“Every time we play a show, someone comes up to us afterwards and asks where we are from and if we are on tour, or why haven’t they heard of us before,” says The Grey Owls singer and songwriter Jaimie Muehlhausen. “And they are usually kind of amazed to find out that we are from San Diego and just started playing gigs in mid-2026. We haven’t really played that many shows yet.”

The Grey Owls are an all-original Americana band, mostly from North San Diego County, that got together at the beginning of 2026 and started working on a group of original songs with the lofty goal of opening for famous bands, playing festivals and showcases, and slowly building their set. Pretty much like so many young bands starting out, hoping to build an audience. But, The Grey Owls aren’t a “young band.” They are a group of San Diego music scene veterans ranging in age from 57-70. No spring chickens…er…owls. And yet they have the same goals as any other new band breaking into the scene. And they’re doing it with the same energy and spirit as bands half their age.

“We have never wanted to be playing four hours of cover songs until 1:00 am at Joe’s Sports Bar,” says Muehlhausen. “The goal has always been to make our mark with our own songs. And so far the reaction has been amazing.”

The band got its start when Muehlhausen, who has spent the last 24 years as the creative director for skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, decided on a whim to look at Craigslist and see if there were any musicians interested in playing Americana style music. A long shot he thought. There was one listing that matched perfectly from keyboard player Hannes Kling, looking to play exactly the same genre of music. But, Jaimie was scared this amazing potential connection might be someone in his twenties and not a match after all. After sending a long message with links to his music and a heartfelt plea of interest, he got a message back from Kling, who had been worried about the same issue. It turned out, they were around the same age and hit it off immediately. Hannes knew of a bass player, John McMeekan, who was playing with some other bands, but might be a good fit. After one practice together, they knew they had something. Jaimie had talked over the years to local guitarist and producer Deane Cote about playing together someday, and made the call. Deane was all in. And after a slightly longer search for the perfect drummer, the backbone of the band was found with Jack Nathan. The energy and camaraderie was instant, and from that point forward, they were a band on a mission. A mission to prove that they could be as relevant as any new band despite some inevitable preconceptions. 

They knew they needed to get some shows under their belt to gel and build their set of original tunes. During their first live show ever in June at one of San Diego’s longtime popular venues, singer Muehlhausen mentioned over the microphone that this was the band’s first gig. Afterwards the people working at the club questioned whether he was joking. “The doorman came over after we finished and said, ‘Seriously, where are you guys from?’ He really didn’t think that was our first time out.”

Audiences have compared the band to The Wallflowers, Jason Isbell, The Jayhawks, Wilderado, and Wilco. A mix of everything from folk, blues, country, indie rock, singer/songwriter, and that classic west coast Laurel Canyon vibe. Americana can mean a lot of things to different people, but that broader mix of good songwriting, combined with great musicians seems to be where this band lives. And people are catching on.

“Our only goal for 2026 was to try to get into performing at San Diego's popular Adams Avenue Street Fair in September. And just this week we got to announce that we will be kicking off the festival on the Roots Rock stage on Saturday, Sept. 19. We can’t wait to be in front of a new crowd and show them what we’ve been creating,” says Muehlhausen. “After that, we’re hoping to play more festivals, bigger venues in San Diego and beyond, and just go from there.”

The Grey Owls may be a little older and a little wiser, but they bring a fresh new take on a classic sound that is worth checking out.