Caroline Owens Chats About Her Record Deal, The Bluegrass Community, "Telluride," & More

Daniel Mullins: Welcome back to Real Roots Radio. I am so excited to welcome rising star in the world of bluegrass, Ms. Caroline Owens, to the program today. How you doing, Caroline?

Caroline Owens: Doing good, how are you?

Daniel Mullins: Doing well. You've really hit the bluegrass world by storm over the last few years. Recently signed to Billy Blue Records, you just released your second single for the label. What's it mean to be so warmly welcomed by the bluegrass community in recent years?

Caroline Owens: Well, it's really heartwarming. You don't ever know how people are gonna respond to what you're doing, which is a little intimidating. But everyone's been really kind, they say it's like a big ol' family, and it really has been, so I'm really thankful for the people that have kind of ushered me in and taken me under their wing, because I've really felt the love.

Daniel Mullins: Where are you from, Caroline?

Caroline Owens: I'm from North Carolina, so I'm from a tiny little town called Denton, made famous by the Doyle Lawson Bluegrass Festival that used to go on many, many years ago, and of course now it’s the Malpass Brothers Festival. Of course, I make my home part-time in Nashville now, but I'm from North Carolina.

Daniel Mullins: Growing up in North Carolina, where the bluegrass scene is so rich and vibrant, how did that impact the music that you make today?

Caroline Owens: Well, I think I was very lucky and didn't even realize it. I was at a jam constantly. When I decided that bluegrass was something that I was really, really interested in, it wasn't anything for me to be at a jam every night, and that was very accessible for me. We are absolutely saturated with great acoustic and bluegrass music around here, so it really, really influenced me, because I could be around it constantly if I wanted to, and I did.

Daniel Mullins: It really goes to show the importance of a vibrant local music scene, and you're a great proof of that.

Caroline Owens: Aw, thanks. I mean, there were a lot of great people that I got to meet, too, of course. Even in jamming situations, you can learn a lot from that. The people that you pick with, and the people that you surround yourself with is very important, especially when you're first starting out.

Daniel Mullins: Speaking of, you know, influences, who were some of your biggest influences in bluegrass, country and beyond?

Caroline Owens: Alison Krauss is the reason that I got into bluegrass to start with. She was my first introduction. I remember, I was taking guitar lessons from a wonderful fella by the name of, Greg Luck, who was so influential in every part of the way that I played, and he introduced me to Alison Krauss. I was living under a rock before all this, because I didn't know who she was, and I was young.

Daniel Mullins: How old were you? You said you were young.

Caroline Owens: I would have been, 12 or 13, probably? I was young, and I grew up in church. I didn't grow up around bluegrass. My grandpa was a Baptist preacher, and so I was very much interested in gospel, and not thinking about traditional bluegrass or anything like that. So I was introduced to bluegrass through Alison. When I heard about her, it was just like two magnets coming together. I was just absolutely blown away. When you hear about people like that, and you're young, you're very impressionable, and she made such a huge impact on me, and I think that if it hadn't been for her, I probably wouldn't be doing this.

Daniel Mullins: Alison, of course, a member of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame, and just one of those angelic voices in bluegrass and country and American roots music. And you had the privilege of meeting Ms. Alison a few years ago, didn't you?

Caroline Owens: I did, yeah, I was really little then, too, that's been a while ago, and she was really gracious to me. I got to go backstage, and this is when she was on tour with Willie, and he was actually probably just in the other room. I was so enthralled with her that it didn't matter. Anybody else could have been in the room, and of course, Suzanne Cox was there, too, who I was absolutely obsessed with, and still am. And they took so much time with me. And I think that's what really made a big impression, is they were very busy, obviously, and they spent probably half an hour with me, just sitting there talking to me, and we sang. It makes a difference.

Daniel Mullins: How has that? You talk about it making a difference on you, how has that impacted the way that you interact with your fans and with the bluegrass music community at large?

Caroline Owens: It's shown me really what it means to go out and make the difference. Naturally, I do try to make people feel comfortable. I've always just kind of been that way, you know, outgoing and want everyone to feel included. But I think that it's impacted me even more, just seeing the way my heroes can be, and no one is ever too good to do anything like that. When you can implement that in your own stage show, in your own behind the scenes, that's when the true difference is made.

Daniel Mullins: Caroline, in addition to being a wonderful talent in the world of bluegrass, you are known for such a fun and vivacious social media presence. Why is that such an important part in your role as an artist and in your brand?

Caroline Owens: Well, social media is really such a great tool, but it's also its own job in itself, and it really blows my mind how much you can really get done with it, or how much time it takes up from your day, too. And of course, there are others that are even better at that than I am, you know, there's so much to learn still with this great tool that we've been given. Of course, there's also the negative side to it as well. People can say anything they want to about you, but we've mostly received positive feedback through social media. But it's a great tool for music, especially in a genre that's smaller, and is still trying to gain more widespread popularity.

Daniel Mullins: You are one of the newest artists to be signed to the roster of Billy Blue Records. What does that mean to have your name included with one of the top labels in bluegrass right now?

Caroline Owens: It's unbelievable. I would worship them from afar. And so it was always a dream of mine to get to be with them, and then when it really came true, it was one of those moments, and even before I was an artist for them, I was a publisher as well. So I've seen both sides of their work, and they're truly incredible. So it's a big dream of mine.

Daniel Mullins: You mentioned that you were signed to a publishing deal. As a songwriter, that's a major deal. How did you get into songwriting, and what did that introduction with Billy Blue Publishing mean to you at the time?

Caroline Owens: When I signed my publishing deal, I was still new to songwriting. I mean, I had done it since I was a kid, but true songwriting, I was still new to learning everything. Heartbreak Train, which was my first single on my first label, Skyline Records. That's what kind of catapulted the songwriting. I don't think that Billy Blue Publishing would have looked at me as soon as they did had it not been for that tune, which was complete luck. You know, this song came about in about 10 minutes. I wrote it by myself. There's a lot of luck involved in this. Of course there's talent as well, but there's a lot of luck in the songwriting world. You just never know what's gonna click.

Daniel Mullins: Since signing your deal with Billy Blue Publishing, how have you been able to continue to, hone your craft and sharpen your skills as a songwriter through that opportunity?

Caroline Owens: Well, I write all the time, and I think in order to become a better writer, you must write a lot. Of course, then your brain gets foggy and you have to take breaks from it, but for the most part, I write every day if I'm not on tour. We're getting ready to take a pretty heavy touring season, so I won't be writing as much. But as far as honing your craft and building the relationships, writing every day is usually what I do.

Daniel Mullins: Speaking of your tour, your fall tour includes your debut performance at the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival this coming fall, November 13th, 14th, and 15th, at the Roberts Centre in Wilmington, Ohio. I know you have attended our festival before, so we're glad we can welcome you back and have you on stage. What can folks expect when they see Caroline Owens & New Company on stage at the Roberts Centre this fall.

Caroline Owens: Well, we have a lot of fun. I think performing music is one thing, but making people feel something is a totally different thing. And when you can make them feel, and they're having a good time, and you're bringing quality music, that sets it apart. And so we try to bring a good stage show, keep the energy up. We'll also bring you down a little bit. We like to have a lot of different stuff in our sets, so you'll hear covers, you'll hear original material, you'll hear instrumentals, you'll hear everything in between. We like to give you as much as we can give in 45 minutes.

Daniel Mullins: That's the kind of set I like. So glad that Caroline Owens & New Company will be at the Industrial Strength Bluegrass Festival this fall. Your new single, “Telluride,” it just dropped a few days ago. Why don't you tell us about it?

Caroline Owens: “Telluride” was written by Bill White and Andrea Pearson, two fantastic writers. I loved them. Bill White is actually one of our publishers at Billy Blue Records. And this was a song that literally almost got lost. When you're looking through material, you gotta go through this, and you gotta go through that, and things get lost in the mix. We were getting ready to go into the studio, and Jerry and I sat down, Jerry Sally, who's a co-producer on this record with Darin Aldridge. We sat down, and we were looking through tunes, and I thought, I'm missing something. You know, you get to that point where it's like, there's just this one piece, and it was “Telluride.” We were getting ready to go in, and we didn't have it, and we learned it just like that, and brought the musicians in, and they really brought life to it. So it almost got lost.

Daniel Mullins: What makes it such a fun song, and such a great fit for you, and a great fit for this new album that's on the way?

Caroline Owens: It's different. You know, this song is about a wandering heart really letting go. “Put on my walking shoes, I'm making new plans.” That's the beginning of it. This is about somebody who's going, yep, I'm changing. New era. I'm still the same old me, but I'm hitching a ride to Telluride, and I'm doing something different. So I think that was the piece we were looking for. It's different, and it's something we haven't tried before.

Daniel Mullins: We're excited to see what new chapters are in store for you and your promising bluegrass career. When can folks expect the new album on Billy Blue Records to drop?

Caroline Owens: Well, we're going to record the latter part of it in the fall, so we already have the first section done, and then we go and do the next section. So, it could be at the end of the year, and it could also be at the beginning of the year. So, we're keeping them in suspense. As they say, Daniel, stay tuned.

Daniel Mullins: I like it, I like it. Miss Caroline, thank you so much for joining us on Real Reach Radio.

Caroline Owens: Thanks for having me!

Learn more about Caroline Owens: https://carolineowensofficial.com/