Three Music Thingz with A Place For Owls
Boy oh boy, it's another rendition of Three Music Thingz, the blogseries where I ask musicians for three thingz that are essential to their music-making.
Today we have A Place For Owls, who make emotional rock music in Denver, Colorado. I interviewed Ben Sooy from the band back when he put out a collaborative album with Arthur from phoneswithchords, and now APFO (Sooy on guitars and vocals, Nick Webber on guitar/keys/vocals), Jesse Cowan on drums, Ryan Day on bass, and Daniel Perez on guitar/vocals) has a new and very beautiful album out called how we dig in the earth, co-produced by Dave Wilton.
A Place For Owls
Real talk—I was gonna get this blog post all written up and posted yesterday morning. I didn't know which way the election was going to swing—and because I'm a fool who might have literally been born yesterday, I was even getting hopeful it was going to be a Harris victory, aha, ahahaha, ahahaaaa—and I figured that if the outcome wasn't favorable, it was going to be silly and out of touch to do a blog post today. And then of course yesterday was quite busy, I just started a new job, and I also had to spend 4 hours stress-making chili, you know how life is...so here we are with this fresh blog post on this bummer of a day.
Then I realized writing about the APFO album was weirdly perfect, because it's an album about how to find comfort during grim times. My favorite thing about how we dig in the earth is that, even when the subject matter gets quite heavy ("hourglass" is about "trying to tie a knot on all the grief" of a pregnancy loss; "desmond hume" assesses the lingering damage created by abusive and neglectful family members), there's also a sense of tenderness, comfort, and connection—that the band is making this music specifically to reach out, meet you where you're at, and let you know you're not alone. There's darkness in the music, but never despair. And the solution to almost every problem they confront on the album pretty much boils down to...love! Finding it, maintaining it, seeking it in new places.
Anytime the news is particularly terrible, I have this wack knee-jerk response of thinking that art and creativity and all that good stuff isn't as important as the big, heavy shit that's on the line: the health of our planet, the safety and autonomy of vulnerable people, even the access to basic shit like food and housing. Then I have to remind myself that without art and creativity and all that good stuff, life will simply lack a basic zest. I don't think art is frivolous, and I don't think caring about art is frivolous, and especially at this uncertain and miserable moment, I think making music, listening to music, celebrating music, and talking about music with your friends are all good things to do. That's what can give you the energy to deal with all the other shit. Hope is a dangerous thing for a blog like me to have - but I have it.
WITH ALL THAT BEING SAID let's move on to Ben Sooy's Three Music Thingz right this second.......
- Steadfast Friendship
My best friend Daniel, the lead guitarist in A Place For Owls, has been my steadfast friend for almost 20 years. We grew up together, we were groomsmen in each other’s weddings, and we’ve been playing music together for our entire friendship. Dan’s been a friend to me through good times and bad times, has given good advice, and has been my primary guy to yuck it up with when life gets hard. When life gets really hard, we usually go for a walk or a long drive or blast a cig together and try to help each other figure things out.
The friendships we have in the band feel rare, and I say this without hyperbole: A Place For Owls only exists because of friendship. We’ve said many times that we’ll kill the band if we ever lose the plot. Making music together has brought us closer in many ways, and it’s amazing to know that 4 ride-or-die friends have my back, even when I’m difficult to love. At the end of the day, the band started as an amazing excuse to hang out, and everything else is gravy. - Existential Sorrow and Transcendent Joy
There is a darkness inside almost all of my favorite people. Depression! Anxiety! Frustration and lament over the broken nature of the world as it is! But there’s also a deep joy too. Getting lost in nature, getting swept away by piece of music, or the way a bird flies close for a brief moment. A beautify that almost brings pain, a pain that’s almost beautiful! All my besties are gorgeous goofy little guys who feel the sorrows of this world deeply. - Delicious Beverages
Wherever two or more owls are gathered, there also will be a delicious beverage to be consumed. Rehearsals and shows? Band dad Daniel is brewing black tea with lemon and honey and we’re drinking some kind of ice cold domestic beer, baby. Writing or recording early in the day? French press coffee! Pour overs! Sparkling water! Magnificent. On tour? Rockstar Recovery might have saved our lives, to be real. When we were recording “how we dig in the earth,” producer Dave Wilton introduced us to Port Askaig scotch, a taste that will always remind me of that sweet time in August of 2023. Fall is upon us now, which means it’s time for apple cider, hot toddies and the like. Prime beverage season.
The building we practice in is right across from a metal bar called The Brutal Poodle and they make some of the best pub food and cocktails in town. If there was a sitcom based on our band, the Poodle would be our Central Perk. The art of the delicious beverage is just a simple pleasure that makes all of life sweeter, best enjoyed with pals.
Thank you Ben and APFO! Listen to how we dig in the earth here and check out their link aggregation.
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