The Russ College of Engineering and Technology isn’t home to just engineers and inventors; it also houses musicians.
Colleen Carow, the director of external relations for the Russ College, is the lead singer of Broken Ring, a local alt-country band, and a solo musician as well.
Carow said she has been singing since she was a little girl and was also a part of the Ohio University Singers when she was working on her bachelor’s degree in broadcasting at the Scripps College of Communication.
As much as she enjoyed music, Carow said she wasn’t planning on doing much with it until she received an email from a friend.
“After working here for a while, I got an email from a friend of mine about someone that was starting an alt-country Americana band and was searching for a lead female singer,” Carow said. “I jumped at the opportunity.”
Thursday’s performance at The Front Room will feature Carow and Jeff Redefer, the lead guitarist for Broken Ring, playing some of Carow’s originals.
“Jeff and I sing a lot of Broken Ring songs together, and I really enjoy doing that,” Carow said. “I think our voices blend really well too.”
Carow said she performs more often with Broken Ring but enjoys having a few solo performances as well, such as her next one at the Souper Bowl on Sunday at the Athens Community Center.
Life, poetry and random bits of inspiration help Carow write her songs, she said.
“My writing has always been about personal relationships,” she said. “In grad school, I did a lot of persona writing, and I tend to do that with a lot of my songwriting. (The characters I write about) find their way to me.”
Balancing being a single mom, work and music is sometimes tough, but it is worth being reminded that people are capable of doing a lot of things, Carow said.
Carow said she and Broken Ring are hoping to get back into the studio to record a second album soon and that they are working on making more music with the recent addition of a keyboardist to the band.
Carow added that the show Thursday will provide students with an opportunity to experience local culture.
“Our music is a little bit different from the campus life,” she said. “But it’s a fun show that many people can enjoy, and I hope they come out to listen.”
ao007510@ohiou.edu
