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We thought it might be interesting to post an interview with George Owens, newest member of The House family. George is a songwriter, band-member and self-taught web designer… Ambitious?

I think your story is a bit of an anomaly. You’re a musician and a self-taught web developer and designer. Let’s start somewhere obvious - how did this happen?

For me, design and music always went hand in hand. When I was 12 I started writing songs and quickly formed a strong working partnership with Chris Russell (who I still write and play with now). No one ever tells you what you’re meant to do when you’re in a band so you copy your heroes. Mine was Bon Jovi and those guys don’t do things by halves, so at our first gig (in a village hall) we had posters, backstage passes, cassette albums - the works!

So for you the music and the design came together as you began designing album sleeves and posters. Do you think the design grew from the music rather than the other way around?

At first it was just for my band. Being in a band is like being in a gang.. I was never really in the ‘cool’ crowd - us guys in the band made our own ‘cool’ crowd and we gave it a name and made posters for it - so the posters had to be cool too. It’s the perfect blend of art and function.

What did you study?

I studied Theatre at Birmingham University. I flirted with the idea of becoming an actor but in my heart I always knew I was a musician. While I was there I co-founded and ran Article 19, the university’s main theatre group, as well as starting a regular open-mic night. All of this meant posters and flyers and, without realising it, I found another natural output for my developing design instincts.

You said you developed your design out of necessity for your band. So, let’s talk about the band - The Lightyears - who is it and how did you come together?

I met Chris at school. He could play ‘Don’t Cry’ by Gun’s ‘n’ Roses on the piano and it was awesome. We’ve been playing music together ever since. When we needed a bass player we got my brother John. Tony joined a bit later, producing a couple of our early records and then muscling his way in on drums. Chris and I were very lucky to meet when we were young, yet old enough to want to take it seriously and have the ability to do so. By the time we released our first album when we were sixteen we had written over a hundred songs between us. We always took it very seriously but had a lot of fun doing it!

Where do you play with the band? Do you get to travel?

The best thing about The Lightyears is that we’re tenacious and ambitious. We toured all over the UK and eventually got our first gig in Europe. Soon after that we were invited to play in South Korea. Now we go abroad a few times a year to different places (we’re doing a couple of festivals in New York in a few weeks). We also play at Wembley Stadium fairly regularly, doing pre-match entertainment for Saracens Rugby Club. The best place I’ve been with the band is Cape Town. I completely fell in love with the place! We’ve been two years in a row and have been booked again for next January. I can’t wait to get back there!

How would you describe your music and what are your major musical influences?

We’ve been compared to Crowded House, Wham!, The LAs, The Beatles (of course!) - our aim is that everybody leaves a Lightyears gig with a big smile on their faces! It’s upbeat British pop, like it used to be, but with more than a sprinkling of Ben Folds in the piano. As a songwriter my own influences tend to be more emotionally charged - Martha Wainwright, Bon Iver, Death Cab. Having a mix of influences can give you some interesting results!

Can you draw any parallels between the way you approach songwriting buy roche valium diazepam 10mg (and the inspiration you draw on for this) and the way you think about design?

I was thinking recently about my approach to songwriting and visual design - about how similar they are. With both, I find they’re quite instinctive. I compose music in my head - I often find that a guitar can be a distraction from the writing process as I always end up playing cliches or rehashing old material. Similarly, with design, I always start with a pencil and paper, even though my hand drawing is not great.
I can hear a whole melody and arrangement in my head before I’ve played or sung a note. Which is nice, but a challenge to extract! Songwriting, like design, takes bursts of inspiration but also the confidence to make bold decisions at an early stage about the directions you’re not going to go in.

Have you always felt both musically and artistically creative?

I always have an impulse to create things. Very rarely does a day go by when I don’t make something out of nothing! I love starting design projects, getting paper and pencils and Photoshop documents and running riot. I’m the same with songwriting. We do these songwriting days where we’ll write twenty songs in twelve hours. It’s insane - the most focused work I’ve ever done, but the results can be really impressive because you react purely on instinct.

At what point did you crossover from band member to web designer?

I learnt web design over five years purely on behalf of the band. Occasionally people I knew would ask for help with sites and I’d help them out for experience. A few years ago it occurred to me that it would be a good line of work to be in for someone in a band, as by and large I can work wherever I am. Now that I’m a couple of years in to it I find it works really well. I was in Seoul a few weeks ago, checked into the hotel, fired up my laptop and it’s business as usual. I thrive on that variety in my working life.

How did you learn the specific web development skills you use now?

I learnt through necessity; a need for online tools to project a message for the band, coupled with a desire for our website to be better than everyone elses! Then I threw in years of tinkering, editing, developing. When I decided we need Flash, I learnt Flash. When we needed videos editing I learnt that too. Websites should be practical but also exciting and I had a great vehicle to develop my skills.

What tips would you give to anyone wanting to learn as you did?

Be passionate and persistent. Learn to take criticism but also when to trust your own opinion. The best advice I was ever given about music is if you’re starting a band, don’t pick musicians who are worse than you to make yourself feel better about your playing. Instead, go for the ones who challenge you and drive you forward. The same is true for design.

Do you like the process of designing and building a site? (Do you have any specific process or practices?)

I work initially in Photoshop and then, when I’m ready, I move the designs into CSS and PHP. I use WordPress a lot for websites. I fully admit to getting really excited about little discoveries that streamline the way I work or generate new ideas for future design. When I first started using CSS it was a revelation! I find the process very satisfying.

It sounds like for you the processes for music and design can co-exist and compliment each other, does one ever take precedence over the other?

The two things balance each other very well and I know from experience that even when I’m focused on one discipline, the other is never far away. For me songwriting, recording, production, visual design, website development, performance (in a tiny club or in a stadium) is all part of leading a creative and fulfilled life. I’m lucky I don’t have to choose between them!

Head over to The Lightyears site to find out more about the band.