Father and son David and Owen Pattillo jamming in Dave’s recording studio, Rivington 66.
Father and son team up for great music
BY BOB KRASNER
Sometimes the apple ends up pretty
close to the tree and sometimes the
children of artists rebel and become
accountants. This, however, is defi nitely
an apple/tree situation.
The tree we refer to is David Pattillo,
a bluesy/funky/rootsy rocker who lives
with his wife, painter Dina Jordan and
their son Owen Pattillo in a one-bedroom
walkup in the East Village. A short hike
away is his recording studio, Rivington
66, where he’s recorded four albums
and two EP’s under the name ‘Strange
Majik’. David’s fi rst band was a combo in
a Florida High School with the unpromising
moniker ‘On The Fritz’.
“Florida was all classic rock – I heard
a lot of Foreigner,” he recalls. “But my
parents were into 70’s singer/ songwriters
and Latin Jazz, Sinatra, Jobim and the
‘Hair’ soundtrack, among other things.”
An older sister turned him on to the
Beatles, Bowie, the Sex Pistols and Talking
Heads, but his musical epiphany came
when he fell asleep at a screening of Led
Zeppelin’s movie ‘The Song Remains The
Same’.
“I woke up in the middle of a Jimmy
Page solo and I realized that I was meant
to play the blues,” he says.
“Florida was great for the beach, but
not for me,” states David.
After heading north for college, where
he played in a band that he describes as
“four guys obsessed with the Beatles and
Fellini,” he returned to his home base,
bought a four-track recorder and “wrote
about a hundred songs.”
He came to NYC in 1988 and had two
job opportunities – recording studio assistant
for $5 an hour or studio manager
for $8. He went for the manager slot
at Sanctuary Studio and moved on to
Greene Street Recording, where he was
offered the 2-10 shift.
“I showed up my fi rst day at 2 pm, and
they said, oh no – you’re on at 2 am, ” he
laughs. But it worked out well – despite
his “transformation into a vampire”, he
worked on Sonic Youth’s ‘Goo’, inherited
John Popper’s old harps and had long
philosophical discussions with Chuck D.
of Public Enemy at 4 am.
A gig in the mailroom at Sterling
Sound led a few steps up to Director of
Operations and then as a producer in
the DVD division, working on projects
with Moby and the Beastie Boys, among
others. Patillo began to work on his own
projects as well – production deals with
PHOTOS BY BOB KRASNER
Owen Patillo (left) striking a pose
with his dad David Pattillo on Allen
Street
other artists, songwriting for hire, solo
projects, bands, tours and eventually his
most notable production in 2004 – his
son, Owen.
“He had a tiny toy guitar that he used
to bang on when he was three,” says
David. “Although he was coming to my
band rehearsals when he was 5, he wasn’t
really interested in playing music when he
was young. We spent a lot of time riding
bikes and playing in Tompkins Square
Park, but he became a big video gamer.
Until the moment he picked up a guitar
in 6th grade.”
“My fi rst music class was at the Earth
School,” Owen recalls. ” I wanted to
play drums but the teacher put me in the
guitar section. I remember the moment I
picked up that guitar.”
He continues, ” In the 7th grade I was
in the school band and in 9th I put together
my fi rst group, ‘The Employees’.”
They jammed every day during lunch
in the music room, playing “Stones covers,
Wild Thing, LA Woman,” a playlist
that must have made his dad smile. In
10th grade, he began writing songs and
‘The Employees’ morphed into ‘Dirty
Circuit’.
“It felt good playing originals,” Owen
admits. “It came from within.” Owen,
having learned bass, drums and a bit of
the keyboard (“the keys are still a mystery
to me,” he admits), began playing
with his dad, giving them simultaneously
a bonding experience and a creative
outlet during the pandemic.
“The lockdown has been tough on
him,” says David, “but he’s got massive
potential.”
They made the most of their free
time – jamming in the studio, the duo
produced the seeds of a few Strange
Majik tunes and Owen “played all over
the new record.” Not only are there drum
and bass credits for Owen everywhere
on the upcoming Majik disc, but he also
engaged his dad to produce his own six
tune EP, playing all the instruments himself,
under the new name nonequator.
They will both be headed in the right
direction as Owen prepares to release his
‘nonequator’ EP after graduating Beacon
High with honors and before entering
Brooklyn College.
David will drop ‘Strange Majik and
the Righteous Wrongs’ while doing
regular gigs at the new Canary Club on
Broome St., Pony Boy in Brooklyn and
Marshall Stack on Rivington
.Wife and mom Dina Jordan, who has
had a front-row seat to this family talent
show, sums up her feelings about the pair.
“I’m so happy Owen has inherited
David’s musical talent. The hours they’ve
spent together rehearsing have created
a special father and son bond shared by
few. David has given Owen a gift that will
last all his life. I’m so proud of Owen’s
focus and hard work to hone and broaden
his talent. And best of all, I love dancing
to the music they create together!”
18 June 17, 2021 Schneps Media