Where & When

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 "Ephraim has been a huge part of the fabric of the Continental Club, and the closest we will ever get to seeing Miles Davis in person. He is a true master of his craft. One of the best." 

 “Ephraim is the walking, talking epitome of cool jazz!” 

How would you describe Ephraim's impact on the Austin music scene and/or music in general? Ephraim’s style of playing lends itself to multiple genres from jazz to pop.

What comes to mind when you think about Ephraim Owens? Ephraim is the walkin’ talkin’ epitome of cool jazz! What do you think distinguishes Ephraim as a musician and/or a human being? Ephraim discovered his musical voice at an early age and has developed into a top level, first-call

musician.

I started playing music with Ephraim when I was 15 or 16. We played a gig every Monday night

on 6th St. and I never saw him rush or saw him lose his cool. I was consumed in a world of blue sand surrounded by pop culture at the time being in high school. It was boy bands, Jackass, Bootylicious, Gorillaz and people spinning their t-shirts around like a helicopter. I asked him what he was into and he said “check out Lee Morgan.” I really appreciated that he was so willing to share the really cool shit with me. I was just a silly kid at the time. Changed the way I appreciated music.”

The first thing I think about when I think about Ephraim is music. He lives and breathes it. He lives in a town where many of us do, but

with him, it is on another level. Aside from his enormous talent and gorgeous playing, he has always been about the community and the

people that make up the beautiful web within it. I've run into Ephraim all over the place, from late-night clubs to health food stores, to

huge festivals and arenas all over the world, and no matter where we are, he is always the same: Warm, welcoming, almost childlike in his

openness and inherent kindness. I've always felt welcome when he is in

the room.

The best way I can speak of Ephraim is to tell a story:

I was at a festival with my older daughter, August. It was a festival

called Sasquatch at the Gorge in central Washington. The festival

leaned deep into the arty side of music, and between the impressive

lineup and the beautiful day, we were all pretty blissed out. It was

the first time I had taken August to a fest like this, where she was

there for the music as well. We were sitting backstage on this grass

hill when I saw this guy who looked exactly like Ephraim walk out of a

nearby tour bus. I tentatively said "Ephraim?" almost under my breath,

and he turned around. He came over to me with that beautiful,

full-face smile and gave me a huge hug as if he had been expecting me.

I said, "What are you doing here?".. "Aw man.. I'm playing horn with

Mumford and Sons," he said. I had no idea he had been on the road with

them, and we both were overjoyed to run into each other. It was cool

for me to introduce him to my daughter. He meets her, and the first

thing he says is "What instrument do you play?" Not "Do you play an

instrument?", but "Which one!"

August tells him, "I play violin". He says, "Right on," as a big smile

comes over his face, and he walks back onto the bus. Moments later, he

comes out with 3 of the Mumford guys. Ephraim excitedly tells them

that "Man, this kid plays fiddle," and they all start asking August

about what she likes and all kinds of questions about music. We sat

there and talked for quite a while, and you could tell they were

overjoyed to meet a young musician, to share that bond. Ephraim

orchestrated this intuitively. You could feel his contagious love for

art, music, and community in action, and you could tell that his value

as a musician went far beyond what he did on stage and stayed with him

at all times through his passionate love of music, art, and community.

Those moments are the most important moments that we have. They change

people's lives, and