Owen Van Larkins hails from Queensland and began his musical journey at the age 13.
Even if you are not familiar with how guitar is played, you will no doubt realize, that after listening and watching Van Larkins play, you find yourself drawn into a different space altogether, experiencing the sheer brilliance of a man who not only plays exceptional music, but you encounter the assembly of music as a whole between the guitar and player.... the way music should be.
We asked Owen a few questions about this one love of his life.
Modern Fusion, would this be the best way to describe your style of playing acoustic guitar?
Owen:
I often have trouble answering people when they ask me what type of music I play, the bottom-line is Finger-style is more a technique than a musical genre. That being said, my music is a mixture of several genres including for example; funk and electronic, filtered through my personal experiences and adventures, the result being what you hear on my records. I love the freedom to create without restrictions or rules.
I read in a former interview, that you picked up the guitar at the age of 13 as you thought this would be a fun way of joining the school band and impress the girls – so, just wondering, how did that go for you - Did you get the girls? Has the focus changed now?
Owen:
That's hilarious, but pretty accurate. Of course during high school my priorities were to be accepted by my peers and fit in socially (not easy for an introvert suffering from anxiety and depression) but over the years I have fallen in love with the guitar and the process of composing music. Having to perform in front of large audiences to showcase my original works has forced me to get over my social anxiety and grow as a solo performer. I have well and truly decided that music is my path, and nothing is going to stand in my way.
As someone who has been formally educated in the music field, a diploma in music performance, sound engineering and certificate III in contemporary music, how important is it to have some formal education in music even if someone has the passion and talent?
Owen:
For me the benefit of studying music was always to jam with people from different musical backgrounds and work as a team while completing tasks. I am far from academic, and without practical application it's almost impossible for me to retain all of the information delivered, and know how it's applied outside of class. I've found it incredibly useful however to learn various skills such as sound engineering, collaboration and production as I am often in situations where these skills are helpful. I can communicate with the engineer at a gig about particular frequencies that require adjustment and hit the ground running if I'm thrown in to a spontaneous on-stage jam situation.
Are there certain things that you don’t like about music?
Owen:
What bothers me about music today, is that some record labels are taking advantage of non-musicians by producing large amounts of manufactured rubbish, following the same formula some knuckle-head came up with decades ago. People are being ripped off and deprived of quality music and they don't even know it.
Put it this way, I am a chef that has trained for fifteen years, and most people are going to Mcdonalds because it's familiar and convenient.
I'm not blaming the audience, we don't always want to 'think' about music, sometimes we just need a good dance or to chill after work, but take the same four chords with an overly sexualized film clip, add a dash of autotune and media hype, and you have the next Nicki Minaj or Justin Bieber.
Do you have any other passion or interests other than music?
Owen:
Music is really my only passion, although I do enjoy the smaller tasks that come with it like photography, photo editing, film making and web design.
Can you tell us more about your guitars – the Stonebridge guitar in which you played on your ‘Wandering Hands’ album, then found a new favourite, the Chantelier guitar - are you still enjoying the Chantelier?
Owen:
The stonebridge was my introduction to quality guitars, I bought one at the Canadian guitar festival a few years back but the Chatelier is where it's at. Chatelier guitars are made in Nice, France, and to my knowledge they only make about 11 a year. I have never played a guitar so well made, the resonance, overtones and attention to detail are amazing. I am officially endorsed by Chatelier and plan on maintaining this relationship into the future. Check them out!
http://www.chatelierfreres.com/en/galleries/links
How many guitars do you have?
Owen:
Only as many as I need believe it or not, over the years I have sold any instrument that I don't need or don't play unless it has some sentimental value.
Here is a list of my guitars:
Chatelier 'PAO FERRO BEVEL' – My one true love
Goya Classical guitar – This guitar is older than I am!
Stonebridge 23 CR – Featured in the 'Wandering Hands' video filmed at Candyrat Records USA
Maton Natural Series 1995 - The first acoustic guitar I ever purchased when I first started playing fingerstyle in 2001
Johnson Electric Guitar – This is a piece of junk, but because it was the first electric I ever bought at high school when I was in a metal band, I am modifying it with new hardware and pick-ups
??? - You will have to wait until 2016 to find out about this one
Do you have a specific room you play in at home?
Owen:
Having a good space to play is important, I use a small room downstairs at my house with lots of windows and a polished wooden floor so I get a big sound. I also have access to an outside area where I can watch the world go by, late one night I wrote a song here called 'Raven Mire' which will be featured on my next acoustic album
Website: http://www.vanlarkins.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/vanlarkins
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VanLarkins/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/vanlarkins
Amazon: Wandering Hands - Van Larkins