Arts A La Carte Magazine - When did you first get involved with playing in a band? Tell us about that experience and how it opened your eyes to the music world? What instruments do you play? When did you first start playing?

Shawn Bowen- I started playing guitar at thirteen. The first time I played live in a band was when I was fourteen and was supposed to be a “roadie” for my friend's band, when the rhythm guitar player cancelled on the gig. We had travelled several hours so my friend was like, “you know these songs, you're in! “ Ha ha, ha! So, I played my first show just like that, not even really knowing the tunes and man did I suck. But hey, it was a good experience though trial by fire. What instruments do I play??? Well....guitar, Bass, drums & percussion, sitar, keyboards, harmonium, shahi baaja, hammered dulcimer, mandolin, various woodwinds, vocal chords, etc..,

Arts A La Carte Magazine - Who or what influenced you to get involved in music? What exactly does it do for your mind and your soul?

Shawn Bowen - Various things and people influenced me to get involved in music. I would say that my mother and father love music and they encouraged me a lot. My mother played the piano and my dad is just heavily into listening to it. I would also have to give credit to my cousin, Matt, who played guitar and lent me one of his to start off with. It was my first real electric guitar! By the time I was eight or nine, my friends and I would list to Kiss, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. I so wanted to make that sound Tony Iommi made with an electric guitar!

It's pretty hard to put into words what music does for my mind and soul. Listening to a piece of music that I have done or sometimes even just being a part of it is what makes it truly good. It is the most satisfying feeling of accomplishment that I have ever had. My music is my reason to be here. I don't have any plans of having children, so in hind sight, my songs are my children and my contribution to the world and the future.

Arts A La Carte Magazine - What is the name of the band that you are involved with now? Who are your band members and how did you end up uniting together?

Shawn Bowen -Currently I have two active bands, "World Collision", which has Jeremy Lembo on didgeridoo , woodwinds and electronics, Jett on vocals and some keyboards, Chuck West on bass, and Bezl on drums and percussion. World Collision is a world fusion/art rock band that is impossible to pigeonhole and moves smoothly from genre to genre always retaining its own sound. I also have a project that I started with Jeremy called "Didges Christ SuperDrum" , which is way more stripped down, musically. The first album is just didgeridoo and drums, but our recent recordings have incorporated some vocals, done by me and some of my talented friends who assisted with guitar and electronics. We all just found each other swimming in the same fishbowl.

Arts A La Carte Magazine - Do you write your own music? If so, how does it usually come to you? If not, who does?

Shawn Bowen - Yes, I tend to write all my own music but sometimes when we practiced together , one of us will have an idea for a riff or two and then we will run with it together and see where it goes. When I write, it’s usually well after midnight and I use my last hours of consciousness for the day to lay down some ideas, which I will fix and record properly the next day after coffee.

Arts A La Carte Magazine - What types of venues do you typically play at? Who are your fans and how did most of them come to find out about you?

Shawn Bowen - I have been fortunate in my career to play all types and sizes of venues, having played at the smallest of bars and house parties, to huge stages on Ozzfest. With World Collision and Didges Christ SuperDrum, we mainly have been playing at small to midsize festivals in Florida and we had one in Ohio. Our fans are as eclectic, as we are and I have no idea how they found us.

Arts A La Carte Magazine - Tell us about any music videos that you have done. How does one do a music video? Will you be doing more music videos in the future?

Shawn Bowen - I have done a lot of music videos and most recently I have been directing and shooting videos for Didges Christ. I actually have an idea for a short film involving the band in the works, so stay tuned! DCSD is very theatrical and involves costumes and masks, plus it is just Jeremy and I, so it is pretty easy to make music videos. For the World Collision videos, so far, we have all been directed by my sister, Lori Bowen, who is an accomplished filmmaker herself. We have a new one in the works that will be a spoof of Pigs in Space, "World Collision in Spaaaaace". We already have had Muppets made of ourselves for the video, so needless to say, we are so excited. That one is going to be awesome, so again, stay tuned! I personally have a new DCSD video almost ready to be released called "Broken Robots" and it should be posted in the next 2 weeks. Again, stay tuned!

Arts A La Carte Magazine - If you could do a world tour, where would you go and how would you end it?

Shawn Bowen- I would go where people wanted to hear my music and end it in Florida so that I could drive home and sleep in my own bed.

Arts A La Carte Magazine - Tell us about the type of music that you play? Can people get your music on Itunes or anywhere else?

Shawn Bowen - The music I play is at very least quite original and it truly fuses my roots from hard rock, Zeppelin and Sabbath. As mentioned, it’s about my most recent discoveries of various types of music from all over the world.

Yes, you can find World Collision and Didges Christ SuperDrum all over iTunes and the rest of the internet. We even have worldwide distribution, so you can go into even Best Buy and order it but it'd be better if you go to our respective “.com’s” as the CDs will be cheaper and we don't have to share our music revenue with Best Buy.

Arts A La Carte Magazine - Are there other areas of music that you dabble into and if so what it is it? Do you have any hobbies?

Shawn Bowen- Yes, I own my own recording studio where all the World Collision and Didges Christ SuperDrum, and my other projects and film scores have been produced, so I have done some freelance recording of others. Hobbies, yes, I blow glass, and make mixed media art/paintings.

Arts A La Carte Magazine - Where can people find out more about you and your band?

Shawn Bowen -
http://www.worldcollision.com
http://www.didgeschristsuperdrum.com
http://www.shawnbowenarts.com
http://www.moderndrummer.com/site/2012/02/shawn-bowen-of-didges-christ-s...
http://www.youtube.com/user/DidgsChristSuperDrum
http://www.youtube.com/user/weareworldCollision
http://www.youtube.com/user/obishawnKenobi

Arts A La Carte Magazine - Do you have any last words for the viewers?

Shawn Bowen - Thanks for reading this, and I hope you enjoy the music and message it brings! Here are my lyrics for the song

"The one TRUE Devil"