Fandom: The Naked And Famous on Owl John

The Naked And Famous’ Thom Powers front and center

New Zealand’s The Naked And Famous will be just one of the amazing artists taking the stage at this years First City Festival in Monterey, CA and in preparation of the event, we thought we’d ask them about another artist that they are excited about as part of our Fandom series.

Frontman Thom Powers recounts the last time he felt the dizzy anxiousness before seeing an anticipated live show:

“I met Scott Hutchison a few years back in Glasgow.

I’d heard Frightened Rabbit were playing a show on the same night as us, just down the road at a dive bar that was apparently a rite of passage for Scottish bands, called Nice N’ Sleazy. We sang the last e-yeah, e-yeah, e-yeah of “Young Blood” and bolted for the FR gig, hastily (but gently) excusing and apologizing our way through our fans; “Frightened Rabbit’s playing down the road, love you, gotta go!”

It was one of the few times, since having been in a professional touring band, where I actually felt the giddy nervousness that live shows used to bring me. It felt like Alisa and I were 19 again, watching The Mint Chicks at the Kings Arms or something.

We ended the night drinking with the band and Scott has been a shoulder to cry on ever since.

He recently moved to LA and was half way through this new solo concept he called “Owl John”. I offered to help record some vocals and before I knew it I was reassuring him, “I totally know how to work this 72 channel Neve desk…“

I mustn’t have done too bad of job though, because some of the vocals I recorded ended up on the record.” – Thom Powers