Owen Roberts is a songwriter and acoustic guitarist from San Francisco, raised in Berkeley. His writing is described as a gritty, folk-influenced acoustic style with an edge, shaped by the cultural atmosphere of Berkeley a generation after the free speech movement.

After five years in New York, he and slide guitarist Greg Peters, who also works in beer brewing, begin building a profile in northern California and tour frequently along the west coast. Together they perform as Owen Roberts and the Brewer.

Style and influences

Roberts’ music combines fingerstyle guitar with pointed lyrics, while Peters’ lap steel playing adds a distinctive counterpoint. Their sound moves between harsh, direct material and lighter, more whimsical passages.

His influences include Manu Chao’s multilingual songwriting, Xavier Rudd and Ben Harper’s swampy lap steel approach, Nick Drake’s lyric writing, Leo Kottke’s fingerstyle guitar, and Sam Cooke’s soul.