Mike Kinsella, your reputation proceeds you. As a youth, you helped launch important bands like Cap’n Jazz, Joan of Arc, and American Football, and then, when it seemed like you were done creating Chicago’s official list whos-who of indie rock, you even began playing in a band called Owls with your brother Tim. Why is it then that critics have chosen to openly pick on your solo project, Owen?

I remember when I first saw your solo show, on the Mewithoutyou tour some years ago. You took the stage and softly began to strum your guitar. Then without so much as batting an eye you began picking the strings at a feverous pace. Next, came the vocals. If I remember correctly the line was something clever about a girl, or something. I was smart enough to know who you were- the guy who played in American Football- so I stood quietly and let you do your thing. You deserved it. However, the rest of the crowd wasn’t as knowledgeable of your past.

The first guy who yelled out in the middle of your second song probably just wanted attention for himself. The second and third guys, on the other hand, seemed like they genuinely had something against you. What gives? Mr. American Football himself is playing a quiet, intimate acoustic set and all these meat heads can do is interrupt your contemplative musings on women & relationships? That tickled my pickle. If you hadn’t stopped playing mid-song and gone into a nervous rant on the stress of life compared to the distracting qualities of touring the country, I would have stepped in and defended you.

But you took matters into your own hands- which isn’t surprising considering you are the same man who had enough heart to found some of Chicago’s best independent bands of the last 10 years. You told the jerks straight up that you weren’t trying to be special or different. You just wanted to play some songs you wrote a handful of years ago, finish your set, then get on with the show. The honesty in which you explained yourself was inspiring, however, when you then dropped your guitar and left the stage, I was a bit saddened.

As human beings, we hate watching others suffer in awkward or confrontational situations like yours that night. We put ourselves in your shoes and feel every tangled emotion. That is why I, Richard of Invisible Limb, won’t allow myself to criticize the following song from your up coming record At Home with Owen. Although the vocals on ‘Bad News’ aren’t my cup of tea- in my opinion, they sound mismatched with the more charming musical background- I won’t tell anyone that. I believe in showing tact, something indie magazine know-it-all’s have never learned. They are all still hung up on the fact that your lyrics are a little too wordy and a little too much.

Don’t they know the whole story? For some of us who do, and those who were even around to witness it first hand, we have a special place in our hearts for what you’ve done. If you want to record and tour in support of your acoustic songs, you should. You have definitely earned it.

Owen - Bad News