Country
Netherlands
Owen Schinkel is a bluegrass musician from the Netherlands, a friend of his father introduced him to bluegrass music and he never let go of it after that. Shortly after the exposure to bluegrass music he decided to pick up an instrument, his ax of choice became the squareneck resonator guitar. This instrument is also known as the Dobro™. After a few years of practice and running into the boundaries of the bluegrass scene in the Netherlands Owen decided to move to the United States to pursue a study in bluegrass, old time & county music studies at the East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. East Tennessee is an area which is known for its high concentration of bluegrass music and musicians. In 2016 Owen became a recipient of the so-called Creative Arts scholarship from the East Tennessee State University. After two and a half years living in East Tennessee Owen and his wife Kylie moved to Cork, Ireland to learn, experience bluegrass music abroad, and to become inspired by new music genres. This is when they started the Long Way Home duo. Now also known as Long Way Home Bluegrass Band. After remaining 3 years in Cork, Owen and Kylie moved to the Netherlands to continue their journey. The Long Way Home duo project is the result of the inspiration and experiences gained while traveling the world together.
Owen says: “Bluegrass to me, besides the description of a genre of music which I play, means a great deal to me personally. Bluegrass comes with a great (international) community which shaped a big part of my life and deserves more European attention.”