The Owls are made up of Josh (Singer), Lewis (Guitar), Joey (Bass) & Wez (Drums). They are 4 guys from Newcastle that have played around Australia for quite some time. Known for their gritty tunes and solid live performance it is easy to see that The Owls are a working band that are committed to what they do.
“Swamp Love” is the bands second EP which is due for release on the 9th of November. The EP consists of 6 tracks and was completely mixed and produced by The Owls. “Swamp Love” is a current representation of the bands values of being creatively independent as well as underlying a subtle artistic confidence in their own ability.

We love the title of your single ‘Better Off Deaf’ Tell us a bit about the track and how the title came about.

Our Guitarist Lewis came to the table with this tune. At the time when the song was being developed each member of the band seemed to be going through their own personal turmoil. “Better off Deaf” was a term that we adopted to sort of say lets stop trying to please everyone and just keep playing tunes and hopefully it will all sort itself out.

The Owls are self produced & mixed who is the producer and mixer in the band or is it a team effort?

Lewis and Wez are more the technical side of the mixing and I (Josh) basically chime in with what should be in the songs. All in all it was a group effort.

This is your second EP, How did your experience differ second time round with your creative process while making ‘Swamp Love’?

Well this time round we actually had an EP ready to go but scrapped it at the last minute. It was deemed too polished, we wanted more grit in the recordings, something that sounded like “us”. We wanted to go back to basics, we weren’t interested in the prestige of hiring some top notch Producer with a mile long profile if they could not capture the essence of The Owls

What’s your earliest memory of performing and who inspired you to start?

I performed at a year 10 farewell thing, I think my voice broke in the falcetto. I did not really come from a musical background so I’m not sure maybe it was my own love for listening to records from start to finish from a very early age.

What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod or spotify right now?

The Dandy Warhols & Ryan Adams.

Is there any particular Australian venue that The Owls love playing at when touring?

Perth’s Indi Bar was an unexpected gem. On top of that would probably be Beach Rd Hotel Bondi, they treat their musicians really well and it is a great atmosphere.

If you could curate your own festival, where would it be, who would be on the bill, how many people would you let in and what features would it have?

There would be a ban on fuck head dudes with their shirts off.
Not sure, I guess a nice location with a good mixture of rock/indie and dance bands.
Maybe cap the amount of Aussie Hip Hop……
What are your favourite tour van munchies?
Not sure about munchies, I know there is plenty of cups of tea as well as McDonalds. That place seems to be everywhere and the only thing that is open on the road at 3 a.m.
Cigarettes also go through the group quite quickly…

Because it’s more fun to do things together, which living artist from anywhere in the world would you most like to collaborate with?

Tom Waits, cause I would have no idea what he would make us do.

How’s the Newcastle music scene currently, any other artists recommended by The Owls?

Healthy with limited venues to play at and bands – The Evening Sun, Hey Lady!, Post Paint, The Deposits

Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them?

“Swamp Love” EP release 9th of November. Available online at:
Bandcamp: theowlsonline.bandcamp.com
JB Hi Fi: www.jbhifi.com.au/cd-dvd-music/catalogue/owls-the-swamp-love-ep-barcode-9324690078790/

You can catch The Owls on the following dates:

Friday, November 9th – The Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle

Thursday, November 22nd – Transit Bar, Canberra

Friday, November 30th – Goodgod Small Club, Sydney

Thursday 6th December – The Espy, Melbourne

Wednesday, December 19th – Black Bear Lodge, Brisbane

Friday, December 21st – Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay

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