If you’ve been out in the music scene, chances are you have heard Jewelia Owens and her electric guitar mesmerizing the crowd.
If you grew up in Salem in the ‘90s you might have crossed paths with her too. With her magnetic guitar and captivating voice, she isn’t one to easily forget, which is why you won’t want to miss her at TEDxSalem Jan. 4
She comes from creative parents. Her dad was a playwright and her mom acted in his plays. Growing up, there were always family friends playing music around her. As a girl, Jewelia played violin and sang in the choir, but then as a high school freshman she met people who had guitars. One day someone left a 12 string at her house, and she held on to it for a while and learned all the strings and chords
She has traveled a bit, seen Europe, and tried to move to New York once, but says she really is a homebody. She has a large, close-knit family in Salem including aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparent and parents. In fact, she lives with her brother and his girlfriend, who is also her best friend. Family is important to her. It was her uncle who first taught her guitar.
She loves that they get to pick and choose who hosts for the holidays. But even though she loves Oregon, she wouldn’t mind seeing “something seriously tropical, with clear waters and sun umbrellas.”
By day you can find her teaching music at River City Rock Star Academy, and this fall she took a second job at Silverleaf School.
“It’s fulfilling and challenging to teach a class of children,” she said of her new gig at Silverleaf. “They have so much energy!”
She also said that Silverleaf is fun because she teaches kids whose parents just want them to have the experience of trying new things. And the kids don’t care what they play or if they sound good, they just bang drums and play the piano.
“My most fun kids are the ones with no direction, I guess!” she laughed.
Over the years she has changed the direction of her music, moving from an acoustic guitar and easy-going folk songs to a darker folk on an electric guitar.
As she prepares her setlist for TEDxSalem, she is thinking about the theme – VISION and imagining what songs she can share that include this idea of vision; thinking about where she is going and where she is coming from. It inspires her to think about life and what it means.
“I believe we are here for each other. We really are. People are here for people,” she said.
“It is why we are all alive. All I want in the world is to spread love and kindness.”
You can find Jewelia Owens on Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, and of course, at TEDxSalem on January 4.
TEDxSalem VII
TEDxSalem VII is an all-day event featuring talks, performances, refreshments, lunch and swag. It takes place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at the Salem Convention Center. Click here for tickets. Follow us on Facebook for the most up-to-date news from our community, and check our website regularly for new information. You can also reach us at info@tedxsalem.com