Carnival of Soul

He’s doing so with the new “Homegrown Soul” online concert series, which debuts Sept. 18 with an episode titled “Soul of Ferguson Revue.”

“I want to reshape narratives,” he says. “You can believe what you want to believe, and that’s fine. But at least we can introduce different things to look at.

“I always want to showcase my city. Doing a concert film allowed me the freedom to do that. It’s not just about me and turning on a phone recording music.”

The ticketed, virtual concert is a musical celebration of optimism and love during trying times. It was filmed in June at EarthDance Organic Farm School in Ferguson and is presented by Life Creative Group and Hurley Creative with support from Lon and Deb Dolber of American Portfolios.

”Soul of Ferguson Revue” begins with an introduction by Ferguson native Michael McDonald and features an appearance by Mayor Ella Jones, the first Black woman to hold the position in Ferguson.

Performers include Kirkwood native Joanna Serenko; the Red and Black Brass Band; Malena Smith of Life Creative Group and Owens’ protege; Brandon Williams; Owens’ father, Thomas Owens; the Deacons of Soul; Anita Jackson; Adaron “Pops” Jackson; Adam Maness; Bob Deboo; Jason Swagler; and Adam Hucke.

A COVID-compliance team was on hand.

The concert’s set list includes “Stand By Me,” “Ring of Fire,” “What’s Going On” and “A Change Is Gonna Come,” along with Owens’ originals such as “Troubled Man,” “Help the People,” “When a Grown Man Cries” and “Beautiful Day.”

“People who buy a ticket are supporting artists and production staff and non-profits we’re connected with,” Owens says. “It’s a way for us to do something that brings new content to our audiences and provide creative outlets for artists and producers.”

The idea for the “Homegrown Soul” series came after Owens had been approached about doing a different virtual concert. He figured if he was going to do it, he was going to do it big and meaningfully.

“If I’m going to take the time to do something, I wanted to be able to use it beyond that moment,” he says. “Something like this can live in other places. That was my biggest thing — wanting to create something that can live outside of this moment. I don’t necessarily want to make all COVID content.

”Everybody’s doing livestreaming, and it’s cool, but I wanted something that wasn’t one-dimensional. I wanted more angles and for it to look more real, more human.”

The idea turned into a concert film, Owens says. In June, he released an album called “Love Came Down.”

The location of EarthDance was perfect for Owens. It’s right around the corner from his house, and he loves that the farm doesn’t look like Ferguson.

“I’ve always loved EarthDance,” he says. “It’s the oldest organic farm in Missouri. When people think about Ferguson, it’s a lot of other things they think about rather than this. It feels like a field of dreams to me. You lose what city you’re in.”

The filming was quite an undertaking, he says, but the pieces came together.

“It was just a day where I saw musicians I know and production people I know regain their sense of love and appreciation for what they do,” Owens says. “None of us have really done it in a long time.”

After filming “Soul of Ferguson Revue” and talking with his team, they realized “we can do more of these. We have national-level arts in our city.”

The “Homegrown Soul” series will feature five other shows, all from area artists: Serenko, the Mighty Pines, Tonina, Malena Smith, and Russ Mohr and the Kingdom Sessions.

Serenko’s show has already been filmed; the others are being filmed through mid-October.

Owens calls “The Voice” semifinalist Serenko “dope,” especially considering she’s only 19.

“She’s super soulful,” he says. “From the first time I first heard her (before ‘The Voice’), I saw she has a lot of soul for somebody to be so young. I knew I wanted to do something with her. When it came time to do this, having Joanna was one of the top priorities.”

Air dates for the subsequent shows will be announced. Owens hosts and sings a finale song during these episodes but leaves the focus on the other performers. Owens is saving his front-and-center positions for separate specials including for the holidays and Valentine’s Day.

“I didn’t know what everybody was doing,” Owens says of pulling together the series, “but I wanted to see if there was a way to bring people out and film really good content and share it out to people like a show.”

What “Homegrown Soul: Soul of Ferguson Revue” • When 7:30 p.m. Sept. 18 • Where Ticket required for virtual access • How much $9.99 • More info eventbrite.com