A brief history lesson on Mike Kinsella will reveal a resum‚ including roles in the bands American Football, Joan of Arc, The Owls and Cap’n Jazz. His newest project — as a solo artist under the name Owen — will play at the Maintenance Shop Friday night with Appleseed Cast and local Bi-Fi band The Envy Corps.

Through an e-mail interview, Kinsella discusses with Daily staff writer Erin Randolph his car, comparisons to Dashboard Confessional and cussing.

ER: Rumor has it “Owen” is a nickname you gave your car. What’s this all about and why did it seem fitting for your solo project?

MK: Yeah, I named my car “Owen” when I first got it, which was a year or two before I started calling my music that. I guess I just wanted any other name for the music — as opposed to “Mike Kinsella” — because I think there’s a preconceived notion of what a “solo,” “acoustic guitar,” “singer-songwriter” sounds like, and by calling it something more, uhh … vague than my own name, such notions could maybe be avoided.

ER: After playing drums in numerous Chicago-area bands, was it hard for you to step up to the front of the stage to do vocals and guitar for American Football and Owen?

MK: I enjoy playing the guitar more than the drums, so switching instruments was/is really fun. But I still hate getting in front of people and “singing.” I ask myself before every show “Why am I doing this?” but then I think about my last temp job and get over my nerves quickly.

ER: Do you ever hear Owen lumped into the same category as singer-songwriters like Dashboard Confessional? What are your thoughts on that?

MK: Yeah, I’ve heard that way more times than I’d like to. It sort of really bugs me, because I think — I hope — that I’m doing something way more involved musically — time signatures, song structures, instrumentation — than that stuff, but I guess people hear an acoustic guitar and some guy singing about an ex-girlfriend and they just put it all under the same umbrella.

ER: On the Polyvinyl Records message board, some people aren’t a big fan of the use of profanities on your newest album, “No Good For No One Now.” Why was it important to you to add the swearing?

MK: Haha. My mom really hates that I [use profanity], too. I guess I use it because that’s what I’d use in a conversation, and a lot of my songs are pretty conversational.

ER: You did all of the instrumentation, recording, production, etc., by yourself on the newest record. Do you feel like it’s harder to do it yourself, instead of letting go and putting it in someone else’s hands?

MK: It’s definitely a lot slower going, doing it myself — me having very little knowledge of recording music and all — but I like being able to work at my own pace. And I like having the time to sort of write the song during the recording process, and I think what it ultimately “lacks” in quality is made up for in character.

Who: Appleseed Cast, Owen, Envy Corps

Where: Maintenance Shop

When: 9 p.m. Friday

Cost: $6 students, $7 public