2020 Songwriter in Residence
We are thrilled to announce DCMF Alumni, Owen Steel, as our 2020 Songwriter in Residence!
Owen Steel was raised between a farmhouse in rural Prince Edward Island and a seaside hostel in small-town New Brunswick. Since 2008 Owen has toured from coast to coast, from Texas (SXSW) to Tennessee (Folk Alliance) to Sweden, France and points in between. From folk festivals to freak festivals; basement bars to revered soft seat theatres; by thumb, boat, van and train; In the process making his way under the radar and into the ears of a small yet mighty group of supporters.
An invitation to the Banff Centre’s inaugural Songwriter Residency in 2017 saw Steel work alongside engineer/producer, Howard Bilerman (Leonard Cohen, Arcade Fire). Most recently, Owen has collaborated and recorded with classical harpist Sarah Pagé (The Barr Bros, Lhasa de Sala) and Fredericton based weirdo art-punks, Motherhood. Owen is a past recipient of Winnipeg Folk Festival’s Young Performer Award and Harvest Jazz and Blues Best Original Song Award.
Owen will spend the month of January in the historic Macaulay House, where he will work on an EP set to accompany an original comic/zine publication as well as on soundscapes for a documentary. Owen plans to connect and share with the community through non-traditional Songwriting mentorship by exploring free-writing, instrumental soundscapes, layering, and how these techniques can aide writer’s block and act as a form of sound therapy.
Please give Owen a warm welcome and stay tuned for workshop details. Save the date for Owen Steel live in concert on Saturday, January 25th, 2020!
DCMF’s Songwriter in Residence program is a proud partnership with Klondike Institute of Art & Culture (KIAC) and the North Klondyke Highway Music Society.
Music: owensteel.bandcamp.com/music
Video: youtube.com/watch?v=Mz–n0KjKig
Facebook: facebook.com/owensteelmusic/
Website:owensteel.tumblr.com