Photo credit: Jesco Tscholitsch
Catch up with Sarah Bowman of Switzerland-based indie folk duo Famous October and listen to their single "It's Not A Dream" off their debut album One Day Baby, out now.
What brought you two together?
Sarah: Famous October started as naturally as our relationship did, I think. I was touring with my twin sister, and Rene was touring with his band. When we first met in Luzern at a concert of mine, we had both already been making music for several years. We started appearing as guests in each other's concerts both in the U.S. and in Switzerland.
Which musicians have you been influenced by?
Bob Dylan has an equal share of mine and Rene's musical blood, I would say. Neil Young's Harvest Moon was our wedding song, and we felt very connected to the American and Canadian singer-songwriters of the late '60s and early '70s. Joni Mitchell's Blue album gets a lot of wear, as do some newer artists' albums, such as Anais Mitchell, Gregory Alan Isakov, and many others we are so lucky to call friends.
What words would you use to describe your sound?
Cello driven indie folk with atmosphere and attitude.
Where does your name, Famous October, come from?
October is the month we both cherish the most on the calendar, because it is the month that everything slowly goes through a process of wondrous and beautiful change. We feel that represents what we are doing with our music by working together.
What were your inspirations behind your single, "It's Not A Dream"?
This is a love song that resulted from a very cold and grey winter in Stans. I wanted to lighten things up a bit, sing about the sun and the sea, and reflect on how Rene and I came together.
Could you tell us more about your album One Day Baby?
Imagine two people writing songs during the course of their new marriage and the anticipation of becoming parents for the first time. These songs capture the greatest excitement either of us have ever known. I was 7 months pregnant when we recorded. Cecilia was literally between me and my instruments for much of the writing process.
How would you sum up your new album in one sentence?
One Day Baby is the album that brings the short history of two people's lives together to life through song.
What do you hope listeners are able to take away from your music?
I think the best answer comes from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who's birthday is the same day as our release: “We were made to enjoy music, to enjoy beautiful sunsets, to enjoy looking at the billows of the sea and to be thrilled with a rose that is bedecked with dew… Human beings are actually created for the transcendent, for the sublime, for the beautiful, for the truthful... and all of us are given the task of trying to make this world a little more hospitable to these beautiful things".