Kyle Owen’s brand-new solo album Fault Lines “explores emotional vulnerability through a rich blend of raw textures, recorded on old instruments that lend the project a weathered, intimate warmth.”
It’s a deeply personal work that underscores Owen’s commitment to honesty in both sound and storytelling.
Owen or Kyle Sonnenberg to family and friends that know the multi-instrumentalist and singer and songwriter from Waterton Park and Pincher Creek, Alberta is known for his genre-bending approach to music, blending alternative folk, funk, Americana and blues into a sound uniquely his own.
Owen, who now lives in Arizona, originally took guitar lessons at the University of Lethbridge with Dale Ketcheson. “He was a good musical mentor.”
Owen also played and recorded in the band Popular Discontent. An album was recorded in Pincher Creek at Tatanka Studio with producer Victor Lethbridge.
Recently, the Kyle Owen Band performed at a music festival in Twin Butte and at a local southern Alberta brewery. “I love playing in Alberta.”
“I’m pushing this record right now. I’ll be releasing some videos and playing gigs supporting this record locally and around the United States. Probably a little in northern and southern Arizona and probably into California and play a few shows there,” Owen notes.
For the solo album, Owen tried to capture the sounds in a room without being plugged in or “caught with a microphone,” except for a few instruments being patched in.
“I wanted to really capture natural music, natural sound,” adds Owen.
Fans can check out Owen’s latest release or previous releases on streaming services and on YouTube.
According to Owen, Fault Lines has a lot about Alberta because Owen misses home. “The song, Beside You in Alberta is a song that means something to me. It’s about Alberta, but was inspired by my cousin who is fighting through some health issues. That song is about her. There’s also a song called Singing Me Through. That’s a song about Waterton Park, where I grew up. It’s a song about home. I haven’t really written about that kind of stuff before or how I miss home in this sort of a direct fashion. I hope people like that.”
The Kyle Owen Band is also releasing a record this summer too.
“This new studio record is like a studio live album because we played to a click track, but we tracked live for the record. And we did some overdubs, and we edited it,” says Owen.
The selling point of the band, Owen says, is band members are musically versatile. “We switch between blue grass, jam band, rock and roll, funk and even a little punk rock. We play some reggae. It’s all original, but it’s a great eclectic mix of music.”
“We’re not trying to pigeon-hole ourselves into any kind of genre,” Owen adds.
(Cover photo submitted)
