#041 The Time is Now: A Musician's Journey to the Big-Time - Owen MacDonald

Born and raised in tiny Cantwell, Alaska, Owen MacDonald grew up in a K–12 school with only a handful of students and never imagined music would become his career. What started with a guitar, some bad songs in a notebook, and a $30 microphone eventually became something much bigger. In this episode, Owen sits down with Manny to talk about leaving Alaska, chasing hockey to Minnesota, taking a shot at music, failing in Chicago, and continuing to write and record even when almost no one was listening. He shares how years of persistence, songwriting, self-producing, and relentless promotion have finally started to pay off. Now, with a record deal signed, new music on the way, and plans to hit the road, Owen finds himself standing at the edge of the dream he’s been chasing for years. As he puts it: “It feels like the time is now.” They also get into the influence Alaska has had on Owen’s songwriting, the rise of AI-generated music, why imperfection matters in art, building an audience from scratch, staying authentic when the music industry comes calling, and his advice for anyone chasing a creative dream that other people might not understand. From Cantwell to the doorstep of the big time, this is Owen MacDonald’s journey — and it may only be the beginning. Shoot me a text, what do you think?