Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Almost Owen

Isaac Haselkorn, better known as Almost Owen, is a once-in-a-lifetime talent who began building his craft at the age of eleven. He performed at local dive bars and jazz clubs, and later went on to study at Berklee College of Music. There, he caught the attention of GRAMMY award-winning musicians Jamey Haddad and Danilo Perez. They mentored Almost Owen and included him in studio sessions and tours supporting the likes of Paul Simon, Wayne Shorter, Joe Lovano, and other jazz legends.

Fresh off touring, Almost Owen has returned to his home city of Boston, where he’s been working on a collection of new songs, which he will drop throughout the year.

Pop Culturalist spoke with Almost Owen about the upcoming releases.

PC: How did you discover your passion for music?
Almost Owen: My dad has an amazing vinyl collection that I would listen to and sing along with when I was growing up—he was a total ex-hippie. He was also an usher at the Fillmore East in New York and went to all sorts of different concerts. When I was little, my parents would take me to all these different venues. My first concert was Eric Clapton at TD Garden when I was four.

From there, I started going to this club called Wally’s in the south end of Boston when I was thirteen-years-old. They had a jazz jam session every weekend on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. Every weekend, I would take several buses and trains to watch these amazing musicians play and get a chance to sit in for a song or two. A couple of years went by, and I ended up playing there! So, it’s been a combination of my parents and building relationships with the right people at the right clubs.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Almost Owen: I had a mentor at Berklee College of Music named Jamey Haddad. He’s an amazing percussionist and had been a jazz drummer through the ’70s in the New York music scene. He won two Fulbright scholarships, moved to India, and has performed around the world. Now he tours with Paul Simon and plays in his band. He also took a lot of time out for me.

He brought me to meet Paul Simon and would ask me to sub in for certain opportunities and gigs that he couldn’t make. He introduced me to a lot of people, different types of music, and gave me the right kick in the butt to go chase after things that were scary.

PC: What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned being a part of this industry?
Almost Owen: You have to be relentless. You have to bust your butt every day. Nobody is obliged to care about what you’re doing. You have to make things that people care about, but nobody owes you anything. It’s on you to make things that are worthwhile.

PC: Tell us about “Something in You”. What inspired that track?
Almost Owen: I wrote “Something in You” on a broken guitar in the living room of my friend’s apartment. It was one of those songs that I think I wrote in thirty minutes. It came out really quickly when I was thinking about a previous relationship that I had been in. We both moved on, but in certain ways, it’s a love song.

It’s about pining for this individual, but it’s also haunting and sad. It’s about your mind being kidnapped by this person who’s no longer in your life. It’s a sweet memory, but it’s also from the perspective of someone who wishes they could move on. I think it’s an all-too-familiar feeling for people who are out of relationships with people who they care about a lot, but for one reason or another, they couldn’t make it work.

PC: You have a couple more single sets to release this year. Is there anything that you can tease about them? Is there one that you’re particularly excited for?
Almost Owen: There’s another single out called “One in a Million”, which is doing really well. In the first two days, I think it had over 10,000 streams! It’s a love song. It’s very romantic and the most on the nose song that I’ve written to date.

I have another one out called “One Lucky Man”. It’s about friendship, as corny as that sounds. I like to think I came up with an interesting take on that theme. It’s a sick pop song, but it also has indie rock elements to it in the drums and guitars.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that sticks out to you?
Almost Owen: I mean there are moments which I think on paper would register as a sort of “aha” moments. I played for the United Nations Correspondents Association fairly recently. I also did this huge event for the human rights campaign where we basically opened for Elizabeth Warren and Maura Healey. But as far as a moment that I’m personally proud of, I think it was the first time I sold out a concert without an opening act. It was a room that fit about a hundred people. It wasn’t a huge amount, but it was a really important moment in my life.

PC: What does the rest of the year hold for you as we look ahead in 2019?
Almost Owen: I’m going to be releasing a new song every month from now through the end of November. I don’t think I’ll be releasing a song in December. My group and I are playing a bunch of shows throughout the summer locally, and in the fall, we’re hoping to get out for a two-week sort of northeast tour. We might go out to L.A. for a day or two as well.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: A band or artist that fans would be surprised to learn is on your playlist?
Almost Owen: I’m a huge fan of Kendrick Lamar.

PC: First album you bought?
Almost Owen: I’m a little embarrassed to say that it might’ve been Barenaked Ladies.

PC: First concert you attended?
Almost Owen: Eric Clapton

PC: An album that changed your life and why?
Almost Owen: Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. I grew up with it, but I came back to it after my first really big breakout. I loved those “f*ck you” anthems. There’s something empowering, especially when you’re in a dark place, to listen to songs like “Idiot Wind”. I liked that he wrote a song as a way to not just insult a person, but to also take back the narrative for himself. I thought that was pretty awesome.

PC: A venue on your bucket list to perform at?
Almost Owen: Madison Square Garden

PC: A must-have on the road?
Almost Owen: Twizzlers

To keep up with Almost Owen, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and pick up his singles on iTunes or stream it on Spotify.