MCB will be raffling a pair of tickets to the upcoming Owl City show tomorrow at Peoples Arts Festival @ RIC
Get to this show!
In the state of Minnesota lies a small town called Owatonna with roughly
twenty-two thousand inhabitants; within that city is a quiet road with a
modest house. In that house there’s an unkempt basement with no windows.
Within those confines you’ll find Adam Young of Owl City
In the state of Minnesota lies a small town called Owatonna with roughly
twenty-two thousand inhabitants; within that city is a quiet road with a
modest house. In that house there’s an unkempt basement with no windows.
Within those confines you’ll find Adam Young of Owl City
and melodically infectious brand of music with a simple and singular
beauty. Inside this “cave,” as Adam likes to describe it, he has begun
to quickly win over a large audience thirsty for something genuine,
something sublime.
Being an only child in a small town, and having no musicians in his
immediate family, Adam is hard pressed to say how it all started.
Explaining that he always had a “push” to be creative, Adam picked up
his first guitar in junior high school. Growing up in a “sheltered
bubble” and being one of the more shy kids around the neighborhood, Adam
seemed compelled to lend his time and creative ideas to music. “I’ve
always been the shy guy, I don’t see that changing, but I definitely
feel a lot more comfortable than I anticipated. I can hide behind the
music.”
While his music continues to win followers all over the world, Adam does
indeed hide behind his music, not going by his real name (See: Badly
Drawn Boy and Dashboard Confessional); but going by the moniker Owl
City. Adam was searching more for a mood when coming up with a title for
his sound, rather than something easily identifiable. He goes on to
explain that most of the artists that catch his eye have something
unique about their name, something that lingers.
So one has to ask: how did this Owl City phenomenon begin? How does a
young artist writing songs underneath his garage, acoustic foam and
books everywhere, reach an audience of millions? “I’m still trying to
figure it out,” Adam laughs. “Back in June of 2007 it kind of started on
a whim. My parents were away for the weekend, and wanting to be loud and
make some noise and whatever, I began writing versions of what became my
first, self released cd - Of June. I put it up on MySpace the following
month and didn’t tell anyone.” Word of mouth began to spread for Adam’s
music, with demands coming from various parts of the country for an
album. Maybe I’m Dreaming, released in March of 2008, was Owl City’s
full length debut. The album has garnered great critical praise and is a
clear representation of Owl City’s progression as an artist. Adam has
become a phenomenon on MySpace with over 6 million profile views and
over 25 million plays, which is outstanding in such a short span of
time. It’s clear that, from his basement, Owl City is making a colossal
impact on the music scene.
What might be swirling through his head after such a quick and sudden
start at stardom? “The biggest thing I was concerned-slash-worried about
was the live performance – never having played a show as ‘Owl City.’
There was a lot of apprehension.” Adam’s concern, about being a one-man
wizard on the keyboard, “hunched over a computer,” was put to the test
recently with his first gig. Most, if not all, of his fears were quickly
put to rest as Adam played to a sold out show in Minneapolis. “It was
surreal,” Adam says, “to have people buying your t-shirts, singing the
words – louder than I was; it felt so good.”
As listeners on MySpace climb into the millions, Owl City is focused on
writing more songs, getting more comfortable on stage, and satisfying a
fan base that is growing and eagerly anticipating new material. With a
new album scheduled for a fall release, Adam’s future is as exciting,
expansive and as mellifluous as his music. “I’ve loved every minute of
it so far, and I’m looking forward to what’s going to happen next.” So
are we.
Rolling Stone write up