Biography
June Owatari didn't intend for Raymond the Sparrow to be about the pit of despair she often lives in -- thanks a lot, major depressive disorder. In fact, the project started as an homage to space exploration and her favorite sci-fi stories (mainly Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). But she soon started to use her ukulele as a songwriting tool to climb out of her frequent depressive episodes. Many of the songs on her demo EP I Fail At Everything came from poetry and lyrics she started during those moments.
She has two singles, "Aurora" and "Masquerade", released on the 2014 and 2015 Villaintine's Day compilation and available on her Bandcamp. Recorded in San Diego by roommate Will Hagan (of Privet and Pigma Dengar), 2014's "Aurora" plants itself firmly in her space and sci-fi repertoire as she serenades the elusive northern lights, while 2015's "Masquerade" depicts her immediate struggle upon learning of a friend's suicide, with overlapping background vocals and violin provided by Michael Lakis and Jason Lakis of Z etc.
Raymond the Sparrow will eventually finish writing her EP of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine songs, which returns her to her sci-fi ukulele pop roots. For now, you can keep an eye out for her at Grampadrew's Flim Flam Revue, YouTube, and SoundCloud, and anticipate a new demo release soon.
- June
