Owen (bringing it all back home)
by: Rob Heater

One of the most comfortable words in the English language is Home. Home is a frame of mind where one should be sheltered from anguish and disappointment. Sometimes the most appealing idea is to “just go home.” While none of is directly related to why Mike Kinsella set up a recording studio in his Mom’s house, it’s doesn't change the fact that it's probably one of the best places to set up shop if you’re doing any type of “soul searching.”

For the better part of the '90s, Mike Kinsella was involved with or surrounded by what many consider to be pinnacles in post-emo/indie-rock. Chicago in itself acquired quite the list of notable musicians within the past five or so years. But involving himself in projects such as American Football, Cap ‘N Jazz, and The Owls -- not to mention his brother’s little venture Joan of Arc -- has easily prepared him for goin’ it alone.

When it came time to record his solo album (under the name Owen), he approached Polyvinyl (the label that eventually picked him up) with the idea of using the money that would be spent on recording studios, and instead spend it on software in order for him to record it on his own. He ended up heading to his mother's house (just outside of Chicago) and turned his old bedroom into a recording studio. For the duration of the recording Kinsella lived at his Mom’s house, but now (I believe) he is back out in the rental units of The Windy City.

The result of the time spent at Mom’s is No Good For No One Now, a solemn endeavor that pushes the envelope of what a singer-songwriter is. It’s easy to cite that time in avant-garde music groups will do anything but leave you normal. As Owen, Mike Kinsella paints desolation to be as common as the air we breathe. A good example of this ability occurs in the album’s second track, “Everyone Feels Like You,” a song that broods with comfort and refuge through a field of placid guitars weaving around vocals and drums.

During an all-Polyvinyl show co-headlined by Rainer Maria and Mates of State at The Middle East in Cambridge, Mass., I was able to catch up with Mike Kinsella and talk to him about self-recording, moving back home, and his future aspirations. Unfortunately, I was busy catching dinner when Owen took the stage to open the evening. After The Ivory Coast played we went back-stage. Listen:

Mike Kinsella- Hi. You’re just in time for an interview.

Kyle Fischer (Rainer Maria)- For what?

M- An interview.

K- I can answer all the questions you have about Mike. What do you want to know?

Alex Chassanoff- What kind of long-underwear are you wearing?

K- You’ve got to ask Mike the questions. These are Fruit of the Loom underwear from the '70s that I dyed.

Sponic- So is that purple?

K- No, I dyed them black and they kind of faded to an off-gray. I think there is an element of blue involved with black dye.

So [Mike], you played all-by-your-lonesome tonight…

K-Yes he did.

Is that usual?

K- Well, Mike has a problem getting along with band members most of the time. He’s been in and out of the Joan of Arc so many times we’ve all lost count. So, usually for the Owen thing, he likes to keep it solo.

M- …cant’ kick myself out…

(Kyle leaves.)

A- Every picture I’ve seen of [Kyle] he looks like…

M- Crazy?

A- No, he looks all pretty boy-ish.

M- As the night goes on he gets prettier. The more beers you have, the prettier he’ll get. ...Kiddin’ Kyle.

(back to the question of playing solo)

M- I tried to play along to recorded stuff and it just doesn’t seem to…there are fewer variables I can control if I do that. The tempo’s already set (fingers snapping) and that element’s already set and I’m like, “Damn.” A band would be nice.

Hasn’t Kyle played with you before?

M- Yeah, he was my backup band for our tour. He played drums and keyboards and stuff. Ideally, when I’m rich and famous – just kiddin’ – I can have a whole band. I’ll be able to pay my friends to play the parts as I hear them, you know. I can’t quite do that yet.

You recorded No Good For No One Now at your place right?

M- Yeah, my Mom’s House. I basically told Matt at Polyvinyl to give me the money he would spend recording the album and I would just buy software and mics and stuff. It worked out good for everybody. It ended up being really cheap for him, ‘cause it’s cheaper than paying somebody else, and then I get something out of it too, I get the equipment. There are some downfalls of course: I don’t know how to use the equipment. It’s very much trial and error. But I might swallow my pride and kinda mix it up next time and have somebody else help me out a little bit. I’m thinkin’ about it...

Because it was that bad the first time?

M- No, but I hear it in my head a certain way and then sometimes it comes out that way and sometimes I have to keep tryin’ tryin’ tryin’ and then eventually it will come out. And sometimes I’ll try and try and try and it just won’t, and then I won’t know. I’ll just be at a loss and I’ll just settle. I don’t want to settle.

Do you think someone else can produce what you have in your head?

M- Yes. I think it’s just a technical thing, a knowledge of the equipment that I just don’t have. But maybe I should sit down and learn it.

So what do you do otherwise?

M- I’m actually going to go on tour with Joan of Arc.

Are you reuniting, or never broke-up?

M- Never really broke-up. He’s like, “Oh, another final show.” and I’m like, “Well, you never…” Kinda like my brother singing -- he just wrote more songs and he’s like, “You wanna play on them?” He just wrote songs by himself and when it came to put it out he’s like, “Oh, we’ll call it Joan of Arc.” Because it’s a lot of the same people involved. So I’m going to tour with them all March and all of April and May. Aside from that, I don’t know. Just play music is what I do, kinda.

How long did it take to get No Good For No One Now together?

M- About a month I guess. Like half of July and half of August probably. I spent a lot of the days just putting guitar parts with other guitar parts, or like...the writing process is always ongoing. But when I finally buckle down and tell my Mom, “Try not to slam doors ‘cause I’m going to really record it this time.” There’s probably like a month of that.

She’s pretty respectful of that?

M- Yes. She’s great.

Do you still live with your Mom?

M- I moved out. I was living in the city and then I moved home -- the lease was up. I moved home for two months right at the beginning of the summer…then I recorded [No Good For No One Now] and then I moved out again.

A- How has the turnout been?

M- With these guys (Mates of State and Rainer Maria) I’ve only played a couple of shows, but I’ve toured with them a bunch. They’re so nice to me- I don’t know why. They’re like, “Hey, you wanna play some of these shows?” I’m like, “Yeah.” Not Mates of State, but Rainer Maria. But Mates of State obviously draw a lot of people too. So the shows have been sold out. It’s kinda crazy.

Are you getting any response from the crowd?

M- Yeah. It’s seems like there’s a…

Sympathetic response?

M- There’s some people up front, which is good, and then there’s a lot of- a sold out room that doesn’t care one way or the other. I think some people hear it for the first time and enjoy it and the majority just aren’t listening. It’s better than playing to just the people that know it already.

Didn’t the concept of Owen start on the road?

M- Maybe. It might have been Rainer Maria saying, “Hey, why don’t you?” Because I had some songs written and (Kyle's) like, “Why don’t you just come play on the road with us?” I don’t know what the concept of Owen is, I guess.

But there’s some more recent stuff that has become Owen?

M- Kinda, yeah. There’s some songs on [No Good For No One Now] that were from the first tour even, two or three years ago, but I’ve just never recorded them. They’ve been sitting around awhile so I [finally] recorded them and they turned out pretty good.

I’ve got a shitload of songs and I’ve gotta just record the ones that I think would make a good album. Then it comes back to me not knowing what I’m doing. Even the ones that I think would work well, maybe they won’t turn out. This isn’t a lack of skill or anything. I’m just like, “Well, maybe if I add this it’ll help it.” When somebody who knew what they were doing would’ve done the initial drum part instead of having to compensate for it by doing more guitar parts. I’m just winging it. It’s a great process but, I don’t know…

What’s the deal with the artwork for the album?

M- It’s a print- like this poster thing that’s hanging in... When I moved home in the summer I moved all my music shit in the room I grew up in. Then I put my bed in this guest room we’ve always had. And there was this print that -- I didn’t even notice it the first two months I was there. I looked up and right over my bed was that thing. It was when I was recording. I was like, “Man, that’s right on.” So it worked out good. Polyvinyl had to okay the rights to use it and stuff ‘cause the same artist does the Hummel figurines and stuff, old-school something or other, kinda famous. So there was a little stress there. I thought maybe it won’t work out and then I won’t know what to do.

(laughs)

But it was worth all the work?

M- All the work. And I didn’t do it, Polyvinyl did. It was worth it to me I guess, yeah. I just called Matt every couple days, “How’s it going…talk to her yet?”

A- Does the name Owen come from anywhere? Why didn’t you just say MIKE? Does anybody ask you that?

M- Yeah, a lot of people. I’m like, “Well I don’t care. Everybody calls their band something.”

That’s the one question I wasn’t going to ask.

M- Thanks.

It’s a good thing she’s here.

M- It’s a good answer though, you wanna hear it?

Is it an acronym for On Weekends Everybody…

M- Everybody’s Naked?

Yeah, On Weekends Everybody’s Naked.

M- Actually what I was thinking is that if I just called it my name -- Mike Kinsella -- this is what I picture: If I played a show I’d have to have this poster of me holding a guitar. MIKE KINSELLA. And everybody would be like, “Ah,” they’d see it and they wouldn’t consciously think it but they’d be like, “I know what that sounds like exactly.” But if you think of Owen as some random image or something then maybe you might think, “Oh, that might be a band,” or that there could be more going on then just a singer-songwriter.

I’ve been on the bus (Rainer Maria and Mates of States' bus) for four days. This guy that's driving our bus...I’m sure at first I introduced myself as Mike and shook his hand. Yesterday he’s started like -- whenever he said anything he called me Owen. He doesn’t know my name. Isn’t that weird? He just like saw it on the itinerary, “Oh, that must be that guy.”

Was it pretty inspirational recording your songs at your mom’s house?

M- There is something to that I guess. There was something to it at the time, I don’t know. I don’t know if inspiration’s the word.

Do think that there were a lot of bummer moments in your life that you would’ve forgotten about had you not been at your mom’s?

M- Nah, I would’ve remembered ‘em. I think just waking up at Mom’s -- something like that puts you in this mood. You kind of feel like a real loser waking up at Mom’s everyday. So it helps you accentuate the loserness of your music.

A- What about the comfort feeling of being home?

M- That’s true. Did I say loser? I meant comfort.

(laughs)

On Mike’s left wrist, below the palm, he has a tattoo that reads “Mom’s.”

A- Does that say “mom?”

M- “
When did you get that tattoo?

M- I got it in December for my mom for Christmas. She didn’t like it at first. (Rubbing hands together) I think I’m going to be her favorite soon. I just have to get rid of that other brother I have.

(laughs)

So what do you think possesses you to write and record the songs that you do? Some of those songs can be a real bummer, and for some reason you go so far as too write and record them and put them on an album...

M- I think I get inspired to write music when I’m in a bummer mood. Does that make sense? And if I’m at a show with Bill and having a good time, I don’t feel like -- I’m not thinking about when I fucked up or anything. Let’s say Bill decides to go hang out with somebody else later tonight. I might get really upset…then I’m going to pick up my gee-tar. I dunno. Tempo-wise, my music's not much slower than a lot of bands. Everybody’s going to write about their ex-girlfriends. People are always like, “Ah, man, he’s such a downer.” That’s when people feel like writing music, you know? When they're sitting by themselves.

The most interesting part about Owen as opposed to a simple singer/songwriter aprpoach is that it’s more layered and complex. The sound is more of a spectrum than just a guy and a guitar. You’ve got a lot of things going on that a guy with a guitar wouldn’t come across. Do you think that has anything to do with your prior bands? Anything to do with Joan of Arc or American Football?

M- Yeah, definitely. That’s kind of what I was, like odd time signatures and dumb stuff like that. I’m just drawn to it. It’s more interesting for me. My ideal song is to like... I’m a sucker for simple melodies. Like really normal. I don’t like dissin’ the music but I like to fuck with the time signatures. Arrangement-wise, I don’t need to go verse-chorus-verse-chorus. It’s a challenge that way. Playing with my brother has kinda...he’s going five of the nine. Fuckin’ shit up.

Have you had him help you with any of your songs or has it pretty much been your deal?

M- I don’t think he’s really into what I do. I think he supports what I do -- we’re close and stuff, being family and all. But I don’t think it’s his cup of tea.

Do you envision Owen getting bigger than just you, or are you content doing your own thing?

M- I’m content coming up with everything that’s done, but I’d like to have people help me out (in a) live (setting). I like having something that’s just me. I play other people's songs. I play bass in Joan of Arc and stuff. I like to play in a Rock Band -- I've got this whole rock thing that I want to get out of me. I think I need both, actually, to be happy. If I like the other music... I really like the new stuff Tim (his brother) wrote. So I’m like, “Yeah.” Some of that old Joan of Arc stuff, I wasn’t around it so much during the writing process. So when it came time to play it, I just didn’t have a connection to it. But if I like it…

So why did you decide to record and release your own album? Was it just through opening for Rainer Maria and seeing how the response was and deciding that maybe you could just release an album?

M- There wasn’t ever really a great response. Kyle, Kaitlyn, and Bill were always like, “Eh... you play guitar.” We’re good friends. I just want to do it. Something that makes me happy is if at the end of the day I come up with a new part that I like. If I could keep doing it, that’d be great.

Just have it out there for people to listen to...?

M- Yeah. I’ve got no interest in...I don’t want to dupe anybody. I don’t want to trick anybody into buying my CD.

But you want people to hear what you have to say?

M- Yeah. I think that would be cool if people could hear it. I don’t expect them to like it. I only like one percent of the things that I hear, you know what I mean? I understand that in a sold-out show people are going to talk. It’s not fun but… I feel like all these musicians are all spoiled. Musicians shouldn’t be rich, really. We’re not doing anything. We don’t deserve to be rich. So if I can keep making enough money to get by, it’d be awesome.

Do you find the music industry frustrating?

M- I’ve never really dealt with the music industry. Polyvinyl is totally laid back. Matt and his wife Darcy live in small town Illinois, they start a label… You hear those horror stories like labels dropping bands. What do you expect? Everybody wants to make money. I’m totally for like burning CDs and trading CDs and all that. The only one who gets screwed is the label. A little bit from the artist, but if the artist keeps writing good music, honest music, people will buy it. I think it almost weeds out the people that don’t deserve it. It weeds out the hype and all that shit. If you keep writing good songs, if you have something that anybody wants to hear, if you have something new to say, or a new way to say it…you’ll be alright. In a broad scale, who cares? It’s just music, entertainment. I talk to people and they’re like, “How do you get signed to a label?” It’s like... I don’t know.

You get lucky, you get signed, you get unlucky, you get dropped…flavor of the month...

M- That’s how I feel. If you’re trying to get signed, that’s the deal you’re going to get. You’re just going to be disappointed. Chances are you’re going to get marketed.

So at that point, you’re in music for the wrong reasons?

M- Yeah, kinda. Make your music. Send it out. If it’s good someone will want to put it out. Somebody will pay for you to put your record out, if it’s good. That’s how I feel.

If not, who cares?

M- Not who cares. I mean, keep doing it. If you enjoy it. If you sleep better at night making it, you should make it. Send it out. I’m a firm believer. That’s why you burn it. Send it over the internet. Whatever you gotta do for people to hear it. We’re so screwed now. A long time ago you needed talent to play music. Not in a talent that’s technical- like I can technically play you something other people can’t, but they had to have something. They had to offer something that people felt like hearing, listening to, connecting with. Now everybody feels like they deserve it. “I spent twelve hundred dollars on my SG. Why won’t someone put my record out?” “I dyed my hair black, it looks great. Why won’t someone put my record out?” Ten years ago it was so different. Right, Kyle, ten years ago the music scene was different.

At some point Kyle has returned...

K- Yeah.

What was different about it, Kyle?

K- We were younger.

M- Ten years younger. (laughs) This guy [Kyle] used to come over, he played at my college. It was Rainer Maria, that wasn’t ten years ago but whatever. Seven. They played in a house on my college campus and it would feel better than this, right?

K- In a way, I don’t know.

MK- The house was full and that’s all that matters. I don’t know if playing giant places are better.

(The Cover Painting of Owen’s album No Good For No One Now was done by Charlotte Byi, who is known for Goebel figurines. Not to be confused with Hummel figurines, the product of Maria Hummel.)