Buzz sat down to talk with country artist Bones Owens, who released his debut, self-titled album in February. Owens was raised in rural Missouri and moved to Nashville when he was 21, building up his performing experience before signing with Thirty Tigers in 2019. He talks to buzz about his musical journey and how his passion for music started.

buzz: What was your musical upbringing, and what influenced you to start making music?

Bones Owens: “My parents are both musical. They sing, and my mom plays piano, so I grew up around a lot of music. There was always someone singing in the house. I started taking lessons for piano when I was 6 and switched to guitar at 10. I started making music of my own as soon as I got good enough at guitar to put a few chords together. The influence probably came from a combination of my dad’s ‘70s rock record collection and my uncle who was introducing me to alternative music at the time.”

buzz: What does your typical creative process look like?

BO: “I write most of the songs by myself, so it’s just me in a room with a guitar, messing around on my guitar till I play something that seems worth chasing down. Then I start building melodies and lyrics around that, and the song takes shape as I demo it at my home studio. There are exceptions, but that’s how most of this record was created.”

buzz: What can fans expect from “Bones Owens?” Are there any resonant themes you’d like them to think about after listening to the album in its entirety?

BO: “I’m a big proponent of people creating their own takeaway, but I would say that this record is more celebratory and feel-good overall when compared to my previous EP’s. Some of the more serious subject matter deals with loss, breaking ties and moving on, etc., but there are also several love songs, which is a subject I haven’t hit on much in the past.”

buzz: Has the music-making process changed for you at all during the pandemic?

BO: “Very much. I draw a lot of inspiration from staying on the move and traveling around playing shows. The act of sitting still for long periods of time is very foreign to me and my creative process.”

buzz: If there’s one thing you could change about the music industry, what would it be?

BO: “How much time do you have? Haha. I’ll just say this. I’ve lived in Nashville for 15 years. That’s more than enough time for anyone to get a sour taste in their mouth about certain aspects of the business. The one thing I haven’t let it do is ruin music for me, though. I love music. I love what I get to do for a living, and I refuse to let anyone take the joy of that away from me. I try to burden myself with the ‘industry’ aspect of music as little as possible.”

buzz: What’s next for Bones Owens?

BO: “Hopefully playing shows for live audiences again as soon as that’s safe for everyone. In the meantime, I’m hunkered down here at home writing the next album.”

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