Owen

The indie rock outfit Owen began playing music near the end of 1994 when singer/songwriter Thomas Ryerson and guitarist Jeremy Chambers left their previous band, Saint Judy. Natives of Woodstock, Ontario, the members of Owen had gathered a solid stack of material and began recording a year later. The 7" single "Slacker Anthem" was critically acclaimed in Billboard and a favorite at local college radio. In fall 1995, guitarist John Speechley was brought on board, Mysto X was added to play drums, and Owen headed back into the studio. The sessions proved to be a creative improvement for Owen, and Doug and Munchie Hainer and drummer Steve Wright were brought on permanently while Speechley was given the boot.
Throughout the mid-'90s, Owen participated in various projects, including contributing a track to the Hard Rock Indie Comp '96 and recording the Owen commemorative singles release Hit Factory 1993-1996 (1997). In 1998, the band released their fifth cut entitled "Smalltown," and Hainer and Ryerson began working on the side project Cholera. A full-length album from Owen was still yet to be released. The following year, Ryerson and his fiancee Vicki Brown formed the indie-pop outift, The Manical Cats. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, Rovi