Walking his son home from aikido, Owen Campbell's six-year-old yells loud enough to hear through the phone, "you did not grow up with Jimi Hendrix, Dad".
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Owen may not have 'grown up with' Jimi Hendrix, but he did grow up listening to his music.
Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Van Morrison all made up the soundtrack of Owen's childhood, and by his early twenties were the inspiration for his own career in music.
Owen Campbell and the Cosmic People will be performing at the Australian Blues Festival in Goulburn from Friday, November 18 to Sunday, November 20.
"The last few months I've been on a lot of festival bills and after the last couple of years people have just come out so excited, and ready to rock and roll, and ready to dance," Owen said.
"I feel really grateful to be part of the [Australians Blues Festival] lineup."
Joining Owen, the 'cosmic people' consist of Kane Butler who Owen described as a "fantastic drummer" and his "very special guest" Daniel Blaze on bass.
Ever since COVID-19 restrictions eased, Owen said his performances were focused on showcasing "heartwarming rock and roll", and the only "mandate" was to dance.
"We're gonna do some real rock and roll and some real cosmic blues," he said.
"Sometimes there's this desire to get on stage and talk about the pertinent issues at hand, but now I think, no, that's not what people are here for, they're here to escape all of that."
Owen said it was "devastating" to have to cancel more than 100 shows during the two years of strict COVID-19 restrictions.
"The uncertainty of it was just mind-boggling," he said.
"I've done [music] for a living since I was 20, that's nearly 20 years, it was really hard to deal with but I think there were some incredibly beautiful things that happened as a result as well."
Forced to stop touring, Owen said he realised how "exhausted" he truly was, which is hardly surprising for someone who has travelled the globe performing.
"I love Europe, the audiences even if they've never heard of you, they'll listen and they'll give you the light of day," he said.
"Germany, Austria, France, Ireland, all of these places, they've just got such an entrenched appreciation for live music and in particular, original stuff."
Spending more time at home, Owen has instead been busy entrenching a love of music into his young son, who was quick to name Voodoo Child as his favourite Jimi Hendrix song.
With a more "diverse" life post-COVID-19 lockdowns, balancing slower family life and high-energy performances, Owen said he was "ready to rock and roll" in Goulburn this weekend.
You can catch Owen Campbell and the Cosmic People at the Hume Conservatorium on Saturday, November 19 at 6.30pm or the Railway Bowling Club at 9.30pm.
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