By combining film and top-notch studio recording, OWL MOUNTAIN SESSIONS go beyond front-row and take you inside the music. HEAR MORE MUSIC, SEE MORE MUSIC, in the studio and beyond. Be the first to discover our upcoming sessions. Better yet, reach out and let's collaborate!
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013 - Greg Bette | Chris Peck - Feather
What happens when two endearingly eccentric indie-pop multi-instrumentalists—Greg Bette (Garçon de Plage, Paris) and Chris Peck (Peck the Town Crier; Fairfax, California)—hole up together in a music studio for a day? Catalytic creative-juice mixology, a collaborative journey into uncharted musical waters. Co-written on the spot by Bette and Peck, this song began the morning a mere wisp of a motif. A few hours of joint open-mindedness, plenty of playful experimentation, and far more yea’s than nay’s later, led at evening’s close to the birth of “Feather”—now taking flight as Owl Mountain Sessions 013. FULL ARTICLE >>
012 - TOWN QUARTET - Quatuor Scientifique No. 11
By ANTON REICHA (1770-1836)
With Session 012, Oakland’s Town Quartet premieres more unpublished work from 19th-century Czech composer Anton Reicha, performing his Quatuor Scientifique No. 11 (Allegro moderato). A pioneering music theorist and academic from Beethoven's time, Reicha explored the application of mathematics and philosophical concepts within his compositions. Much of Reicha’s musical work was considered too unconventional and radical by the standards of his day, which contributed to his being relatively unknown when compared to some of his classical-era contemporaries. The Town Quartet aims to bring some of this more obscure work to the public. Like Q. Scientifique No. 7, the eleventh movement (of twelve) reveals another of Reicha’s fugal experimentations, this one being based upon the theme from the String Quartet Opus 20 No. 5 in F minor by one of Reicha’s mentors during his days in Vienna: Joseph Haydn. FULL ARTICLE >>
011 - Town Quartet - Quatuor Scientifique No. 7
By ANTON REICHA (1770-1836)
From Oakland’s Town Quartet: the premiere recording of “Quatuor Scientifique” No. 7, a previously unpublished work from Czech-born composer Anton Reicha (1770-1836). A four-part fugue borrowing the famous theme from Mozart’s “Haffner" symphony, this short piece gives equal voice to each member of the quartet as it ebbs and flows through the many changes of texture and light, finally building to a screaming organ-like finish.
010 - PSDSP featuring Town Quartet - Geology
Written by ELI CARLTON-PEARSON / Arranged by MATT MONTGOMERY
Previously, we brought you avant-grunge rockers Physical Suicide Deterrent System Project's "Geology" for Owl Mountain Sessions 009. Session 010 revisits "Geology" with an acoustic cross-genre interpretation arranged by Matt Montgomery (Versus Them) featuring the Town Quartet, an Oakland, CA string quartet.
PSDSP front man Eli Carlton-Pearson unplugs for this new performance of “Geology", but rocks the grunge nonetheless. Where fellow PSDSP band members Brian Wilkerson's dark melodic electric bass and Michael Pinkham's shimmering drums usually comprise the additional voices in the Bay-Area trio’s “Geology”, composer and musical polymath Matt Montgomery swaps in the Town Quartet with a skillfully layered arrangement for two violins, viola, and cello. The result maintains the original composition’s beautiful thunder and heaviness—provided by Jacob Hansen-Joseph’s viola and Lewis Patzner’s cello—while soaring into otherworldly atmospheres through the full range of octaves on Corey Mike and Mia Bella D’Augelli’s violins.
Collaboration, a convergence of ideas, classical instruments exploring modern expressions. Enjoy Owl Mountain Sessions 010 “Geology” for all this and more!
009 - physical suicide deterrent system project - Geology
Written by ELI CARLTON-PEARSON / Arranged by PSDSP
For our second collaboration with avant-grunge innovators PSDSP, the Northern California trio leads us further down their intriguing path of sublimely dark melodic rockistry. While “Geology”’s almost psychedelic ruminations are more shining and atmospheric, being less steeped in ominous shadows than its pulsating predecessor “Shoulder”, the mood here stays heavy and the flavor, deep.
“Geology” presents something transcendent with its viscous, smoldering build. The easy, golden shimmer of its sun-drenched introduction draws us first into a meditative rhythm. From there, lush imagery flows forth, and we gain momentum like blood coursing through the metaphorical corpus. Eli Carlton-Pearson’s layered contemplations pull us ever toward the core, but this is a different kind of introspection. Instead of becoming more compact, each repeating phrase evolves and expands until molecular becomes magmic in scale. It’s like trying to retreat into the little hole in your head but falling instead into a cavernous galaxy of prehistoric ore glittering through the veins of your planetary brain. The infinite within the finite.
008 - Physical Suicide Deterrent System Project - SHOULDER
Written by ELI CARLTON-PEARSON / Arranged by PSDSP
OWL MOUNTAIN SESSIONS 008 delivers a heavy, heady brew of avant-grunge à la the Bay Area's cult darling Physical Suicide Deterrent System Project, a.k.a. PSDSP. As their steadily growing following can confirm, this Marin trio never fails to rock it hard and deliver——their live shows stand out as much-anticipated events on already well-populated local music calendars. PSDSP's arsenal of innovative grunge explores the forces of creation, decay, disintegration, and revival both in nature around us and within the human psyche. Instead of dwelling upon dismal doom and gloom, however, PSDSP exalts the intricate, bewildering beauty hidden within nature's darker elements. At once sinister and joyous, "Shoulder" is a shining example of PSDSP's brand of zen-filled angst, and is their epic first in a series of upcoming new singles. FULL ARTICLE >>
007 - BESO NEGRO - Well Placed Bullet
Written by ADAM ROACH / Arranged by BESO NEGRO
OWL MOUNTAIN SESSIONS 007 unleashes a supersonic fireball of pure gypsy-punk fury — BESO NEGRO's melodic adrenaline machine gun, “Well-Placed Bullet". There’ll be no running for cover, so rise up, stand your ground, fight back. Embrace the pyrotechnics!
006 - Jesse Colin Young - Sunlight (Acoustic)
Written by JESSE COLIN YOUNG
It's with a lot of heart and love that we bring you Owl Mountain Sessions 006, as it presents one of our most deeply personal influences, '60s rock legend Jesse Colin Young of The Youngbloods. Rich with nostalgia, "Sunlight" had its origins in the sun-drenched 60s but, decades later, it remains one of their fan favorites. Together, Jesse and Owl Mountain bring you "Sunlight" at its most intimate, pared down to its raw essentials — the lush power of Jesse's voice accompanied by the storytelling of his fingerstyle acoustic guitar.
005 - BESO NEGRO - Never Coming Down
Written by ADAM ROACH / Arranged by BESO NEGRO
For Session 005, BESO NEGRO’s brand-new single “Never Coming Down” detours from their unorthodox Gypsy/Latin/Americana punk sound to rock out in searing primal fashion. Intensity builds with each strum of the opening guitar duet, paving the way for the hard-hitting thump of Ethan Turner’s powerhouse percussion and the mischievous strut of Cheyenne Young’s bass. Eli Carlton-Pearson’s sassy, wayward electric guitar swaggers in, a seductive tale unfolds with Adam Roach’s dynamo vocals, and from there, the sky is the limit. Don’t miss the gloriously deviant adrenaline rush that is “Never Coming Down”!
004 - BESO NEGRO - Back To You
Written by ADAM ROACH / Arranged by BESO NEGRO
Gypsy rockers Beso Negro slow the tempo and quiet the riot, returning to Owl Mountain with the introspective ballad waltz "Back To You”. Adam Roach's intimate storytelling has an irresistible vulnerability that immediately draws us into his doomed tale of a lonesome drifter on the lam. The aching sincerity of our protagonist’s voice takes us on a yearnful journey that weaves among soulful slide guitar, shimmering mandolin solos, and lush cello/viola accompaniments, riding the nostalgic groove of classic R&B drum/bass lines toward the elusive light at the end of the tunnel.
003 - beso negro - hoist that rag
Written by TOM WAITS, KATHLEEN BRENNAN / Arranged by BESO NEGRO
There’s a gritty romanticism to Beso Negro’s reconceptualization of the 2004 Tom Waits favorite “Hoist That Rag”. Steeped in a dark dreaminess, this version opens smoldering and sparkling like stardust in soot-black night. Restless underdogs unite in raw rebel yell as growling bass and a percussive pulse provide the stage for blazing banjo and nouveau western guitar solos. Layers build upon layers into an electric climax, a lightning storm unfurling across a stormy sea.
002 - BESO NEGRO - Here I Go Again
Written by ADAM ROACH / Arranged by BESO NEGRO
For the “Here I Go Again" foundation four-piece track — drums, bass, and two rhythm guitars — the band recorded and filmed playing together, live. Guitar solos and vocals entered the mix as overdubs, performed once the main four-piece track was laid. Unlike most in-studio recordings, “Here I Go Again” used no click track or editing tricks like chopping, nudging, or time correction.
001 - BESO NEGRO - Obscurity
Written by ADAM ROACH / Arranged by BESO NEGRO
What makes this studio recording unique? "Obscurity" was performed and recorded live in a single session. For the song’s foundation four-piece track, the band–drums, bass, and two rhythm guitars–was recorded and filmed playing together. Guitar solos and vocals entered the mix as overdubs, performed directly after this main four-piece track was laid. Unlike most in-studio recordings, “Obscurity” used no click track or editing tricks like chopping, nudging, or time correction. The result? You get to enjoy the real deal.