Google Wake Owl frontman Colyn Cameron and the first result is an alumni profile from Vancouver Waldorf School focusing on Cameron's studies in biodynamic agriculture, a method of organic farming.
Born in Southern California, Cameron has lived in Berkeley, Vancouver, Portland, Ore., and beyond, studying agriculture at Emerson College in England and working on farms in Germany, the U.K., Chile and Canada.
If Cameron has learned anything from his agriculture studies, he says, it's that the best music also happens organically.
"My writing process is always changing," he says on the occasion of the release of Wake Owl's debut five-song EP, "Wild Country."
"I usually find the most inspiration after long periods of having too much of my own space ... A lot just tends to pour out rather quickly."
The music on "Wild Country" is heavily acoustic – rooted in modern folk and old country – with a pastoral quality and a haunting vibe. The arrangements are clean and spare, leaving plenty of room for the lyrics and Cameron's ingenuous voice to shine.
Though the EP was released at the end of January, you may already know "Gold," which was featured on an episode of "Grey's Anatomy" back in November.
As Wake Owl hits the road for a tour that stops at Milwaukee Cactus Club on Saturday, Feb. 16, we chatted with Cameron about the music and his background.
OnMilwaukee.com: You've had a pretty diverse background with a lot of travel and doing things like studying agriculture and working on farms. Did all that stuff influence your music in some way? Or influence you picking up the guitar and writing songs?
Colyn Cameron: Yes it did. Meeting so many people, seeing so many places, having your idea of the world expanded via travelling I think will have a huge influence on what you do creatively.
OMC: Did you, then, at some point, make a conscious decision to focus on music or did it just sort of grow and work out that way for you?
CC: It really did just grow into something. there was no point exactly when I made one decision, it was a chain reaction to things happening and the way I felt about my next steps.
OMC: I read that you started out rapping because you're a hip-hop fan. How did that transform itself into the more reflective, acoustic sound that Wake Owl has?
CC: Well, lyrically hip-hop drew me in quite a bit. I was excited by the challenge of that kind of lyricism. But musically, I never want to be limited to one style. The EP was written on an acoustic guitar so it reflects that to a large extent. It's a good thing all the stuff prior to Wake Owl that I experimented with isn't out there because that could really confuse people. But I generally look forward to the future and how I can continue bridging my inspirations and challenging myself.
OMC: Speaking of that sound, I think part of what makes the EP so powerful is what isn't there. It's a very uncluttered approach and it really lets the songs shine. How did you avoid the temptation to overdo it; to throw in everything but the kitchen sink?
CC: When recording I was really just going by the demos. They had a certain amount of layering, but weren't overdone, and they actually got a little more in studio with bass and drums. I had some experience recording with a project prior so I was a little more aware of what I was avoiding.
I was sticking to the demos very much, and the way they sounded. They were the songs for me. I wasn't going to change that drastically in studio.
OMC: The record is just out, but before it appeared, you had a song on "Grey's Anatomy." Can you talk a bit about what an opportunity like that means to a band getting ready to launch its debut?
CC: It's cool. It is a nice platform for a new band to have their stuff get spread a bit. Hopefully it doesn't turn anyone away as some people are so sensitive about how music gets used. Actually to be fair, it was really the only way I avoided having to get a real job this fall again, and allowed to me to write more, which is good, right?
OMC: Right. Finally, have your travels ever brought you to Milwaukee? Any pre-conceived notions?
CC: I've never been there! We all really look forward though! I've heard its a good music scene.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
