Eugene & The 1914 are a band with
influences ranging from Bob Dylan to
Michael Jackson. Their sound is timelessly
cool yet not overstated, their live show
hooks the audience and their recordings
never get old. While its hard to pinpoint
exactly what they sound like, Eugene &
The 1914 are a band that you need to
experience; they are a new sound that will
leave you wanting more.
They formed in the fall of 2008 when
singer-songwriter Eugene made his way
from Brooklyn, New York back to his
hometown of Long Beach, California.
While in New York Eugene worked as a
touring and recording bassist and musical
director with many artists including
Lauryn Hill and Terence Blanchard. After
a few years of that Eugene's older brother
Ikey Owens (Mars Volta) gave him a
4-track recorder and guitar. He began
working on crafting songs while on the
road and in his Brooklyn flat. Within a
few months he emerged with nearly 20
rough but promising demos. A few of
these demos began to circulate around the
New York area and a small buzz eventually
led to a meeting with James Iha (Smashing
Pumpkins). Within a year they began working on an LP for New Line Records/Scratchie. During
that time Nic Harcourt (KCRW) started spinning the 4-track demos on Morning Becomes Eclectic and invited Eugene to perform on the show. He followed this up with a string of LA shows
before heading back to New York to finish up the record and begin playing with friends from
Ambulance Ltd. (TVT Records).
After finishing the record Eugene left Brooklyn for Long Beach. Within the first few months of
living there he met drummer JP who had recently moved from Seattle. They began playing and
looking for other like minds which led them to Mike Franke, Alfred Hernandez and Michael J.
After a few rehearsals it was clear that what was once a solo project was becoming something more.
Eugene tagged his new band The 1914 and started playing shows in the LA area. They are currently
in the studio and planning a west coast tour for the spring of 2009.