Krown’s success based on friendship, community connection
Photos by Jamie Plain
What started as a casual idea in a high school band room has grown into one of Owensboro’s favorite summer acts — a genre-blending, ever-evolving crew of young musicians who call themselves Krown.
“We were literally just setting up for a concert at OHS and someone tossed out the name ‘Crown,’” said Dylan Kirk, one of the founding members. “We thought, ‘Sure, we’ll use it for now.’ We just threw a ‘K’ on it to make it look cooler. We didn’t think we’d stick with it — but we never changed it.”
Since that day, Krown has become more than a name. It’s a rotating collective of friends and former classmates who spend their college summers reuniting for gigs around town. Depending on the show, the band might show up as a tight four-piece or as a 10-member ensemble complete with horns and harmonies.
“We range from like four to 10 members, depending on the gig,” said David Daniel, who plays drums. “At PorchFest we had a full horn section. It felt like an orchestra.”
But at its core, Krown is a band built on friendship.
“We’re all really close outside of the band, so we never started this for the money or anything,” Kirk said. “It was just something fun to do with people we liked.”
Krown’s first official show was at Summer Fest, followed by a neighborhood block party in a Jagoe Homes subdivision — a gig the group still remembers for its small crowd and big nerves.
“We were on a driveway under a tiny tent playing for like 15 people,” Kirk said. “I was nervous, just strumming basic chords.”
Since then, the group has played Live on the Banks, Friday After 5, and multiple years at PorchFest OBKY, where this past summer the crowd packed the yard and spilled out onto the sidewalk.
“To see that growth — from playing on a driveway to PorchFest, where the whole street was full — it’s wild,” said John Copeland, who handles rhythm guitar and vocals. “We’ve all grown so much as musicians, but even more as people. That’s what’s cool to see.”
From covers to crowdwork
While most of Krown’s performances are rooted in covers, their wide-ranging setlists are far from repetitive. Each member brings a different musical influence to the table — from grunge and country to classic rock and jam-band vibes.
“Dylan and I lean more toward grunge,” Daniel said. “Spencer likes country. John’s a big Grateful Dead guy. So when you come to a show, you’ll hear everything — rock, bluegrass, funk, maybe even punk. It keeps it interesting.”
That musical diversity helped the band develop one of its more recent strengths: crowd connection.
“Early on we were just focused on playing the songs right,” said lead vocalist Spencer Combs. “Now we’re more aware of the audience — what gets them moving, what songs they sing along to. That energy makes it more fun for us, too.”
Keyboardist Landon Block added, “Early on you could see us all really nervous and standing still just playing our instruments, just hoping that we sound good. Then as the years went on, we started enjoying the larger crowds and feeling more comfortable on stage. We looked like we were having more fun, and that makes a big difference.”
One standout moment came when they covered Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Call Me the Breeze at PorchFest, getting the crowd on their feet and demanding an encore after the set was over.
Life apart, summers together
The members of Krown are now scattered across several colleges — from the University of Kentucky and Murray State to Harvard and Kentucky Wesleyan — pursuing everything from engineering to pre-med to music business. But come summer, the band comes back together like clockwork.
“It’s something we look forward to all year,” Kirk said. “We’ll even start texting in November like, ‘Hey, we should learn this song next summer.’”
That seasonal reunion has made the group more versatile. With members rotating in and out based on availability, several have taken on new instruments or vocal duties to fill the gaps.
“I started out playing bass,” Daniel said. “Now we all switch around depending on the song. Everyone’s played like four different instruments by now.”
Several of the guys joke about being the front man, but no one truly holds that role alone. Primary roles still exist — Combs on lead vocals, Kirk on lead guitar, Copeland and Ren Ramsey on rhythm guitar, John Barker on bass, and Block on keys. But nearly all of them sing, and more than one plays multiple instruments. Kirk even pulls out the trombone from time to time, with Copeland on trumpet and occasional sax players joining in.
The road ahead
Though they’ve discussed writing and recording original music, the band doesn’t have immediate plans for studio sessions. Right now, the goal is simple: keep playing together when they can.
“Our schedules are crazy. Some of us are working jobs, some are doing internships. But we always want to make PorchFest,” Combs said. “That’s like, the one gig we have to do each year.”
Still, the idea of future music releases isn’t off the table.
“We’ve all messed around with writing, and I think we all want to put something out eventually,” Combs said. “Even if it’s not as a full band album, it would be cool just to share our own ideas.”
And for now, they’re grateful — for the journey, the friendships, and the community support that’s made it all possible.
“Owensboro’s been great to us,” Daniel said. “From the beginning, people gave us opportunities. We’ve been lucky to come back to the same gigs and see the crowds grow year after year.”
Kirk summed it up best: “We’re just trying to make memories. And as long as we’re together, we’ll keep making music.” OL
