Othersound keeping Larry Lowe’s musical legacy alive

The legacy of music legend Larry Lowe is living through the music of an upcoming rock band who go by the name Othersound.

The two-piece features Omagh lads James Lowe – son of Larry – and Tom McClements, who have been shredding since their birth.

As of recent, the guitar duo have been making their debut across Tyrone and further afield, giving piqued ears a sound like no other.

But how are these soon-to-be graduated young virtuoso men rising to match the legacy of their forefathers?

Rockstar James Lowe explains, “Tom and I started to learn the guitar from a young age.

“I myself grew up around music, my dad Larry being a prolific musician from Omagh, which inspired me to follow in his footsteps.

“Tom too is a naturally talented musician, with a fantastic ear for music and pitch perfect performances.

“We’re big into a range of artists, like Audioslave, Alice in Chains, Dream Theater and Jeff Buckley.”

As many aspiring musicians do, the duo began their performing careers in the local bars, and in no better place than live-music enthusiast Bogan’s Bar.

“A few summers ago, Tom and I used to jam in a bigger band together but after a while, we started to practice as a two piece to rehearse our parts in the band and do a little bit of writing too,” explained James.

“My dad, Larry, suggested that for Tom and I to improve our abilities on the guitar and develop our singing, we needed to be gigging every weekend, honing our craft, which is what we’ve began doing.

“Now we’re confident musicians, performing every week, while making a side living doing something we love – playing music.”

“We enjoy playing a range of all popular genres in an acoustic style,” he continued. “We perform everything from radio hits, to rock, heavy rock, pop, Irish music and maybe even some grunge.

“Our first few gigs have been opening for bands in the town, most memorably in Bogan’s and since then we have played in bars around Omagh, such as Charlie’s, Bogans, Broderick’s and Marcos.

“As well we’ve played in some bars in Donegal and some places just outside of Omagh,” he added. “We’ve also played on bigger stages for events such as, Larrypalooza at the St Enda’s Hall.”

But how does Othersound get their other sound? Well, simply put, the two lads maximise their utilities to create bigger sounds.

“In terms of our sound we’ve been experimenting with the electric guitar in our set to add another dimension, as well we’ve been collaborating with an amazing singer, Erín Boyle who has stepped in during some of our gigs to provide some great vocals,” they explained.

“Our band is unique because we like to push the boundaries of what a two piece acoustic band can be.

“With our two guitars, effects boards, vocal harmonies and stomp box we can make the two of us sound like a full band,” he said.

So far the guitar duo have seen a wide range of audiences, from mosh pits to standing ovations… on tables!

James reflected, “Our proudest moment might be our first gig, when we opened for a local band, Stout Talk, a bigger band.

“The adrenaline we felt playing our first gig in front of a crowd at Bogan’s was incredible.

“Another fond memory was when we played in Charlie’s bar one night; we sang happy birthday and it was very busy, everyone was singing and cheering so we interluded into travelling solider and there were people jumping on top of the tables singing along.

“Another fond memory was at the Coach Inn,” James added. “It was my cousin’s 21st birthday and there was also a 50th wedding anniversary on that night.

“We played songs like ‘Viva la Vida’ and ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ and had our own mosh pit it was that well-attended.”

While already well-versed and experienced in the local live music scene, the two-piece hopes to expand in the year coming, as they are actively looking for more members.

“We don’t have any specific gigs coming up in the New Year yet as we were flat out over Christmas,” Tom said. “But we are open to anything and everything to stick in our diary.

“As much as we enjoy playing as our own two-piece, as it’s easy to work with and it allows us to play very regularly, we’d love the idea of being in a full band with a drummer and bass player.

“So in the very near future we’d like to explore that possibility,” he said.