PawnShop kings

Pawnshop Kings Make Beautiful Harmonies
I'd mentioned in the last post that Pawnshop Kings had opened for CPO, and that I'd been wanting to see them for a couple months now. Well, the show was brilliant, and the reason for that is their harmonizing. They're two brothers with their acoustic guitars, and what they produce is beautiful folksy pop music that contain wonderful harmonies.



Their set was great, the highlight being the songs 'Carolina' and 'Autumn'. I know it's winter, but the latter song is crafted perfectly for fall, and as soon as it rolls around, I'm going to put that song in a compilation (if I still remember). I bought the album after, and it's really enjoyable. The overall sound comes off a lot more on the folk side than what it sounds like live. They have other instruments on there which tends to give it a fuller sound, but honestly, I prefer seeing them live and acoustic.

Their debut album, "Locksley", has turned out pretty impressive however you look at it, and it really is worth checking them out in concert. I, unfortunately, missed their album-release party on Saturday, especially considering that Greg Laswell opened for them! But they're playing a few more shows this month along the west coast. The dates and locations are on their myspace page. I definitely recommend checking them out if you get a chance. - AM Music Blog

The opening band, PawnShop Kings, held their own. With their Southern roots and gospel-tinged melodies, brothers Joel and Scott Owen were watched with a polite curiosity at the beginning their set. It was when they played their slow-rolling, Johnny Cash-esque tune, “Child,” that the crowd began to respond, clapping along and cheering loudly when the song had ended. I’ve never seen an opening band win over a crowd so convincingly as the PawnShop Kings did. The two brothers were clearly thankful, observing the humor to be had in the fact that “the opening band got an encore. Wow!” All-in-all, it was a fantastic evening of music, one of the better ones you’ll ever find. - Plug It Music.com

The local brother duo shares a mix of rock, folk, and gospel.

By KELLI SKYE FADROSKI
SQUEEZEOC.COM

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The PawnShop kings' music has a rich and soulful rock sound. The two brothers, Scott and Joel Owen, draw inspiration from artists like the Staple Singers, Bob Marley and the Beatles.
Although the Owens grew up in Newport Beach, they spent a lot of summer vacations on their grandfather's plantation in Arkansas, where they were exposed to Gospel music in local churches.
The Owens, now both in their late 20s, dabbled in music for years, then decided to take their love for music a step further and formed the PawnShop kings four years ago.
"We got the name 'PawnShop' because we spent a solid block of time only shopping in secondhand stores and developed a kind of kinship with the pawn shops and it ended up being a lot of our identity – buying jackets for like $5," Joel said. "And we added 'kings' to it but we're not trying to claim to be royalty. There is an interesting dichotomy between a pawnshop and kings; it's like the line between good and evil."
The guys moved to Los Angeles to shake a little of the "O.C." stigma (specifically, the rest of the world's view of the county thanks to the popularity of shows like "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" and "The O.C.") and to focus on their song writing, while working out their live show in various L.A. clubs.
In January of this year, the duo independently released its first album, "Locksley." The songs on the album are musically a blend of rock, folk and gospel and lyrically the guys strive for more depth and meaning than descriptions of a drunken night out, strippers, grills and cars.
"It seems so cliché but we're just trying to write about things that we personally go through and the things that we feel," Scott said. "It's nothing spectacular; we're not trying to change the world. Ultimately if you're doing art right, you're expressing you. If it's compelling, it will sell. If it's not, it won't, but at least it's being true to yourself."
The PawnShop kings have a laissez-faire attitude about mainstream exposure or signing to a major label at this point in their career. Instead, the guys are working on new material and finding themselves in the process.
"The record was a nice cross section of the different influences that we have and it landed us in a place where we're starting to spread our wings and go deeper into the gospel cultural influence and heavier into the ballads," Joel said.
"The writing is forming in a new way for us and it's really fun and now we're starting to find our voice a little more."
Recently, the guys settled back in Orange County and when they aren't working on their music, they're usually hanging out at the beach, surfing the stretch of ocean between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach.
Contact the writer: kfadroski@squeezeoc.com or 714-796-3570 - Orange County Register