Rip-snorting Sabbath-esque rock n roll from the deepest, darkest thickets of Ohio. Dark pilgrims sets to colonize the new rock territories.- Classic Rock Magazine UK
The blazing favorite sons of Granville, Ohio, the Black Owls show on Arnold’s courtyard was nothing short of astonishing.
Guitarist Ed Shuttleworth played with the hair-raising Punk fervor of Richards Hell and Lloyd, bassist Alan Beavers locked onto Kitzmiller’s brilliant simplicity and the two formed an unassailable symbiotic rhythm section, part machine tooled precision, part shambling perfection. And above it all rose David Butler’s impassioned vocals, a cross between David Byrne’s lunatic croon, Iggy Pop’s tribal wail and Ian Hunter’s histrionic warble. For over an hour, the Black Owls howled like a summit meeting between Mott the Hoople and the Voidoids, blistering Punk anthems butting up against Hard Rock nuggets to create a third sound that references much but sounds like nothing else. And the near capacity crowd at Arnold’s loved every original note of it, begging for more and getting it at the end of a fantastic set. The Owls are currently at work on material that they’re threatening to make into a double album; hell, guys, release it as a box set. We want it all and we want it now. And we want the Black Owls back as soon as possible, and that doesn’t mean next year’s MidPoint (although that should be a given). The Black Owls are a sound salvation, the Black Owls are cleaning up the nation. Don’t miss them, the next or any time. - Brian Baker, CityBeat Cincinnati on Midpoint Music Festival Sept 24th 2011
"Several instances the side stage stole the show... Nick Tolford's penetrating soul, Black Owls piercing deliverance, Mount Carmel and Chooglins' mad licks. There are nuggets of gold still forming in the Ohio rock underground." - Joel Felder, Sound Off contributing editor (on the Nelsonville Music Festival)
"While Lost in the Trees angelic choir played into the main stage witness, I stepped out of the back to bear witness to a down-home soap box revival. Ohio's Black Owls were testifying on high, and the lead singer washed his sins in the rain with the congregation. As if in preparation for the rapture, the seasoned glam punks whipped the soaking masses into a frenzy. It was one of the most honest, raw, and downright celebratory performances of the show. I'd heard that these guys bore a familiarity with Guided By Voices, and I could see they owned that same swagger and dedication to anthem rock windmills and catchy hooks. As far as visceral experiences, these guys captured my heartstrings, and it appeared that the huge wet crowd that poured in to see them felt the same." A+ - Tim, the melody lingers (on the Nelsonville Music Festival)
"Saturday Ohio showed up on the porch. I mean seriously showed up. Nick Tolford, Wheels on Fire, Black Owls, Mount Carmel. Damn. Each band more than pulled their weight, and each blew me away. If Saturday was the "rock" day then we were WELL represented by a unique mix-up of soul, blues, punk, classic rock - sweet bands! I'd have love to seen Black Keys & Buffalo Killers on the main stage too, maybe someday, but the locals showed up for sure!" J.D. - busk gazette (on the Nelsonville Music Festival)
Black Owls are creating that kind of imaginary rock and roll some dream about, and many strive for. Strange magic with candor and tension. Blunt and stripped down, but captivating. Drawing upon British Invasion, both classic and punk, as well as a very personal take on Americana heavy 70's gas. Lead singer (and part-time drummer) David Butler is a kind of peculiar, immediate tenor. A soap box Mennonite tenor. Cross David Byrne with Ian Hunter, and give him a pulpit. Deliverance of story, glamorous punk and gritty, in lyrics that though dark reveal a well kept irony and freshness. These are stories that you want to hear, delivered in a smart voice that doesn't speak down and lacks art house pretense. And they ride on the waves of heavy beat and immense guitar. The hook and ladder of Ed Shuttleworth's guitar range is so wide and yet it all manifests the "Black Owl Sound." That sound rests on the unique structures that Ed creates which uniquely reveal a perfect Gang of Four, the Who, Stones, Clash, Wire, Hoople, Stooges melange. They don't sound like any of these bands, but they sound like all of these bands, and that's their dirty little secret. Black Owls wear their influences on their sleeves, but they don't sound like anybody else. It is a rare earth mineral these days to find the songs that rock you, stick in your mind, and stir your soul. Play it again.
- Denim Walton, F.R.E. Press
JUNE '71 (coming to Tucson, Black Owls)
Somebody recommended several weeks back that I check out Black Owls, a band from Ohio, describing the music as a mixture of psychedelic blues and glam-punk. Good call.
The band's second album shows off a sense of classic, take-no-prisoners rock 'n' roll, with an undercurrent of just enough artsy pretention. The rambling poetry and insouciance with which David Butler—who also plays drums—attacks his vocals recall Ian Hunter, and the band kicks it into overdrive like Mott the Hoople jamming with The Faces, but with the threat of the English punk-rock movement breathing down their necks.
In comparison to the relative innocence of 1960s psychedelia on the group's debut album, Lightning Made Us Who We Are, this one is darker and a little more confrontational. With the spirits of Iggy, Morrison, Bowie and early Alice Cooper hanging over it, the album feels genuine and a little stoned, as if it's observing a culture in which Woodstock is long over, and Altamont has left the music world with a sour taste in its mouth.
June '71 still has shambling acoustic guitars, but they are subordinated to motorcycle-roar electric guitar by Ed Shuttleworth and occasionally the warm charm of Mellotron, as Butler pounds on the drums convincingly. Decadent and ramshackle and glorious, it kinda makes me cry.
- Gene Armstrong, Tucson Weekly
PAINT IT BLACK
Fancy all the black-listed (wink) retro-fusion blues punk bands from North America? BLack Keys, Black Mountain, Black Owls. And they all so perfectly dialed in to the vintage Supro rock sound. Here in the UK it resounds. It reflects upon the 60's London blues movement that spawned the Rolling Stones and countless minion. Two of the bands are from Ohio nonetheless. Admittedly I didn't even know where Ohio was until I did a little digging. And I dig it. Indeed.
Delve further: Everlasting Light on Brothers by Black Keys, Stormy Mountain on In the Future by Black Mountain, Stone on June '71 by Black Owls (Upon further inspection I find that both Black Keys Brothers and Black Owls June '71 were mastered by the same bloke in Ohio too. Something in the water then.)
Analog Ink - Manchester UK - Terel Smith
I've given a listen to this June '71 by Black Owls and admittedly I fucking get it. Not only do I fucking get it, but I want to roll in it like a dog masking scent. It's as rock and roll as it gets. It hides the stench of the wider offerings of indy rock manifest. Here's to the balls nasty. Here's to the Owls. Glorious in Black is my new anthem.
- Darrick Thomin, WicksBeat Mag
The internet sea is awash of self-produced Americana rock. The Black Owls steer the schooner across the giant waves of mediocrity. The boat carries a handful of killer deckhands. At least that's what I imagine. I could be confusing them with a Somali pirate brigade, but they carry illicit anti aircraft artillery in the form of heavy guitar. At the very least, they are here to board the cruise liner and loot the mundane. I like these guys. And I've never met the bastards. - Brett, LA Sound
Rock Solids
This is "put your back into it" song craft. These guys lay it out. Lyrics, structure, power. It's almost a lost art, but thank God there are dudes like the Black Owls preserving the national trust of rock. Check out June '71 on their own Amish Girl label on itunes or bandcamp. - Compare/Contrast: Rolling Stones, Guided by Voices, Mott the Hoople, Bowie, Jim Carroll Band - Warren Epstein, Dresdon Press Music
It's no retro trip, it's a philosophy about how rock should be made. About lyrics, about sound, about giving a shit. Just put in June '71 and crank it loud. If you don't remember the '70's you'll get the idea. If you do remember the '70's you'll take another toke and revel in it. This is an album, not a collection of filler and hits. Every song sticks to the ribs.
- Jonah, Free Press LTD
June 71 Black Owls interview
December 13, 2010
June 71 is the latest Black Owls release . I had David Butler and Ed Shuttleworth of the band as my guests Saturday night on John Talk Radio . Alan Beaver is the bassist although he was not able to join . It was a very cool interview, I really enjoyed talking to these very talented musicians.
In my journey through the vast musical landscape I have to say I have not enjoyed any interview more than this one. I can go back to some cool ones. Talking to Bernie Shaw lead vocalists for Uriah Heep as he walked with his family through a London UK mall was pretty cool. Talking to various musicians throughout the world and meeting many amazing people is mind blowing.
Talking about the music purely for music sake is the most amazing thing I can possibly imagine talking about in an interview. You may ask what else is there? I would answer, everything but that. David and Ed get it. June 71 is about the movement of music from the 60′s to the 70′s. The metamorphosis of rock into the a darker more real level. Where lyrics did not take a back seat to the music. The song meant something. This is not for everyone. People listen to music for many reasons, this is one of many. I can remember hearing the lyrics to I am the Walrus for the first time. Then matching the lyrics to the music , that was an experience. Transcending the surface of the song and going into the thought of the composer. That is what I heard listening to David and Ed’s songs. David’s lyrics perfectly compliment Ed’s music composition. The songs are a birth of music complexity and lyrics that go beyond simple romantic relationships. I was able to understand the art of David Butlers lyrics. It is a absorption of life. Then match that with the complexity of Ed Shuttleworth’s guitars riffs. Pretty cool stuff. Check the new album out on www.blackowls.com. It will take you back to June 71, even if you were not there.
Dark and effervescent sophomore release from Ohio USA based Black Owls. Harrowing and infectiously hook-laden songcraft that put them in league with noted Ohioana Black Keys, Heartless Bastards, and Guided By Voices. Influences on their sleeves, bleeding immediacy and passion, Black Owls deliver a proper rock record to get you dusting off your Mott the Hoople, Bowie, Grand Funk, Guess Who, Iggy, Alice, Clash, Television, Jim Carroll, Neil Young, and Zepplin. Against the indy zeitgeist of choir vocals and shimmery haze, this album oozes guts and glamour. Take special note: Magic Lantern, Stone, Her Normal Courtesy. Seek them out. One of our 10 best of 2010. - Matter Sounds UK
This central Ohio three-piece (vocalist/drummer Dave Butler, guitarist Ed Shuttleworth and bassist Alan Beavers) pimps the kind of stripped-down Classic Rock (think more T Rex than AC/DC) that's been the soundtrack to beer-swilling pub dwellers for more than four decades now. Butler's high-pitched delivery comes through loud and clear, giving voice to simple, dark-hued stories laced with the occasional head-sticking nugget, such as "When I'm cremated you'll smoke my ashes." Dig it: The Who, The Rolling Stones cut with Midwestern menace, Guided by Voices. JG- CityBeat, Cincinnati
Black Owls (as in the name of this band is "Black Owls") are a dark horse in Amish country. In this hilly agrarian footprint of Ohio you could expect something harvest rootsy, something campfire acoustic, even collegiate. There's plenty to be found. Nevermind all the rustbelt rock & dormitory metal. But that's the thing about Ohio isn't it? You just never know. From the ashes of spent industry come bands like Black Keys, Guided by Voices, Nine inch Nails, Ass Ponies, Pere Ubu, and yes of course, Devo. Lessons are written on empty factories, rusted cars, and grey snowfall. (You've no doubt heard Chrissy Hinde's syllogism.) But Black Owls have a unique perspective. They have left the dirty cities, and reflect on their lessons in a fortress of solitude. Like so many classic rockers before them, inspiration comes with a newfound simplicity, focus, and isolation.
Nestled in their comfortable recording studio in the rolling, forest hills, David Butler & Ed Shuttleworth along with bassist Alan Beavers drink beer, don headphones, and create winsome yet powerful rock songs that meld glam, punk, & classic rock to a uniquely ardent voice. That voice thumps and dances, like a dead tree dancing in the wind. It's all very Edgar Allen Poe you see. They are the perpetual sound of late fall, infusing the impending cold with the warm sounds of harvest celebration. They are the things that go bump in the night.
Black Owls sing "cautionary tales of excess" on their label Amish Girl Music. Irony breathes. Addictions and bad timing, tornados, handgun-laden benders, broads & booze, giant white dragons & horrible pilgrims and the darkest trees you've ever seen. Like a stovepipe belching coal smoke or Lincoln's woolen tailcoat. That shade of glorious black. The kind that gives you a Nicholson smile while you furl your brow. Stories set out to sea on a rickety boat, swelling and rolling on a perfect storm of dark sonic waves. Majestic tones & just right notes. Black Owls wear their influences on their sleeves, but the sound is their own.
- Chris Brown, ReFueled Magazine
A masterful slice of booze-fueled super rock showcasing ironic proclivity to meld the majestic with the pitifully ordinary.
- 614 Magazine
With Guided by Voices long gone, the Black Owls are filling a real void in our lives, creating pompous, over-the-top-rock without making pains to show how tongue-in-cheek they are. The Black Owls have a knack for well-crafted, substantial rock songs that are catchy as hell.
- Rick Allen, the other paper - Columbus, Ohio
The Black Owls are a Rock & Roll band with a riffed up/stripped down sound, simple yet intense, familiar yet beguiling. Heavy beats and biting riffs lined with stealth bass. I don't know, call it Retro Rhythmic Rock. The kind of music that's just so good you can't imagine your friends not diggin' deep into it. -Sara Beiting - CityBeat
Insert disc, grab a MILLER HIGH LIFE and press play. Ohio natives THE BLACK OWLS have put together some of the best well crafted songs influenced by some of this country (and others) best known musicians that still make their mark today. This disc is loaded with hints of The Rolling Stones, The WHO, The Ramones and Georgia Satellites—to say the least—with a vibe of your favorite local BAR band playing their hearts out till all hours of the night. Plenty of danceable tracks, a few absolute anthems and creative music abilities that make this band stand apart from the past (and make the future seem more pleasant). Sometimes you have to go back a step and appreciate what was before ever understanding what will be. History has made it's mark, and it is time for the present to do the same — THE BLACK OWLS have a firm foothold in creating a new history for Rock n' Roll. This CD is a complete celebration of music at it's finest and should not be ignored. - Dave Fishwick the Neus Subject
Judging from the neo-psychedelic sounds found on its debut LP, "Lightning Made Us Who We Are," Granville, Ohio-based Black Owls is an anomaly in Amish country. Rather than dabbling in something rootsy, Ed Shuttleworth (guitars, vocals), Mike Brewer (guitars, vocals), David Butler (vocals, drums) and Dan Cochran (bass, vocals) push a garage-rock agenda that also draws from the British Invasion, new wave, glam and '70's post-punk.
And despite the varied influences, this crew has fashioned its favorite styles into a focused and infectious sound.
The new album, released on the group's own Moholy Pop Records, is sure to get listeners moving. Black Owls recorded at Central City Recording in Columbus with Jon Chinn, who gave "Mr. Tornado," "Julias Morningstar" and other killer cuts a muscular, timeless qualilty that serves the material well. Clever arrangements, outstanding twin guitar play and a keen sense of dynamics heighten the listening experience. -Don Thrasher - Active Dayton, Dayton Daily News