It's time once again to dive into the talented pool of musicians living in Santa Cruz County and introduce you to one you may have missed amid the masses of national touring bands that flood the clubs here on a weekly basis.

A couple of weeks ago, a CD showed up in the mailbox, which is certainly not an unusual event in this line of work. Sent by musician Rob Owen, it was titled "Barefoot in the Rain." Owen's bio calls him a singer/songwriter, which these days refers to anyone with a penchant for poetic lyrics and an acoustic guitar slung around the neck.

But Owen is different. From the first track of the CD right through the last song, something about his songs, his lyrics and how the music is so beautifully understated spoke volumes.

Owen is no stranger to the music business. His former band — a progressive rock outfit called Oka Road — toured California pretty heavily, released four critically acclaimed independent albums and lived something of a rock star lifestyle.

"About two years ago, Oka Road turned into a business, and that's when we all started to get burnt out on it," said Owen. "So I went solo, but my goals are different with this project. I'm not looking for a major label, it's all about expressing myself and connecting with others. I'm just not into 'let's be a rock star' anymore."

That sense of maturity pervades "Barefoot in the Rain." With the help of two of his Oka Road bandmates — Dave McReynolds and Will Bright — Owen crafted what he calls an "indie pop" album. It's stripped down and moody, and Owen creates these different musical textures by straying away from everyday chords.

"I look for different colors in the chords I play," Owen explains. "It's all about sound and how the chords work together. We were looking for something minimalist, no bells and whistles. It's a raw, honest, simple, intimate sound. I'd to think you could listen to it over a cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of wine at night, sit and listen and reflect on the lyrics."

Producer Damon Danielson at first wanted Owen and the band to cut songs completely live to capture the emotional content. Owen agreed he wanted it to sound raw and immediate, but in the end, he added a few overdubs.

"We ended up doing some really minimal overdubs, just for salt and pepper," Owen said.

Lyrically, Owen depends on symbolism and everyday experience. Sung in a smooth baritone, the lyrics on "Barefoot in the Rain" seem to have some relation to each other from song to song.

"A big influence of mine is Peter Gabriel, ven though the band sounds nothing like him," Owen says. "Gabriel always has a concept he's writing about, and that's what I tried to do here. It's not a concept album, but a few of the songs do relate to each other thematically."

Owen's been hitting up the Art and Wine Festival circuit, the coffee shop scene and various Songwriter's Showcases throughout the Bay Area, mainly closer to San Francisco. He's scheduled to appear at the Kuumbwa Singer Songwriter Showcase on Nov. 16. Playing all these free events has given Owen a unique perspective on who his music touches. He was surprised to find that it reaches a very wide demographic.

"I get the 5-year-old kid dancing in front during the show, and then I get the grandma buying the CD for herself after the show," Owen says with a chuckle. "I haven't done a big promotional blitz for this record because I like to see how people react to it in the moment."

Hear Owen's music for yourself at www.myspace.com/robowenmusic. You'll also find some more biographical information, including how he managed to continue playing music after a scarring childhood experience with an overzealous piano teacher and more stories from his previous band Oka Road. You can buy his songs straight from MySpace or www.cdbaby.com, or just head to one of his gigs. He's playing along the Wharf to Wharf route on July 22 and the Palo Alto Festival of the Arts on Aug. 25.

Contact Graham Haworth at

graham@haworths.org.