Owen and his Checkered Past
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Music
Press
Owen and His Checkered Past set the perfect musical tone with mandolin mountain blues. Owen up there with a suitcase kick drum strumming out a tight staccato rhythm singing in a clean backcountry front porch style reminiscent of Doc Watson or a long lost descendant of the Carter Family. The sound is excellent. Lyrics absolute 21st century. Name checking Derrida during the excellent song, “Upstanding Citizen Blues.” Later, Roger comes up with a banjo and closes out the set with people on their feet dancing like it was 1899. - What's Up Magazine
Owen and His Checkered Past set the perfect musical tone with mandolin mountain blues. Owen up there with a suitcase kick drum strumming out a tight staccato rhythm singing in a clean backcountry front porch style reminiscent of Doc Watson or a long lost descendant of the Carter Family. The sound is excellent. Lyrics absolute 21st century. Name checking Derrida during the excellent song, “Upstanding Citizen Blues.” Later, Roger comes up with a banjo and closes out the set with people on their feet dancing like it was 1899. - What's Up Magazine
Discography
"Tall Enough To Be Heard" - 6 track EP from Roly Poly Productions in Bellingham, WA
"The Tailwind Tour" 5 track EP from Roly Poly Productions in Bellingham, WA
Photos
Bio
Owen and his Checkered Past is the solo project of songwriter Owen Lyman-Schmidt, a Washington D.C native transplanted in Philadelphia. With a percussive mandolin and the heartbeat of a suitcase kickdrum to back him up, Owen offers up his sideways take on the world in a crooning growl. Blues, oldtime, jazz and folk all lend a hand with the compositions, but the resulting rusty collage doesn't fit easily into any single genre. At home in a bar, basement, or street corner, Owen and his music wander through these back alleys of genre trading lies. The melodies stain your clothes, the lyrics make you flinch and grin, the stories remind you of things you never did. Listen.
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