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NEW SONG "HOPE in the AIR" at the DETROIT BAR in Costa Mesa. SHOT BY BRAEDON FLYNN (He's pretty rad, so check him out!! www.braedonsblog.com)
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scott and joel tour primarily together with a gibson 335 and acoustic Advanced Jumbo. they keep the overhead low and the energy high with stage stomping, hand clapping, voices chiming and guitars parting...
Influences
our influences are vast and ongoing. no single mode/genre/artist/key/emotion/cartoon has dominated our lives at every breath. the Beatles head the list, and Bob Marley, the Staples Singers, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Big Star, Wagner, Bob Dylan, Dubussy, Radiohead, Stevie Wonder, U2, the Stones, Groove Armada, country music from the early just-past-the-roots era, like the Oak Ridge Boys-Alabama-Crystal Gayle days that our dad mercilessly played for us each time we rode in his car making inevitable their influence whether positively or not, etc., all held sway on one or both of us over the years.
The world of music arrived for us in the '80s when Wham was big and Run-DMC rapped about their kicks. They have, all of the above and more, imbued our writing with their vibrant color.
Nevertheless, the influence of new art and music, whether actually new or new to us, compounds on a weekly, often daily, basis.
Sounds Like
two brothers singing over piano/guitars/organs/vibes/concert bells/horns/drums/bass
Here's some bootleg footage from the GIVE EVENT, caught by our good friend Todd Merriman. It's pretty much going to be the new ad campaign for Ann Taylor Loft . . .
Driven by formative, familial experiences on their Arkansas plantation, born in Texas, and raised on the beach in southern California, PawnShop kings play the music of the American South with equal parts rock, gospel, country and pop. Their inspiration comes greatly from the melodic sensibility and purpose of the Staple Singers and Bob Marley atop the brilliant musical expanse of the Beatles. An early exposure to Southern black churches during their childhood fostered a deeper lyrical significance.
“Our songs come from the context of the people we love, the things we love and hate, and the experience that comes from all of it,” explains Scott. “Like anybody else, we write the music we're into, and if we’re lucky, other people get it.”
“The sound reflects back to the roots of American music that we grew up on but adds a more contemporary edge that those particular early styles lacked to my child ears,” adds Joel. “And we don’t sing about getting drunk and laid – so we probably won’t relate to the fan looking for that sort of immediacy. I'd like to think the music we’re playing has a longer shelf life than that.”
Clearly, PawnShop kings’ musical identity defies easy description – and not only because of the amalgamation of styles. The lowercase “k” in the band’s name suggests a church-borne intentionality that keeps the brothers as friends and from straying too far from faith and family.
“We love that pawn shops give people a second chance whether or not they use or deserve it,” remarks Scott. “Our music, and the ability to build upon the gospel roots of our childhood, plays as our voice to that spirit of reinvention.”
PawnShop kings release new DVD, "brother's keeper" in August of 2008.
PSk debut album, “Locksley,” is available online and at shows.
They are currently in the studio finishing their next 2 Eps.
For more information go to www.myspace.com/pawnshopkings.
Contact: pawnshopkings@gmail.com.
The local brother duo shares a mix of rock, folk, and gospel.
By KELLI SKYE FADROSKI
SQUEEZEOC.COM
Comments | Recommend
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
An exerpt from a Filter mag write-up on Rocco Deluca from a show we jumped up in at Spaceland in SilverLake:
by Matt Elder | 04.24.2008
http://filter-mag.com/index.php?id=16668&c=11
Walking the fine line between Americana revival and commercial success, Rocco Deluca’s Mississippi Delta originates from Southern California’s swagger and sunshine. It’s an identity crisis that needs no resolution, where Deluca’s closed-eyed delivery Tuesday night at Spaceland proved that seeing is indeed believing. Teetered between balladry grace and the raunchiness of a southern front-porch session, Deluca flourished in a soundscape as organically intense and pure as any musician wearing his soul on his sleeve could hope for. . .it wasn’t until midway through the take that the crowd remembered they were at a rock show; and that one man could provide such extremities in the most intimate of settings.
Then things got even quieter. Joined by brothers Scott and Joel Owen from SoCals’ own act the Pawnshop Kings, Deluca dropped his guitar for the quieter nuance of foot stompings. Deluca lead the a-cappella charge of early blues pioneer Son House’s “John the Revelator,” with both brothers following with call-and-response in full harmony. Deluca’s likening for southern gospel and spiritual music shined full force in the same fashion as the latter Buckley’s cover “Be Your Husband,” also hauntingly recorded over the clanking of bottles and stray conversations. . .Americana music is alive and well in Deluca’s hybrid, and it needs no southern delta for merit.
Please come back and play Portland! I will bring myself and peoples I promise :D All the doors will open from the inside on the first try... hugs, nicole
when are you guys gonna come play in Bakersfield again??? I promise the weather is cooling off now!!!! Besides Bakersfield has the best Basque food(besides being in Spain), and best Sun Brunch at Buck's place Crystal palace, and the only bar you can tie up your horses, park the Harley's/ big 4-weel drive trucks(hey its Bakersfield, were a country town) and listen to live music on a sun afternoon!!!! muah......~Stacy~
Guys, thank you for the great new CD - I love everything from the simple, yet poignant cover design to the last note - good for the environment in every which way...... Listened to it with the family three times over the course of the weekend. My faves are "child", you and no other" and especially "make me whole" - the way how the voices wind through the different vocal registers to the climctic finale of the chorus is truly awesome!! It gives me chills every time. Great work!!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You so made my day, again :D Scott and Joel *woot* you didn't have to, but you did anyway. For this I am eternally grateful <3 nicole
Hey guys! It was wonderful to meet you two last night at Greg's amazing show! I'm so looking foward to the chance to witness your magic in person :D Take care <3 nicole
Aaaww boyo's!! I'm sat here in Wales at last listening/watching the fantastic Pawnshop Kings DVD!!! Customs finally relinquished it once I'd given up and paid the $25 to let it in! What have you concealed in there, for goodness sake?!!?!? Anyway! Now your dvd is in the father-land and it would have been cheaper if you'd brought it over (for me, anyway) but I just couldn't wait! Hope all is well with you and I shall spread the love this side of the atlantic! Hugs from Wales Kate xoxo
Hey there. Taylor told me about your new EP coming out so I thought I'd stop by your page - the new songs sound great! I hate that I missed seeing you guys in Memphis, but I just couldn't manage any more time out of school at that point. Sounds like you had a lot of fun, though. ;) Anyway, you guys ever play up my way? You know I've never actually heard you sing in real life. =)
Besides Bakersfield has the best Basque food(besides being in Spain), and best Sun Brunch at Buck's place Crystal palace, and the only bar you can tie up your horses, park the Harley's/ big 4-weel drive trucks(hey its Bakersfield, were a country town) and listen to live music on a sun afternoon!!!! muah......~Stacy~ 
