#041 The Time is Now: A Musician's Journey to the Big-Time - Owen MacDonald episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 31, 2026 · 50 MIN

#041 The Time is Now: A Musician's Journey to the Big-Time - Owen MacDonald

from The State I Am In · host Manny Coelho

Born and raised in tiny Cantwell, Alaska, Owen MacDonald grew up in a K–12 school with only a handful of students and never imagined music would become his career.What started with a guitar, some bad songs in a notebook, and a $30 microphone eventually became something much bigger.In this episode, Owen sits down with Manny to talk about leaving Alaska, chasing hockey to Minnesota, taking a shot at music, failing in Chicago, and continuing to write and record even when almost no one was listening. He shares how years of persistence, songwriting, self-producing, and relentless promotion have finally started to pay off.Now, with a record deal signed, new music on the way, and plans to hit the road, Owen finds himself standing at the edge of the dream he’s been chasing for years.As he puts it: “It feels like the time is now.”They also get into the influence Alaska has had on Owen’s songwriting, the rise of AI-generated music, why imperfection matters in art, building an audience from scratch, staying authentic when the music industry comes calling, and his advice for anyone chasing a creative dream that other people might not understand.From Cantwell to the doorstep of the big time, this is Owen MacDonald’s journey — and it may only be the beginning.Shoot me a text, what do you think?

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 31, 2026

Embed this episode

Born and raised in tiny Cantwell, Alaska, Owen MacDonald grew up in a K–12 school with only a handful of students and never imagined music would become his career. What started with a guitar, some bad songs in a notebook, and a $30 microphone eventually became something much bigger. In this episode, Owen sits down with Manny to talk about leaving Alaska, chasing hockey to Minnesota, taking a shot at music, failing in Chicago, and continuing to write and record even when almost no one was list...

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.

Ready to play

#041 The Time is Now: A Musician's Journey to the Big-Time - Owen MacDonald

0:00 50:23

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The State I Am In?

This episode is 50 minutes long.

When was this The State I Am In episode published?

This episode was published on August 31, 2026.

Can I download this The State I Am In episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!