Owen Young On the Making Of ‘Town Line’
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind ‘Town Line’ and the story it tells?
‘Town Line’ is part of a collection. Inspiration for most of the collection's songs came through the isolation of the pandemic shutdown. I would walk the nearby fields and woods daily with my dog, passing by the streams and our river, composing lyrics in my head. I would write them down when I got back to the house and, often sitting, reflecting, on the porch, would develop tunes for them.
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for this EP?
The songs for ‘Town Line’ were recorded in random order along with the songs for two other EPs. Early in the process, I sent a demo of “Walk Down The Lane” to my friends Tia McGraff and Tommy Parham to see if they had any ideas for BG vocals. I was in the studio with engineer Jill Zimmermann when we first played their tracks. I was blown away. Up to that point, everything had been work, but from that moment on the whole production became fun. It was like switching on a light.
What did you enjoy most about making ‘Town Line?’
The recording and production of ‘Town Line’ and related EPs stretched over four years. Along with giving me a welcome opportunity to sing with one of my children, Beaux, the work opened up wonderful new friendships with engineer Jill Zimmermann and writers/performers Tia McGraff and Tommy Parham. Regularly sharing ideas, and even gossip, with all of them was a bonus I had not expected and turned out to be one of the most enriching parts of the whole experience.
What inspired you to pursue a career in music?
The notion that mine might be a “career” gives me too much credit. But the love and joy of creating musical patterns is at the heart of it. My dear, late, friend “Engineer” Geoff Cooper of LA and New York was always deeply immersed in sound and music. He dragged me with him into that world where I came to echo his love for it.
Is there a specific song that holds a particularly special meaning to you? Can you share the story behind it?
“We’ll Go Sailing.” There was a girl (there always is). We spent our adolescent years together in small town Ontario. She was my first crush. In the actual story, it wasn’t just her but both of us who went off to pursue other futures. We would circle back from time to time but there were blank spots in between. Then she did indeed disappear. I learned later that she had died a young adult. No one knew about us so no one told me at the time. I periodically go past her house and each time bring the memories back. I wrote the song in an effort to harness that flood of memories. I asked Tia McGraff to record it because I found it too hard to sing.
