Gary Owen's Blog

I haven't posted here for nearly 4 years. Today, I thought I'd showcase one of my favorite videos of us Blue Meanies performing at the St. George Theater, Staten Island, NY. It was filmed in 2019 at our annual Beatles Blast as we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the "Abbey Road" album. A lot has happened since my last post. On May 11, 2019, we lost our drummer, JT, at the age of 69. Hence the reason this video features our original, and now permanent, drummer Drew Paradine. This was one month after JT had passed and- as a tribute- Drew played JT's Gretsch drum set.  Anyway, pump it up and sing along to our rendition of "Here Comes The Sun" ......which I dedicated to my Norwegian wife, Mette!

Well, well, well! It's been so long!  Hoping this message finds you all feeling groovy. With that in mind, take a meander at my new website. Yes, please do. :) Gary Owen - Musician

Thanks to everyone at CTV for helping me with this. :)

There's always room for new things....... Yes. Contrary to public opinion, this most certainly applies to Gary Owen Land. The latest new acquisitions being the following (click on the links): The first replaces my worn out Gretsch bar stool which has now been officially retired. The second will act as a back up for my constantly used PA. It most certainly shall be utilized at smaller gigs like house parties etc. All in all, two wonderful additions to the evolving- and currently under renovation- Gary Owen Land. See you in the next post.

My Facebook Artist page is now up and running. Click here:   Gary Owen Facebook Artist Page

Here is a video montage sample of some of the music I perform.

Recently, I have been getting back into the wonders of Rickenbacker guitars. 12-string, of course. Great stuff! What a sound- and thanks to one George Harrison (OHNOTHIMAGEN)- the world is a better place for his endorsement of said instruments. In 1964, Hari Jorgeson introduced the second 12-string Rickenbacker to the world via the Beatles recordings "Can't Buy Me Love" and "You Can't Do That" . After seeing this guitar in the film "A Hard Day's Night" , Roger McGuinn of The Byrds went out and bought himself one- and so was born- the jingle jangle sound of Folk-Rock. I love it. In my day, I have owned two Ricks. First was a 370-12 in black which I sold to a friend while working on Wall Street. I used the cash as a down payment on the instrument I have owned since: a 1988 fireglo Roger McGuinn Limited Edition 12-string (#374 of 1,000). This rare guitar features a fast action neck and active compressor (which reminds me, I must change the...

We learn something new every day, don't we? For many years, I never took the matter seriously but humidifying a guitar is an extremely crucial part of it's care. This especially applies to acoustic instruments during Winter months. I have always tried to do it as often as I could remember but had no clue I was only doing half of what was required. The long, skinny rubbery humidifiers named "Dampit" come with a shaped plastic piece which is supposed to cover the sound hole on an acoustic. It features a gauge which measures the amount of humidity the guitar has- and as it decreases-  the gauge indicates it's time for a refill. I never bothered to use them- and a result- some of my guitars now have checks in the finish or need neck resets. Ugh. What irritates me is that for years I have been getting 50,117 different suggestions on when and how I should be humidifying my instruments. Well, visiting my favorite guitar shop, Mandolin Brothers, the repairman sat me d...

Some of my favorite gigs have been performed in backyards, living rooms or even high atop the Swiss Alps (yes, I have done this). That coziness which comes with setting up in someone's household usually leaves me with a euphoric feeling of satisfaction. Just prop me up in the corner near an electrical outlet and out of everyone's way and let me strum. For me, this makes for a wonderful evening- especially if it's amongst a fun, receptive audience. Another fun time is around an outdoor fireplace during the Autumn months. This is my favorite time of year. Hence the title of my first CD. These shows usual take place far away from New York City, although, I have been known to find a few here at home. Outdoor Summer gigs can be a lot of fun- but if it's really humid- then setting me up away from sunlight with a strong electric fan or in the air conditioned house is preferred. Naturally, Winter gigs are held indoors but I have done some crazy nights in Pennsylvania where th...

Another groovy weekend of gigging. The highlight being Saturday night at Killmeyers. Lots of familiar, happy faces on hand to sing along to the tunes. Wound up losing track of time (again) and went later than usual. Good. It was worth it.

Always enjoy a good busy weekend of gigging. Friday was a cozy set at Jimmy Maxx, Saturday at W's (great crowd), Sunday was a private party in New Jersey (fellow Monkees fan so we know where that one went), and- today at the nursing home- to celebrate the "February Birthdays" . I was given a blue balloon for being born on Groundhog day.

A blast from the mullet-era-stage-frightened past.

Friday and Saturday were the usual cozy gigs at Jimmy Maxx and Veranda. Always a good time at these venues. Sunday night was amazing at the Starting Point in Bayonne, NJ. From start to finish, the place was mobbed with screaming, whistling, happy faces who requested and sang along with all the tunes. The volume was up and I wound up staying for an extra 1 1/2 hours. No complaints from me. It was a wonderful weekend, indeed. :)

My repertoire consists mainly of music from the 1960's-1970's. This has always been my favorite era. This list is constantly being updated. Click here for my repertoire page: Gary Owen's Repertoire

This past October, I spent a wonderful weekend performing at the Beatles festival high up in the ski-resort town of Beitostølen, Norway. This was a big departure from the likes of Beatlefest and Abbey Road On The River as it's much smaller and personal. Met many nice people like Terje- the person running the convention- and was given the chance to sit down with renowned Beatles author Mark Lewishon. Some interesting Beatles-related tidbits were discussed over a nice dinner. Ola Furu- a Beatles record collector- was displaying his collection. He specializes in all the UK pressings of the "Please Please Me" LP and had about forty copies showcased! He also had all the uniquely compiled Norwegian 45's which command a hefty sum these days. Scandinavian pressings- especially Norwegian- are not common at all. I was given the chance to really unload on some of the more obscure material that nobody performs. That was a major rush for me as anything interesting and different...

One of my favorite pastimes is performing tribute shows. The band I am a part of- The Blue Meanies- have done a few interesting performances of this type. We've done Monkees, Kinks, CCR, British Invasion and obligatory Beatles tributes. Sometimes we'll do an entire album by whichever artist we choose. For Abbey Road On The River 2011, we performed the entire "Ringo" album- including the non-LP "B" side "Down And Out" . Click on the links to hear "Have You Seen My Baby (Hold On)" and "Down And Out" from that show: Have You Seen My Baby (Hold On) Down And Out

People ask me which guitar is my favorite. It's hard to narrow it all down to one but I can give a quick overview of what I prefer. I have always been a fan of what I like to refer to as "The Three G's". These are Gretsch , Guild and Gibson . I used to own a 1969 Gibson SG but have since sold it. Not a big fan of solid body electrics much but that was a great instrument. Learned many-a-riff on it. I am also big fan of Rickenbacker 12-string electrics but their infamous "R" tailpieces are a nightmare. Some great and influential sounds have come from that fleet. My favorite electric guitar is the Gretsch Viking . I own one built at the old Gretsch Factory in Brooklyn, NY in August, 1967. This semi-hollow body is actually based on the Gibson ES 335 but with more gadgetry. As a rhythm guitarist, the low end open chords fill the room and help chug the performances along (I only use it with band gigs and recordings). In 2009, I bought a double-cutaway 2008...

A fun weekend of gigging. Friday was a wonderful gathering of friends at Simmy & Hal's Groovy Winter Festival. One of those cozy "set me up in your living or dining room" shows. A few people brought their guitars and others took over vocal duties on various songs. Wound up staying later than planned which always makes for a good time. Saturday was Joyce's Tavern. Some of Friday's attendees were on hand and the place was aglow with happy faces. One thing is for sure, I never get tired of performing for a room full of Beatles fans.

'Twas a rather groovy gig at Jimmy Maxx tonight. The highlight was performing "Porpoise Song" for the chosen few who know it. No complaints from me. I am getting the hang of this blog thingie. Very nice, I say. :)