We recently connected with Lowden Harrell and have shared our conversation below.

Lowden, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents did many things right! The most important thing they did right was always being supportive of the things I wanted to do. I decided to be a musician at a young age, and they’ve been there alongside me ever since. They consistently made sure I had practiced every day, but only as much as I wanted to. I was never FORCED to become a better player, they encouraged me to go at my own pace. I was also very privileged that my parents, along with my grandparents, paid for most (if not all) of my education and equipment. All of my lessons, time in art schools, field trips to festivals, etc., were taken care of by them. If I wanted to take 2 hour lessons with an expensive teacher who lived 2 hours away, my parents would drive me ALL the way out, sit there and wait for me to be done, then take me ALL the way back. Their dedication and support helped me become who I am today!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Music, and art in general, has been apart of my life since I was born. I grew up with my grandpa, a classically trained pianist that built all his own instruments, and my mom, a seamstress/patternmaker that’s worked with the who’s who of the fashion industry. I took up piano lessons at the age of 5 after my mom noticed my penchant for pattern-based computer games. 2 years later I started to take drum lessons and have been playing ever since.

I studied mainly orchestral percussion up until middle school when I got into the jazz band and discovered bands like Tower of Power and Duke Ellington Orchestra that made me want to switch my sights to the drum set. What we played really opened my eyes to some fantastic music that made me realize that “jazz” is not all just boring Jelly Roll Morton tunes. After being accepted into the Orange County School of Arts for jazz studies in high school, I was able to play with many high-level musicians at places like the Idyllwild Arts summer program and the Monterey Next Generation Festival. Having these opportunities that weren’t usually available to people my age gave me the ability to hone my craft extensively.

After graduating from OCSA, I heard that Saddleback College that has one of the best jazz studies programs in the state. I went on to study there and it was again a huge opportunity for me to expand my abilities and make more connections. Whether it was learning from West Coast legends like Ron Stout and Luther Hughes, playing in groups with the highly skilled students, or performing complicated big band music with guest artists like Ingrid Jensen and John Daversa, my experiences were absolutely invaluable. Outside of Saddleback, I was able to gain a lot, too.

After graduating from high school and getting my own car, I had a lot more independence. With that newfound independence, I went to as many shows and jams as possible. Through these shows and jams, I was able to network with countless musicians and artists alike. All this eventually led to the session work I do now and the bands I play in, particularly with bands like Salt Water Taffy and my group Lowden Harrell Organ-ization. Playing and recording with these bands allowed me to have a fantastic outlet where I can take all of my creative influences and use them to shape our sound. I think my own album “Alligator Boogaloo” by Lowden Harrell Organ-zation best exemplifies this. The album is a mix of many of my influences and includes many of my friends improvising on it.

I think what sets me apart from others is my ability to combine the vast amount of musical influences I have with my own voice. I grew up around people that all had broad musical tastes, so I’m influenced by everything from Afrobeat and Salsa to New Wave and Hip Hop, and I’m able to incorporate all of these into what I play.

Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

There is one resource in particular that I wish I had known about earlier called Drummerworld, a 29+ year old website full of videos of drum solos, live performances, recorded lessons, and even transcriptions. When I was starting out playing, the only ways I had thought of learning to play was from drum books or transcribing songs and jamming along to them. I hadn’t thought of utilizing the internet in an age where things like Youtube hadn’t been founded yet. I eventually found Drummerworld, and it open my mind to a world of new things I didn’t even know I wanted to learn!

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

A goal I always have in my creative journey is to have fun and not overthink things too much. Making music shouldn’t be a stressful process, it should be fun (in my opinion!) A mission I have is to record as much music as possible. I have tons of ideas swirling around in my head about who I would like to play with and in what style, so I’d like to take the time and record as many of those ideas as I can.       

Contact Info:

• Website: https://lowdenharrellmusic.wordpress.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/lowdenharrellmusic?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lowdenh?mibextid=LQQJ4d
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Lowdenharrellmusic
• Bandcamp: https://lowdenharrell.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
Images by Rae Mystic, Duncan McIntyre, Robin Truong & Michael Maiolo Album Art by Abbi McGuire & Alex Woz