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
Bill Haley’s South Texas Days
There’s a great article by Michael Hall in Texas Monthly, Falling Comet, on the life and Texas days of Bill Haley, one of the founders
This Week in Little Rock, NYC, DC, West Virginia, Indy, Madison
We’ve got a quick run of CD release shows this week in Little Rock, New York City, Washington DC, Parkersburg WV, Greenfield IN, and Madison
Roots and Branches and Ray Wylie Hubbard
Had a great time last night visiting with Ray Wylie Hubbard for a live broadcast of Roots and Branches of Americana on KNBT 92.1FM. I played
Medicine Man
To celebrate the official release, here’s a preview of the first song we recorded in the sessions. CLICK HERE FOR PREVIEW OF MEDICINE MAN Thanks
Rick Richards
Rick has played drums and percussion on some of my favorite recordings. He can lay down and lock in to a groove better than any other
2 Years and 25 Artists Later
It’s official, today’s the release day of an album called Mountain Home: 2 years in the writing, recording, mixing, mastering, and designing, and requiring the
West Texas Wildfire Relief Through Music
In the past 2 weeks, wildfires have scorched over 300,000 acres in West Texas. More than 60 homes have burned, as have animals, fences, and
Road Signs in Texas
A picture of of a sign we passed by driving from Tyler to Fredericksburg this past weekend: My response/caption to this picture would probably be