Lowman’s flying high after musical brush with reality TV
IT WAS a double lucky whammy. The first time I saw Michael Lowman and Shaun Jacobs was at Tanz Café in Jozi. They were tagged on the same bill.
Having been dragged there by an enthusiastic PR person and friend, Kim Saville, I was supposed to watch Jacobs. But, wait, hold on a minute, who’s this young guy on stage playing so intensely? Well, it wasn’t Jacobs. He was to come later.
I was hooked and a few weeks later, I had him at Lucky Bean’s private dining room in Melville playing guitar just for me. Oh, wow. The pleasures of being a music journalist. Lowman is one special singer/songwriter, or as I prefer to call them, post-modern folkist.
He told his story before he played his guitar. He was a late bloomer and only started to play the guitar in his late teens: “I was 17 and dabbling on my dad’s guitar. Literally, the cliché that I fell asleep with my guitar happened. My dad had passed on. I used to play music from Jonathan Livingston Seagull which was my dad’s favourite book. I am a huge fan of creative writing.”
So why did he take so long to start playing the guitar?
“I don’t know if I believe in fate, but then again, I believe I was born to do this. I hate that I don’t have control of my life.”
A-ha! A conflicted artist. The best kind.
“I always have conversations with myself internally, why do you think I am single? But I am the coolest person I know.”
Okay, sweet young musician, back to the history of you.
“I put a John Mayer cover and a Damian Rice cover on YouTube and within two weeks I had responses from people like EMI’s Kevin Grenfell here in South Africa and Scott Austin from Authentik Artists in America who couldn’t believe what he heard.
“He asked for my original music and I said ‘sure’, but I had none. I wrote three songs in a week. The first song I ever wrote I placed a camera on a bowl of fruit and filmed it all in one take and uploaded it on YouTube.”
“Scott enjoyed the songs and flew me to Las Vegas just to help me out. He knew he wouldn’t make money from me and I knew that he knew that I knew that he knew.
“We recorded a few tracks at the Palms Hotel where people like Michael Jackson recorded. The songs were geared towards placements on TV. They were very poppy and very listener-friendly. One of my songs got a placement on Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami. I received more placements from that song.”
That was in 2011 and suddenly Lowman was introduced to another side of the industry which included a deal with Warner Music. However, he still had to earn his keep and decided to leave Las Vegas for the world music capital, Los Angeles.
There he played everywhere from coffee shops to the famous Viper Room. Then bad luck happened. In a country where the foreign policy includes drones bombing Third World countries, Lowman’s work visa ran out. He had to leave for fear of being chucked out and ordered never to return or, worse still, maybe chucked in Guantanamo Bay.
Lowman is positive about returning to South Africa, however.
“It was the best thing I could have done. I am a better musician now than I was then.”
It was suggested to him by EMI’s Grenfell that he stay in South Africa and record an album with EMI, which is what he did. The result is Crayon Boxes, the songs off which he plays for me on his acoustic guitar. What stands out are his lyrics. He is a poet, an imaginative one at that.
There is a fantastic song called Sexy Devil Woman Child.
“It’s about a supermodel I met in LA. A woman should not be that sexy!” he smiles.
He suggests a Jimi Hendrix cover he should play for me. I don’t like covers, I reply. “Yeah, but it’s Hendrix.” How did he know I love Hendrix? “We wouldn’t be talking if you didn’t,” is his charming answer.
The solo (and did I say private?) performance lets me enter his world of music. He is handsome, witty, talented and can definitely sing. His vocal range is powerful despite his raw voice. He is magnetic, his energy is on a higher level than most. So, when he returns to the US it won’t be for any other reason than to be really, really famous.
Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, you’d better watch out. Michael Lowman is coming to town. WHAT strikes you immediately on first meeting him are his intense blue eyes. Shaun Jacobs’ eyes are filled with honesty, apprehension, innocence, curiosity, vulnerability and tenderness.
All of this is translated into his new album, Love Can. He not only played almost every instrument on the offering, he also produced and mixed all the songs.
And then, of course, there is his live performance – world class.
“I started out as a drummer when I was 14,” says the 26-year-old. “My brother, Jonathan Jacobs, who is a producer, taught me the guitar. I can’t remember what my first song I wrote was, but it was bad.
“My dad was an opera singer and he gave me the foundation of who I am today. I am a one-man project and do everything myself, even the drums. Drummers have to be aware of blending in with the other instruments.”
But isn’t it difficult doing everything on an album? Surely a different perspective is needed?
“It is difficult to be so involved, but I do get input from my brother. I spent a year working on this album. My dad gave me a studio to work in.”
While the album is getting rave reviews and he is on high rotation on many commercial radio stations, the perfectionist in Jacobs comes out when he states: “I wish I had a world- renowned producer to mix the album.”
Jacobs is a Christian and often mentions it during our interview. However, he says while it is the focus of his life he doesn’t necessarily fall into the Christian genre. This is a refreshing admission as a few other Christian musicians take on a bit of a Simon Peter role. This is because they want to first be seen as musicians and then as Christians because they believe they will have a larger market.
Jacobs, on the other hand, is not particularly bothered.
“I am a Christian and live by my faith. I just care about people. I have a Christian perspective. I don’t sit down and just write. My creativity is inspired by God.”
It is also striking how often he mentions his wife. It is sweet and beautiful and another refreshing, honest characteristic of this talented musician. He says his lyrics are inspired by his wife.
“We have our first child coming. There are a lot of feel-good songs on this album. Some of them are about me speaking to my wife. They are filled with love.”
However, there are darker songs where he shows his pain.
“Some of my lyrics are about trying to get into the industry. It’s been a lot harder than I thought. I am frustrated with the industry. My lyrics come from where I am in life.”
Love Can, however, is the breakthrough Jacobs wanted. From now on, the sky is his only limit. Adult contemporary South Africa now has a fresh, talented new artist.
Both artists will perform at Parklife on November 24.