Rings on a Tree (click to listen)
A new album of 15 songs written by Owen Temple and friends – available worldwide on September 29.
It was produced by Gordy Quist and recorded in Austin, Texas at The Finishing School.
VIDEOS OF SINGLES FROM THE NEW ALBUM
Owen Temple’s new record, Rings on A Tree, is a concept album – an examination of family history and the way every interaction we have reverberates for generations.
“It’s clear that our lives are a distillation and expansion of the lives that have come before us,” Temple said. “Every life, every interaction of matter and energy that happens, reverberates through the universe in an ever-expanding field. Waves of behavior that cause other waves of behavior, not just in one life, but in all our lives.
“During the Covid lockdown, I wasn’t writing much on my own, but when a friend would call and say, ‘Let’s go to a park and write a song,’ I’d always go. These meetups resulted in a reexamination of what’s important in life. We wrote songs that looked at the intergenerational interactions that created a certain wisdom, insights that transcend our narrow view of the present.”
As the songs accumulated, Temple saw them taking a spiritual, philosophical tone. “I was haunted by the ideas of our great-grandparents. Shadowy photos and mysterious documents from their eight lives give us clues about how these people have major consequence on our lives, even if we don’t understand exactly how. If you trace the branches of any family tree back far enough, you can see we’re all connected. That inspired the song ‘Rings on a Tree’ and the entire album.”
THE SONGS:
Part 1 – Big Bang
- The Song of Us
- Watch It Shine
- Days
- Beautiful Accidents
- Always Becoming
Part 2 – Pantheon
- Fork in the Road
- Can’t Stop Won’t Stop
- Virginia and Hazel
- Churches and Cantinas
- Are We There Yet?
Part 3 – Tree of Life
- Wild Seeds
- Rings on a Tree
- More Like September
- Gentle James
- Twenty Years
Part 1 – Big Bang
- The Song of Us
- Watch It Shine
- Days
- Beautiful Accidents
- Always Becoming
Part 2 – Pantheon
- Fork in the Road
- Can’t Stop Won’t Stop
- Virginia and Hazel
- Churches and Cantinas
- Are We There Yet?
Part 3 – Tree of Life
- Wild Seeds
- Rings on a Tree
- More Like September
- Gentle James
- Twenty Years
NEWs AND UPDATES
Album cover revisted, 12 years later in Coleman, Texas
In 1999, Austin photographer and gallery owner Steve Clark took a picture of me in Coleman, Texas that I used on my album cover for Passing
More Photos from West Texas
Restaurant in Kress, Texas Sunrise near Tulia, Texas
Good advice for wherever you are today
I saw this sign near Tulia, Texas and realized they are words to live by everyday.
Notebook Manuscripts of Songs for Mountain Home
Here are the manuscripts to the songs on the album in sequence
MusicFest, Beer, & High School Football plus Shows in Houston, Luckenbach, Dallas, DC, & Memphis
I hope January is treating you all right- Things are good here, let me catch you up on what’s been going on. First of all,
Guitar and Songwriting Workshops for Veterans – Sundays at the Saxon Pub
Starting on February 12, Dustin Welch and I will be offering a guitar and songwriting workshop to veterans on Sundays at the Saxon Pub in Austin,
October Shows in New York & Washington DC
Owen Temple and the band will be returning to Hill Country Barbecue Market in New York, NY and Washington D.C. on October 13 & 14.
January at MusicFest in Colorado
Owen will be performing in Steamboat Springs, Colorado in January 2012 at MusicFest. His set will be Saturday, January 7 at the Grand Hotel Ballroom