Owl (band)
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Owl is a three piece Los Angeles-based hard rock band. Led by vocalist/bassist
Chris Wyse Chris Wyse (born 15 July 1969) is an American bassist and vocalist. He is best known for his performances with Hollywood Vampires, Ace Frehley, The Cult and Ozzy Osbourne. He is the vocalist and bassist for Owl, a band he founded in 2007. Early ...
, the long-time bassist for the Cult and a member of Ace Frehley's band, Owl released their eponymous debut in 2009 and their second album, ''The Right Thing,'' in 2013.


History

Wyse began playing bass while in grade school in upstate New York. As a teenager, he met drummer Dan Dinsmore, then 17; shortly thereafter, they began playing together in a local band, East Wall. After touring regionally, Wyse, who had garnered national attention as a bass player, moved to Los Angeles, while Dinsmore remained in Albany, joining the industrial rock band
The Clay People The Clay People are an American heavy rock band based in Albany, New York. Singer Daniel Neet has been the only constant member throughout the band's history, providing lyrics and a frontman persona. Guitarist Brian McGarvey and drummer Dan Dinsm ...
. Wyse's success came quickly in Los Angeles, where he played with Guns N' Roses'
Chris Pitman Chris Pitman (born November 16, 1961) is an American musician best known for his involvement with the hard rock band Guns N' Roses. A multi-instrumentalist, Pitman is known to play keyboards, guitar and drums, in addition to his role as a lead o ...
, Tool's
Paul D'Amour Paul D'Amour (born May 17, 1967) is an American musician and was the first bass guitarist for Tool. His bass sound is recognized by the aggressive picked tone he developed with his Chris Squire Signature Rickenbacker 4001CS, which can be heard ...
,
Tal Bachman Talmage Charles Robert Bachman (born August 13, 1970) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his 1999 hit, " She's So High", a pop rock tune from his self-titled 1999 album that led to a BMI award. Musical career 1 ...
,
Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...
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Scott Weiland Scott Richard Weiland (; né Kline, October 27, 1967 – December 3, 2015) was an American singer and songwriter. During a career spanning three decades, Weiland was best known as the lead singer of the rock band Stone Temple Pilots from ...
, and
Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...
before joining the Cult in 2006. Dinsmore's band also achieved significant success, particularly with the single ''Awake,'' from the Strangeland soundtrack which hit #1 on the metal charts. When the Clay People went on hiatus in 2001, Dinsmore continued his career as a drummer, playing with producer
Mike Clink Mike Clink is an American record producer. He began his career as an engineer at Record Plant Studios, recording such bands as Whitesnake, Triumph, Guns N' Roses, Mötley Crüe, Megadeth, UFO (including ''Strangers in the Night''), Jefferson St ...
, known for his work with Metallica, among others. In 2002, Wyse met guitarist Jason Achilles Mezilis through a mutual friend. A classically trained pianist, Mezilis had recently graduated from the
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. After graduation, he interned at several prominent recording studios and played guitar with Los Angeles bands, including Your Horrible Smile. In 2011, Mezilis founded Organic Audio Recorders, a boutique analog & digital recording studio in downtown Los Angeles. An early version of Owl was formed in 2001 to recorded a cover of "Behind The Sun" for the record ''Flammable: A Tribute To the Red Hot Chili Peppers.'' In reviewing the album, All Music Guide wrote "Owl's version of "Behind the Sun" is appropriately trippy, and even replicates Flea's dominating bassline with aplomb." In 2007, Wyse, Mezilis and Dinsmore once again came together as Owl. Although Wyse occasionally performed on the upright bass with the Cult, with Owl, it became his trademark; playing with a bow, and using delays and sound effects techniques, Wyse uses the bass as a lead instrument. In a 2013 interview, Wyse responded to a question regarding the motivation behind the group. "There would be no other format like this unless I created it. When I was a kid people used to say "you can't play bass like that!," he stated. "Rock music is not supposed to have rules. That's the whole point. As soon as I hear about all the rules a band has I get turned off because they are worried about being cool and not a being vibrant artist. I don't want to fit into anyone's idea. I want to show you new ones." Wyse, who is also Owl's main songwriter and vocalist, produced Owl's self-titled debut, which was recorded at Matt Sorum's Drac Studios in Los Angeles and released in 2009. The band supported the record, which was described as a "swirling epic," through a video for the track "Pusher" and through live performances, including shows with
Helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...
, Jet, In This Moment and Hollywood All Star rock collective Camp Freddy. Owl began writing what would become the band's self-produced album ''The Right Thing'' in early 2011, recording at Matt Sorum's Drac Studios in Los Angeles. In addition, Owl recorded at Overit Studios in upstate New York, a studio Dinsmore opened in conjunction with Overit Media, a media and marketing company he founded in 1993. Deemed a "no nonsense hard rock album with stadium sized hooks," ''The Right Thing'' was released on April 9, 2013, on Overit Records and Magnetic Eye Records as a joint release. The first video from the album, "The Right Thing,"premiered on Rolling Stone's website; it was followed by "Destroyer" and "Perfect." A third album, ''Things You Can't See,'' was released in the summer of 2015. ''
Bass Player A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low br ...
'' wrote it was Owl's "boldest and most experimental album." A video for the song "Lake Ego" was released in 2017. It was followed by a performance video for the title track in 2018.


Discography


Albums

*2015 ''Things You Can't See'' Overit Records *2013 ''The Right Thing'' Overit Records, Magnetic Eye Records (vinyl edition only) *2009 ''Owl'' Overit Records


Compilations

*2002 "Behind the Sun" from ''Flammable: A Tribute to the
Red Hot Chili Peppers Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983, comprising vocalist Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist John Frusciante. Their music incorporates elements of alternative rock, funk ...
''


Videography

*''Things You Can't See'' 2018 *''Lake Ego'' 2017 *''Who's Gonna Save You Now'' 2015 *''The Right Thing'' 2013 *''Destroyer'' 2013 *''Perfect'' 2013 *''Pusher'' 2009


External links


Official Website


References

{{reflist, 2 Hard rock musical groups from California Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 2007