“The blazing favorite sons of Ohio, the Black Owls headliner show at Midpoint Music Festival - nothing short of astonishing.
For over an hour, the Black Owls howled like a summit meeting between Mott the Hoople and the Voidoids, blistering Punk anthems butting up against Hard Rock nuggets to create a third sound that references much but sounds like nothing else. And the capacity crowd at Arnold’s loved every original note of it, begging for more and getting it at the end of a fantastic set. The Black Owls are a sound salvation, the Black Owls are cleaning up the nation. Don’t miss them, the next or any time. ”
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Brian Baker, CityBeat
“Rip-snorting Sabbath-esque rock n roll from the deepest, darkest thickets of Ohio. Dark pilgrims sets to colonize the new rock territories.”
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Classic Rock Magazine UK
“Black Owls are creating that kind of imaginary rock and roll some dream about, and many strive for. Strange magic with candor and tension. Blunt and stripped down, but captivating. Drawing upon British Invasion, both classic and punk, as well as a very personal take on Americana heavy 70's gas. Deliverance of story, glamorous punk and gritty, in lyrics that though dark reveal a well kept irony and freshness. The hook and ladder of Ed Shuttleworth's guitar range is so wide and yet it all manifests the "Black Owl Sound." That sound rests on the unique structures that Ed creates which uniquely reveal a perfect Gang of Four, the Who, Stones, Clash, Wire, Hoople, Stooges melange. They don't sound like any of these bands, but they sound like all of these bands, and that's their dirty little secret. Black Owls wear their influences on their sleeves, but they don't sound like anybody else. Play it again.
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Denim Walton, FRE press
“This central Ohio band pimps the kind of stripped-down Classic Rock (think more T Rex than AC/DC) that's been the soundtrack to beer-swilling pub dwellers for more than four decades now. Butler's high-pitched delivery comes through loud and clear, giving voice to simple, dark-hued stories laced with the occasional head-sticking nugget, such as "When I'm cremated you'll smoke my ashes." Dig it: The Who, The Rolling Stones cut with Midwestern menace, Guided by Voices.
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JG, CityBeat
“Somebody recommended several weeks back that I check out Black Owls, a band from Ohio, describing the music as a mixture of psychedelic blues and glam-punk. Good call.
The band's second album shows off a sense of classic, take-no-prisoners rock 'n' roll, with an undercurrent of just enough artsy pretention. The rambling poetry and insouciance with which David Butler—who also plays drums—attacks his vocals recall Ian Hunter, and the band kicks it into overdrive like Mott the Hoople jamming with The Faces, but with the threat of the English punk-rock movement breathing down their necks.
With the spirits of Iggy, Morrison, Bowie and early Alice Cooper hanging over it, the album feels genuine and a little stoned, as if it's observing a culture in which Woodstock is long over, and Altamont has left the music world with a sour taste in its mouth. Decadent and ramshackle and glorious, it kinda makes me cry.”
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Gene Armstrong, Tucson Weekly
“While Lost in the Trees angelic choir played into the main stage witness, I stepped out of the back to bear witness to a down-home soap box revival. Ohio's Black Owls were testifying on high, and the lead singer washed his sins in the rain with the congregation. As if in preparation for the rapture, the seasoned glam punks whipped the soaking masses into a frenzy. It was one of the most honest, raw, and downright celebratory performances of the show. I'd heard that these guys bore a familiarity with Guided By Voices, and I could see they owned that same swagger and dedication to anthem rock windmills and catchy hooks. As far as visceral experiences, these guys captured my heartstrings, and it appeared that the huge wet crowd that poured in to see them felt the same. A+”
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Tim, the melody lingers
“It's no retro trip, it's a philosophy about how rock should be made. About lyrics, about sound, about giving a shit. Just put in June '71 and crank it loud. If you don't remember the '70's you'll get the idea. If you do remember the '70's you'll take another toke and revel in it. This is an album, not a collection of filler and hits. Every song sticks to the ribs.”
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Jonah C., Free Press LTD
“This is "put your back into it" song craft. These guys lay it out. Lyrics, structure, power. It's almost a lost art, but thank God there are dudes like the Black Owls preserving the national trust of rock. Check out June '71 on their own Amish Girl label on itunes or bandcamp. - Compare/Contrast: Rolling Stones, Guided by Voices, Mott the Hoople, Bowie, Jim Carroll Band ”
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Warren Epstein, Dresdon Press Music
“The internet sea is awash of self-produced Americana rock. The Black Owls steer the schooner across the giant waves of mediocrity. The boat carries a handful of killer deckhands. At least that's what I imagine. I could be confusing them with a Somali pirate brigade, but they carry illicit anti aircraft artillery in the form of heavy guitar. At the very least, they are here to board the cruise liner and loot the mundane. I like these guys. And I've never met the bastards.”
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Brett, LA Sound
“I've given a listen to this June '71 by Black Owls and admittedly I fucking get it. Not only do I fucking get it, but I want to roll in it like a dog masking scent. It's as rock and roll as it gets. It hides the stench of the wider offerings of indy rock manifest. Here's to the balls nasty. Here's to the Owls. Glorious in Black is my new anthem.”
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Darrick Thomin, WicksBeat Mag
"Strange, beautiful things take place after the sun goes down, and the Black Owls revel in an all-nighter guitar sound that burns brightly in the dark. Lightning Made Us Who We Are, their 2008 debut album, is a masterful slice of booze-fueled super rock."
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Adam Scoppa, 614 Magazine
“With Guided by Voices long gone, the Black Owls are filling a real void in our lives, creating pompous, over-the-top-rock without making pains to show how tongue-in-cheek they are. They have a knack for well-crafted, substantial rock songs that are catchy as hell.”
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Rick Allen, the Other Paper
“Black Owls are an anomaly in Amish country. The Owls push a garage-rock agenda that also draws from the British Invasion, new wave, glam and '70's post-punk. And despite the varied influences, this crew has fashioned its favorite styles into a focused and infectious sound. ”
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Don Thrasher, Dayton Daily News - Active Dayton
“...for those about to rock, you may want to make the introduction of Black Owls. Chocked full of windmill-worthy tracks, Black Owls sift through their collection of Cheap Trick, Bowie, and The Who albums and serve up something distinct from their respective source material. ”
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Meltones, the buddha den
“The Black Owls rock. They rock like the Ramones rock, like early Bowie and Iggy and the Stooges rock. ”
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Midpoint Music Festival
“THE BLACK OWLS have put together some of the best well crafted songs with a firm foothold in creating a new history for Rock n' Roll. ”
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Dave Fishwick, the Neus Subject
