Rising Stars: Meet Mike Gowen Jr of East Nashville

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mike Gowen Jr.

Hi Mike, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I’m originally from the Philadelphia area – West Chester, PA – where I grew up playing music, skateboarding, and playing sports. I started piano when I was 7 and then guitar later at 16. I fell in love with blues music at an early age after hearing my piano teacher playing before a lesson one day. I didn’t really know what it was or why I liked it so much, but the rhythm and feel moved me in a way I had never experienced before. Years later, as a teen watching skate and snowboard videos, I was introduced to rock music. The cinematography and vibe of those early skate videos was incredibly impressionable and helped me understand the relationship between film and music in a way that was different from that of a major motion picture film.

As a college football and track athlete, my life up to that point was dominated by sports. I was aspiring to play football professionally until I had multiple concussions forcing me to stop playing. I was lost for some time after that but found my way through music and have dedicating my life to it ever since. After studying piano composition my last year in college, I moved to New York City to pursue a career in music. While in New York, I played guitar in multiple bands, including my main band of 7 years, Mother, and worked as a composer independently and with my good friend Scott Dadich – who has been a great inspiration and mentor to me. He’s been kind enough to have me as the music composer on multiple projects over the years, including work for Wired Magazine, Condé Nast, IBM, C3Ai, and OKTA to name a few.

Recently in 2020, I relocated to Nashville with my wife, Rhonda, to continue my music career in a new space. The goal has remained the same – to work as a composer and develop my career as a blues and rock artist with my band under my name. It’s been empowering to develop as a singer, guitarist, band leader, and songwriter; and inspiring to see my vision come to life. I’ve met a lot of really amazing musicians and people here and feel really fortunate and grateful to be a part of this music community.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There have definitely been some hardships along the way. From having to make a major life change after stopping football, to living out of my car in New York because I lost my apartment the first year there. It was rough but it’s helped me to handle adversity, develop some grit, and stay positive – even when you don’t have a place to live.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m not sure I can answer what I’m known for since I do a number of different things and that can be subjective to whoever you ask; but if I had to put a label on myself I’d say I’m a musician, composer, performing artist, and a writer. My strengths as a composer lie in my ability to create different soundscapes; to evoke emotion, feeling, and beauty through sound. As a performing artist, I’m authentically myself and play and sing with a tenacity and attitude that is raw, human, and genuine. One of my favorite quotes, and the summation of my approach to performing, is from Miles Davis:

“Anybody can play. The note is only 20 percent. The attitude of the person who plays it is 80 percent.”

A career or life devotion to music can be challenging. I think what I’m most proud of is that I’ve stayed true to myself, my goals, and my inspiration as a musician. I try to continually learn new things, and focus on growth and development as an artist and as a person. I also just recorded a live in-studio EP, “Live at The Amber Sound”, that I’m really proud of and will be releasing soon.

What makes you happy?
I’m happiest when I create and folks enjoy it. My life changed forever after hearing David Gilmour and Jimi Hendrix. That feeling of the hair on your arms standing up and the electricity of emotions coursing through your body when you hear or experience something profound. I’ve been searching for that experience over and over throughout my life and have done my best to make it my life’s mission to try to provide that feeling to others through music – hopefully inspiring others to pick up a guitar, or use their voice, or learn to play the piano; and to write their own story through the love of music.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.mikegowenjr.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikegowenjr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mikegowenjr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@mikegowenjr?si=f-kNlQepazbVnuT0
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/44sPNOBtPvO0mndgYTCehn?si=vJcbsveFSWWjUttzE1ONkg