In the early nineties is when The Rocker and I were introduced to Mark and Steve Owers. Not personally, but through their music. Their band LIONSHEART had created a buzz in the UK and excitement not seen internationally in rock circles for a very long time. Here was a new act with a classic, distinctly British sound. A sound that blew us away immediately. Surprisingly, after two releases with Lionsheart, the brothers Owers went on hiatus. Unhappy with both singer Steve Grimmett and their management, things came to a head when the brothers left a support slot for US rock act Lillian Axe only two shows into a European tour. For them. LIONSHEART was finished. Fifteen years after those fateful events, Mark and Steve Owers have returned to the frey in triumphant fashion with a project set to reap the rewards that their previous band was unable to grasp. The brothers new band is called, THE PSYCHICS. Simply put, this is what great rock is and should always be about. Their self titled debut release is a celebration of all that has made British rock acts the envy of the world. Rich in melody and dynamics, the album brings to mind the classic rock acts of yesterday in a style that is a perfect fit on what is going on presently in the rock music scene today. 
Well folks, the gods of rock have once again answsered our prayers. Once we heard about the Ower brothers reuniting, we knew we had to make contact. We missed out on them when they were in Lionsheart. We were not about to let them slip under the radar on us a second time. Mark and Steve Owers were kind enough to share their time with.
AAM: How long did it take to record the album? How many songs did you actually write for the album?
Steve Owers: The album was recorded in bits and starts over a period of about 18 months. The songs were recorded in batches of 2 to 4 using studio time that we begged and borrowed from friends, the whole album was finalized and mixed at Wellington studios.
Mark: We wrote the majority of songs for this album but there are a few tracks that were written for a project involving the author James Herbert that eventually didn’t happen. We loved the songs so we reworked them for this CD.
AAM: In your opinion, how different is The Psychics from the other projects you've done in the past, i.e., Lionsheart and any other projects?
Mark Owers: The Psychics is different because we had no commercial restraints to consider, we could record exactly what we wanted. At a personal level we are working with people we chose from the outset, that was not always the case with past projects. This has been the most enjoyable album we’ve made to date.
AAM: Talk to us about, besides Mark and Steve, the other players/musicians in the band? How long have you been playing together as band?
Steve: Ian Corlett who plays bass for us, has been a close friend for years. First and foremost he’s a talented guitar player as I wanted to concentrate solely on vocals we asked him to consider playing bass for us, he leapt at the chance and it’s worked out fine.
Mark: John Manners who plays drums, was recommended to me by an old friend. We’ve worked together on and off for the past few years mainly just for fun, so when we decided to make this album he was perfect for the job.
Having worked in bands where there have been, shall we say ‘artistic differences’, this has all been a refreshing change and we’ve had a lot of fun.
AAM: What are your thoughts on the music industry today?
Steve: I don’t want to concentrate on the negative side of what’s happening to the industry. On the positive side its now easier to find and hear the music you want to listen to. For bands like us the Web is a great opportunity to market ourselves, via internet radio and magazines like your good selves.
Mark: We feel there seems to be a renewed interest in classic rock within the industry, this can only be a good thing for everyone who plays or likes this sort of music.
AAM: Have you shopped the album for a release date in America? Are you happy with the response you’ve received so far?
Mark: There is no release date for the US at the moment but it is being discussed. Meantime the album is available on Amazon.com and there are links to other sources on our website www.thepsychicsband.com and MySpace page.
The reviews have been fantastic, the response to the album has been overwhelmingly positive.
AAM: Tour plans? If you get the chance to tour here in the States, who would you like to tour with?
Mark: There is a tour being discussed but only in Europe at the moment. If we do, and I would really love to tour the States, we would like to be out with a band that is pulling in a massive audience, first and foremost we are a live band and we love playing to a crowd, the bigger the better! Having said that it would be great to go out with some bands that we personally like, such as Aerosmith, Chickenfoot, the Black Crowes, there are so many great US bands the list would be endless!
AAM: How has the internet helped you in promoting the band?
Steve: As we said earlier we have used the internet a great deal, from Skype calls to our record company in Japan to sending idents in Italian to internet radio. Facebook, MySpace and YouTube have all been a tremendous help.
AAM: Are you getting radio play in Europe? What about MTV? By the way, the video for "Portent", is awesome! Where was it shot?
Mark: Yes we are getting radio play in Europe, we seem to be attracting a lot of attention.
Steve: MTV, do they still play music or is all just reality shows? Seriously there are lots of TV channels in Europe that we are hoping to get the video aired on.
Mark: I am glad you liked the video, it was shot on a cold night in November, in some amazing woods in the rural outskirt of west London, the location has been used in quite a few films and TV shows. The Director was a good friend of ours, Martin Gent.
AAM: Complete this sentence: You should check out The Psychics because...
Steve: We are the only truly classic British sounding rock band to appear in the last 10 years. We haven’t got image consultants or producers, what you see is what you get, we play genuine, honest music that we want to play not what we’ve been told to play.
AAM: Any parting messages?
Mark & Steve: Thank you for your great review, I hope your readers enjoy the album. All the best from The Psychics.
The Rocker and I along with All Access Magazine would like to thank Mark and Steve Owers for sharing their time to do this interview. We look forward to seeing The Psychics come to America soon! Prediction: That day will be very soon! Cheers guys!
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