Black Owls

MPMF

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

The Black Owls play at the Main Event on Friday at 11:15 p.m. during MPMF.