Sean Rowe: The Fragrance of an Old Dream

This past Thursday's supporting act for Josh Ritter was a man by the name of Sean Rowe.  Rarely, have I seen such a positive response to an opening artist.  He instantly had command of the audience's attention and you could see the sheer admiration for his performance as he walked off the stage.  Just to gauge the impression he made on me in particular, I downloaded his album Magic yesterday evening and have listened to it full through four times already.

What's distinct about Rowe is his voice.  It's so deep and rugged, conjuring up the sounds of Leonard Cohan and Nick Cave.  His voice matches the contents of his lyrics beautifully, as you can almost feel the pain.  Added to Rowe's musical recipe is his rhythmic guitar playing style.  Sean Rowe hails from Troy, a small town in Upstate New York.  Perfecting his craft for over a decade, he caught the ear of music executives in 2009.  He released his first major label album, a re-release of Magic this past February.  One of the most intriguing aspects of Sean Rowe's story is his love of nature.  Often, he'll take breaks from recording to go on 30-day wilderness treks, carrying only a knife.  Something tells me he has a backlog of stories to tell.

Here's Sean Rowe performing "Surprise" off Magic.

You can order Magic from Rowe's website or from any major music outlet.  He'll be at Jammin' Java in Vienna, VA later this month!