Owls By Nature

At the arranged interview time, Owls By Nature frontman Ian McIntosh picks up his phone only to apologize and ask to call back a few minutes later.
“Sorry, we’re just lighting stuff on fire,” he offers, afterwards. “It was a little hectic there for a moment.”
“Stuff” in this case being a vinyl record: as a promo video for Owls By Nature’s upcoming album release, the band was filming a flaming vinyl which, the plan is, to play in reverse to the song “Wrigley Field” and watch the wax disc slowly take shape out of the blaze.
More figurative fires around Owls By Nature are starting to burn brighter: gearing up to release its second album, The Forgotten and the Brave, barely marks the start of the next few months. After a hometown release show, the band—McIntosh plus multi-instrumentalists Cory D and Doc De Groo, drummer Fred Brenton and bassist Mike Nash—are off to tour Europe. While there, the band’s set to record another new album. All happening while a filmmaker films a documentary about the tour and record.
“The initial idea for this record in France was supposed to be an EP,” McIntosh explains. “There was a break in our tour schedule while we were over there, and I was like, well what can we do with that time? We can bum around and go look at things … we’re in Europe. There’s lots of options. Why don’t we try and do something productive,? I had three or four songs I already had written, and the pressure of an EP isn’t too much. … And then I just went through a period of prolifically writing. All of a sudden we had eight songs, nine songs, 10 songs.”
Back to the more immediate record at hand for a moment: The Forgotten and the Brave finds Owls By Nature taking a few sonic steps away from the folk-punk scene that spawned it, and embracing a bigger, rock ‘n’ roll sound with more electric guitars and the Band-type harmonies, less mandolin and banjo. Not that the band’s abandoning its roots completely: McIntosh notes that they’re all just letting the sound develop as it wishes.
The France record, by comparison, will be a little more country, McIntosh figures—”I hear pedal steel on there”—plus, will be recorded by Grammy Award-winning engineer David Odlum.
And while that’s a lot to heap onto any band’s plate, McIntosh seems confident the Owls will see it all through.
“I think I set out to do a lot of things, and put those things out there, and then try and get it done somehow,” he says. “Maybe I bit off more than I can chew, but I don’t think so. It always works out.” V - Vue Weekly

EDMONTON - You just can’t keep up with Edmonton’s Owls By Nature.

If you ask frontman Ian McIntosh about the upcoming release show for the band’s newest album, The Forgotten and the Brave, he’s already talking about making another new one in a few weeks. After all, the folk-rockers have a few weeks to kill in between flying to the Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg, Germany in the middle of the month, then starting their actual European tour. Why not?

“I was already working on a bunch of new songs anyways, and we really wanted to play that festival,” he shrugs. “Maybe we could get a little ahead of the game? So I went ahead and started emailing different studios.”

McIntosh doesn’t think small, so studios like Abbey Road in London were added to the list of places to contact. The home of The Beatles turned out to be a bit pricey, but McIntosh found a situation that turned out to be much better. Dave Odlum, an engineer at a converted 18th-century farmhouse in Noyant-la-Gravoyère, France called Black Box Studios, quickly got back to him. Not only was Odlum enthused about working with the Owls, he offered very reasonable prices.

It was only after McIntosh began showing his friends in Edmonton Odlum’s name that he began to understand that he’d chosen wisely.

“Scott Franchuk (who owns Riverdale Recorders) and Brad Smith (of Red Panda Recorders) were both like ‘This studio is great, go for it!’ Our producer Jay Sparrow said ‘You know who this is, right? This guy won a Grammy (for mixing the band Tinariwen’s album Tassili in 2011), and he was a member of the Frames.’ I thought ‘Oh, well that worked out.’ I asked if Dave would engineer while Jay (Sparrow) produced and he was into it.”

They’ll be bringing Sparrow over for the trip, along with videographer Mike Robertson, who will be lurking around, filming for a potential documentary.

Owls By Nature wouldn’t be recording in such an impressive location if not for the fact that they’re considered to be rising stars in Europe. Last year, they were snapped up by Gunner Records (who released early Gaslight Anthem and Frank Turner albums), and have the support of the powerful FKP Scorpio booking agency behind them. The EU version of Rolling Stone magazine is presenting their shows in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and they’re landing at a number of prestigious festivals.

The five-piece (who also include Cory D. on banjo and keyboards, multi-instrumentalist Doc De Groot, drummer Fred Brenton and bassist Mike Nash) might be ahead in the recording game by the time they get back home, but they still have The Forgotten and the Brave to reckon with as a new album. They’ve been quickly making videos in advance of the tour, one of them featuring a local musician who knows a little about what the band members are going through right now.

“I’ve never spoken to Mike McDonald before, but I always knew about his band Jr. Gone Wild,” McIntosh says. “When we were putting the treatment together for the song The Darkness, we were trying to think of the perfect person to play the main character, a middle-aged, lost musician.”

McIntosh contacted McDonald and explained the premise of the video. Intrigued, McDonald asked for a copy of the treatment. A little later, he called McIntosh and explained that not only could he play that character, he was that character, and he’d happily be in the shoot.

“Mike basically wrote the book on that character,” McIntosh laughs. “He’s been there and done that, and he understands exactly what we’re doing right now. The best part of the film is his casting. He’s so great in it, and I respect him so much as a songwriter. I’m really glad we got to do this.”

© Copyright (c) The Edmonton Journal - Edmonton Journal

EDMONTON - Sean Hamilton and his friends sit at the back of The Next Act, knocking back a few pints and talking about birds — of the feathered kind.

“We love owls,” he says. “They’re beautiful. They can’t be domesticated. They can be vicious, but very smart.”

Hamilton happens to be one of five Owls By Nature, yet another fine example of Edmonton’s feisty folk-rock scene. Vicious might be a little too much to describe the musicians — though their latest video, Heartbreaking Ways, features the aftermath of what seems to be a dust-up between guitarist Doc de Groot and his fellow Owls.

“If you watch closely, you can see both of (Doc’s) knuckles are bruised, so there’s an underlying theme that he was the one who did the damage,” says vocalist Ian McIntosh, who sports a split lip, a bloody cheek and a wheelchair in the video.

“We might shoot a prequel to it — showing what happened the night before.”

Heartbreaking Ways, a defiant lament with a twangy kick, is one of 11 tracks on Owls By Nature’s second album, Everything Is Hunted, produced by Jay Sparrow. Girls, religion and booze infuse their ragged and ridiculously catchy tunes — from McIntosh’s slow burnin’ ode to a co-worker (New City) to the spooky recording of a preacher from another dimension (Sermon) to the jaunty, raspy pub anthem about Edmonton’s music scene (Alcoholics).

“We wanted to pay some sort of homage to the scene,” says Hamilton. “We’re lucky enough to have a really cool scene that is very diverse but still super supportive. That’s one of the things we learned from touring — not every scene is as welcoming or caring as Edmonton’s. This (song) is about falling in love with where we are.”

While so many Edmonton acts seem to leave our city — such as Cadence Weapon, Purity Ring and Hot Panda — all five Owls By Nature are from different parts of Canada. The group, formed in 2010, was borne out of a bromance between McIntosh and Hamilton. The latter then recruited his tattoo artist, Cory D., to play banjo; De Groot and drummer Fred Brenton were the last to join.

“For the first two years, (Sean and I) worked together, we lived together and we did this band together,” says McIntosh.

“I think we spent three days apart in those two years,” chuckles Hamilton. “We don’t work or live together anymore, so I think we enjoy our time together a lot more.” - Edmonton Journal

A bonfire duet that grew to become a full-time obsession, Owls by Nature is the wide-eyed brainchild of vocalist-guitarist Ian McIntosh and vocalist-bassist Sean Hamilton. Originally hailing from British Columbia, they found their niche in Edmonton in 2010. Within a year, the acoustically inclined pair with a penchant for spinning wild western jams had drawn a drummer and banjo player into their late-night escapades. Bonding over a mutual love of intimate folk ballads and hard-driving rock melodies, the quartet released its debut album, Backwater, in the spring of 2011. The recording quickly sold out, thanks in part to the band’s reputation for putting on barn-burning live shows. Hamilton took the successful launch as a good omen that Owls by Nature had the potential to bring their homespun root-cellar version of garage rock to light.

“I wanted to do a coffee shop-type solo set and Ian wanted to work on home studio projects,” says Hamilton. “Gradually we built up to writing together and decided we needed a name. We were both working day jobs and would get together at 6 p.m. to play music until 4 a.m. We came up with Owls by Nature over a smoke and it stuck.”

Having gained altitude and exposure thanks to multiple Canadian tours studded with festival and showcase dates, the 20-somethings were ready to quill Owls’ next lyrical triumph. Little did they suspect that their bucolic hustle and flow would attract three new fledglings: Moncton-native banjo/guitar player Cory Dee was followed by lap/peddle steel specialist Doc deGroot and benevolent studio-owner/percussionist Fred, who joined Owls by Nature as the second album began to evolve. Due for release in mid-September, the rambunctious Everything is Hunted is a refreshingly unabashed and surprisingly sophisticated album that hits like a punch to the liver.

“We were excited to have our favourite hired gun, Cory, join us as a regular member just after Backwater came out,” says Hamilton. “Doc deGroot is one hell of a melodic, lap steel player, peddle steel player and guitarist; his colourful harmonies really fill out our sound. We snagged him into doing some recordings with us and eventually talked him into coming on full-time. Likewise, Fred, who is part owner of the studio we were working at, wanted to be part of it. He’s a crazy good drummer and we hope his arrival means an end to the constant turnover of drummers. The scene in Edmonton is incredibly supportive; the bands help each other out and there’s a lot of positive momentum.”

Grabbing on to the perennial themes of hang-ups and hangovers, Everything is Hunted is a bonafide floorboard-stomper that encompasses golden country ditties and catchy Canuck rock anthems; all carried forth by brilliant string picking and the brazen soulfulness of McIntosh’s volume.

“This album has a lot more layers to it; we took our time and made the record we wanted. I’d say the biggest surprise was how twang it came out sounding. I guess we went a little country on this one,” he says. “We were a lot more structured in our approach this time around, but it felt like an organic process. The songs are still about heartbreak and hard nights; substances and some hurtful girls. We always want to make sure we don’t get away from our balance of being upbeat and slightly dark at the same time.”

- ffwd Magazine

By LACE SENIO
Entertainment Editor
When you think about owls there are certain things that come to mind, the obvious being that they are nocturnal and that they are birds of prey. You also might consider the literary symbolism of owls, that they are wise, powerful, and messengers of secrets. One thing that you might not associate with owls though, is a really great Edmonton folk-rock band. But you should. Owls By Nature is a band of three down-to-earth guys that play really good music. They are currently taking Edmonton by storm with the release of their debut album, “Backwater.” The album is something the band is very proud of and very excited about. A lot of work went into the album and it was not something the guys took lightly.
“We practiced a hell of a lot beforehand, we practiced 17 days straight to prepare for recording. And the album turned out really great,” says Ian McIntosh, guitar and vocals. The album release has been much anticipated by the band.
“It is kind of like that feeling where you are so excited about something. I remember driving home from Calgary, where we recorded and being so excited about it,” said bassist and vocalist Sean Hamilton.
The release party is taking place at The Pawnshop, on Jan. 21. Tickets are $10 at the door, which opens at eight. Joining Owls By Nature on the night of the album release are local bands The Weekend Kids, Fire Next Time and The Fight. “We are very excited, it is going to be a lot of fun. We’ve got a good lineup of bands playing that night. It will be a very high energy night,” comments Cory Dee, banjo and vocals. January is proving to be a really great month for Owls By Nature. The guys tell me they have a lot of good stuff going on and the album release will wrap up a really good month for them.
“We have a lot of good interviews coming up, we had Balcony TV and we are going to be on the NAIT radio station,” said Hamilton. “We are pretty satisfied. We are just looking to finalize our lineup now.”
“This album is definitely a product of pure unadulterated heart. And I wasn’t even in the band when it was recorded,” Dee says. “We make no excuse for who we are.” Which is precisely why Owls By Nature are a band you need to know about, because you will fall in love with their beautiful folk songs.
- NAIT Nugget Newspaper (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology)

Owls By Nature
Fri, Jan 21
Bryan Birtles / bryan@vueweekly.com

There's a duality to Edmonton-based Owls By Nature that comes through when talking to bassist and vocalist Sean Hamilton: the group is both impulsive and careful, hasty and cautious.

The desire to get things right—from the recording, to the mixing and mastering, to the cover art—has delayed the release of the group's debut album, entitled Backwater, for nearly a year. After starting work in April, the band has trucked along at a very measured pace, making sure everything is right before continuing, finally culminating in this weekend's release show. But for the band's first tour, caution was thrown out the window of the group's converted handi-bus.

"The first time we went we didn't even have a CD out: we just had a demo and no shirts. We have a converted handi-bus so we put a bed in there and a couple friends and we went for a month through Western Canada. We tried to book as much as we could in advance and then we found stuff along the way, and busking lots. We called it the Vancouver or busk tour," Hamilton explains. "It sucked by the end of the first one, not having enough money for smokes or even A&W and just hoping you can get enough from the next show to fill up the van and get to the next town was an awakening experience."

Though subsequent tours have been better planned, that first one has grown legendary for the band—which has swelled from a twosome consisting of Hamilton and guitarist and vocalist Ian McIntosh to a sometimes seven-piece band—because of the amount of money that was lost.

"We came back pretty broke—actually, a funny story is that Ian and me actually ended up living in the handi-bus for two or three weeks once we got back," Hamilton laughs. "The joke was that if we played in our hometown we'd need a hotel on our rider so we could sleep in a bed."

So when it was time to do the album, Owls By Nature set out to do it right. From heading down to Calgary and recording with Casey Lewis on the advice of friends to the amount of rehearsal beforehand to doing the album art themselves after nothing met the band's expectations, everything about the release is considered.

"[Prior to recording] we did 17 or 18 days straight where we had at least three hours of jamming; we were pretty ready to go by the time we got in there," Hamilton says. "It was something that [McIntosh] and I spent a lot of time on so we wanted to do it right. Then album art took forever because we're finicky as can be and we ended up doing it ourselves. By the time it was all said and done and we got the pressing back it's January and we're ready to release it."

Fri, Jan 21 (8 pm)
The Fight, Fire Next Time, the Weekend Kids
Pawn Shop, $5 - Vue Weekly

Artist: Owls By Nature
Title: The Forgotten And The Brave
Format Reviewed: MP3
Format Released: 17th November 2014
Reviewed By: Adam DT


It seems natural to start a review of Owls By Nature by drawing some favourable comparisons with the likes of Counting Crows, Bruce Springsteen and The Gaslight Anthem. The Forgotten And The Brave, their third album to date, is steeped with the same small town, country rock and story telling that makes such artists great, and there is no question that Owls By Nature are from the same lineage. Their place in this genre is well earned though.

Immediately it is obvious how well crafted this album is: no guitar line or harmony is remotely gratuitous, no unnecessary weight is laid on a sub-par lyric (I'm looking at you Gaslight Anthem) and nothing feels like filler or throwaway material. In fact it all leaves a hell of an impression.

As the record unravels it becomes increasingly clear that these are real musicians, as comfortable with acoustic instruments as they are behind the forgiving volume of electric ones. You don't get to be able to write songs like this by just looking the part, so although this is an easy album to enjoy on first listen, it definitely favours substance over style. And whilst you would be forgiven thinking that its immediate accessibility implies a lack of overall depth, don't be fooled: it is accessible because the arrangements are balanced and restrained, because the lyrics are universal and because the song writing is classier than a top hat and cane. Besides, Ian McIntosh's vocals have a sort of shaky venerability that, whilst I personally love, I suppose could be seen as something of an acquired taste. Sometimes the lyrics are a little unclear, which is a shame, but musically the songs are so instantly rewarding that this occasional lack of diction somehow adds to the record's depth and I suspect I will keep discovering lyrics I connect with on each listen.

Brothers, the opener, is an upbeat, bouncy guitar driven rock track whose bluegrass influenced lead guitar licks and uplifting feel act as a sort of mission statement for the rest of the record. It is followed by Little Birds in which we get our first clear glimpse the album's deliciously distorted and understated organ work.

It is the third track Darkness, however, that is the first clear crowd pleaser. Not a bar is wasted as the vocal hooks and subtle harmonies, washy organ lines and twangy picked guitar parts are layered over an old school, good times stamp'n'clap rock song. There is a beautiful sincerity that comes across melodically as the guitars and drums really dig into the big ringing chords of the chorus and bridge and, before you know it, three and a half minutes have passed. I know I've already made this point but...this is quality song writing.

The record then shifts a gear or two into the acoustic guitar led, reflective Oh Alberta. This melancholic and pretty country song (complete with pedal steel guitar) paints a picture of a sad family with problems a-plenty:
“Oh my father took an axe into his hand,
He could cut a tree but he could not make himself into a man.”

This kind of Nashville nostalgia could easily be the downfall of a lesser band, but in reality it is these quieter moments that take The Forgotten And The Brave from being a good album to a great one.

Frankly, there isn't a bad song on this record. Run has a bottom lip bitingingly good half time chorus, gritty guitar tones and gloriously Springsteen subject matter of escape (“I'm waiting for my next chance to run”). Would, a quiet, heartfelt track that shines a spotlight on some lovely vocal harmonies puts me in mind of I Won't Back Down by Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers (though far more rootsey) and Back Right Down leans into its chilled out groove and guitar solo: a lovely way to close out the album.

Wringley Field, however, is not just my favourite song on the album, but one of my favourite songs of this year. It is a genuinely beautiful traveling song that paints a rainy picture and leads you into its fragile world. Its lyrics are effortless, poignant and scan as if Paul Simon had written them:
"And on the long drive home we looked up how to please a woman
And we stayed awake to it being read aloud.
And it’s all we could think of before the border we tried crossing
A strange strip of land filled with drug sniffing hounds.
And all the while this road it seemed foreign
And all the while I was thinking just of you"

It slowly builds before dropping to a gorgeous four part vocal harmony that re-ignites into an almost gospel-esque repetition of "I’m not afraid, I’m not afraid, I’m not going to bend to the will of the things you say". It is utterly beautiful, affirming and uplifting in equal measures.

You know it is a good record when, after the first couple of songs all you can think about is which of your friends you should play it to first. That said, I can quite see that it isn't for everyone. The production is perhaps a little smooth in places and one or two of the songs are lacking the edge and bite that you might want from a bunch of tattooed guys with guitars, but I'm nit picking. This is a great album: really enjoyable, highly skilful and with some genuinely outstanding moments that I am already looking forward to revisiting. - thepunkarchive.blogspot.ca