Songs... catchy as f@ck!" - review by The Rocking Magpie
"...another wonderful album in Dean Owens’ musical journey, and a must have for your collection" - review by For The Love of Bands (Australia)
**** Wistful indie pop with shades of Roddy Frame and Teenage Fanclub... Scotsman
**** Daily Express
Haunted by ghosts, anchored by love... possibly (his) best yet... Folk Radio UK
NOTE: Because this isn't an all or nothing project, CDs and other rewards will be shipped out within 2 days of pledging
You can buy just the album on its own – digital or as a limited edition CD, or you can opt to contribute a little bit extra and get some additional bonus items, including:
- Lyric sheets for all the songs (A4 sheet or a specially printed 8 page colour booklet)
- Autographed copy (with a special dedication if you want)
- A6 Postcards (from Sinner's Shrine) and a set of 3 El Tiradito themed Tarot cards from
- A bumper bundle of CDs, including a previous side project - Redwood Mountain (with fiddle player Amy Geddes (who plays on Pictures)), and acoustic solo album Genuine Lonesome + specially recorded, exclusive demo CDs from Sinner's Shrine and Cash Back
Postage is included in the reward cost. If you are based outside the UK please add £5 to your donation to contribute towards the additional shipping costs if you are ordering a CD.
Background
I'm a singer songwriter from Scotland. To date I've recorded 9 (official) solo albums, mostly in the US, with some amazing musicians and producers. My 2 most recent (Sinner’s Shrine and El Tiradito (the Curse of Sinner’s Shrine) were recorded in Tucson, with musicians from the legendary Calexico, and released in 2022 and 2023.
I'm delighted that they’ve had some of the best reviews of my career, and opened up some great opportunities for me. Including an invitation for me and my band the Sinners to perform an official showcase at the prestigious Folk Alliance International in Kansas City in Feb 2024. This is the world’s largest gathering of the folk music industry and community (crossing a diverse array of genres including Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Global Roots, Hip-Hop, Old-Time, Singer-Songwriter, Spoken Word, Traditional, Zydeco, and various fusions). It's a real honour to be selected to showcase. While there I will have the support of my new US agent, Craig Grossman (Black Oak Artists) to make sure I get the most I possibly can out of the experience, including, hopefully, a US tour in 2024/25.
The downside is that there is no funding attached to this offer and I need to find a way of taking the 4 of us (and my manager/PR) to Kansas from Edinburgh – £8-10k in total, including flights, accommodation and food.
Pictures CD
I recently recorded a new side project – a long distance album with my talented buddies (both Grammy nominees) Neilson Hubbard and Will Kimbrough. I was in East Lothian (Scotland) while they were in East Nashville, and yet this album very much feels like a band album. It has some of my favourite songs that I have written recently.
I am a natural wanderer and collaborator and the pandemic times were the longest I had spent in one place for many years, with time to think of my own, and other people’s, journeys to this point. There are 11 songs, all professionally produced and recorded, mastered by Jim DeMain (of Yes Master, Nashville); they are a bit reflective, many of them very personal, thinking about lost friends and family, but also with a wee look to the future.
You can listen to all the songs here on Bandcamp.
This seems like the ideal time to release it, with the aim of raising some funds towards the Folk Alliance trip. Hence this fundraiser.
I'm a full time professional musician, I don't have a major label behind me, and I have self funded the recording of all my albums, including several successful crowdfunding campaigns. I have a small team of go-to industry professionals who help with release and promotion.
I have also applied for grant funding, but it will only cover about half the costs, IF it's successful, which is why this crowdfunder is needed. Your support for this campaign is hugely appreciated, and I am very grateful for all pledges. I hope you love the new album too.
Dean
PS For those of you who contributed to my earlier crowdfunder this year, Spirit Ridge (In The Footsteps of the Lion Tamer) – this is on schedule to be completed and released later in 2024. So let Pictures keep you going in the meantime!
PPS And yes, it was a bit on the stormy side when I recorded the intro video! If you mouse over the video you can switch on the subtitles (it actually copes pretty well!)