Of Wondrous Legends

Last updated
Of Wondrous Legends
Also known asO.W.L.
Origin Chicago, United States
Genres Folk rock, psych folk
Years active1968–early 1970s, 2009–present
MembersStephen Titra
Al Keeler
Doug Jones
Past membersJim Snyder
John Knutson

Of Wondrous Legends, often abbreviated as O.W.L., is an American psych folk band established in Chicago in 1968 by musician and artist Stephen Titra. Overlooked at the time, the band's sole self-titled album, recorded in 1971, was rediscovered and reissued in 2008, since when Titra has returned to perform with others as O.W.L..

Contents

History

Titra was born in Chicago in 1945. He played in folk rock bands in the area, including the Uncalled Four and Rhythm's Children, who transformed into the Grateful Dead-influenced band Mountain Bus. Shortly before they recorded their only album Sundance, Titra had left the band to develop his own musical direction. He formed O.W.L. in 1968, and played his songs with bassist Jim Snyder, flautist John Knudson and vibraphonist Al Keeler in clubs in Chicago. Titra was inspired by Baroque and Pre-Raphaelite art, and his songs were later described by Allmusic as "poetic, soaring, imbued with a fondness for Romanticism and Old Europe, with a current of humanism running through the lyrics". [1] [2] [3]

In 1971, his agent Frank Hogan arranged for demo recordings of his songs to be made with engineer Mal Davis. The owner of the Universal Recording Studio, Murray Allen, liked them, and agreed to fund a full album recording at the studio. A wide variety of instrumentation was used, including keyboards, vibraphone, Moog synthesizer, marimba, cellos, and flute, played by Titra, Snyder, Knudson, and other musicians. [4] Later reviewers have commented that the album "offers genuine pastoral folk of the highest caliber", with "complex" orchestrations "giving O.W.L.'s music a lush, arty feel." [5] The recordings have led to comparisons being made with music of the same period by Pearls Before Swine, Shawn Phillips, Tim Buckley, and The Moody Blues. [1] [2] [6] Dawson Prater of Locust Music has described it as "a continuous twilight suite mixing dreamy, aspirational folk with lush chamber orchestration." [3]

About 20 test pressings of the LP were made. Titra approached several record labels including Elektra, A&M, and Capitol, with the suggestion that it be marketed with accompanying art book of Titra's pen-and-ink drawings illustrating each song. [3] However, the record companies each claimed that the music was difficult to market, falling into no clear niche, and without an obvious hit single. Although Chicago-based Playboy Records also showed some interest in releasing the record commercially, that too failed to come to fruition. [3] Titra continued to play some of the songs in live shows with his mid-1970s band, Pilgrim, but the recordings were otherwise forgotten. [1] [2]

Titra became a multi-disciplinary artist, incorporating writing, painting and music into his work at galleries around the U.S.. He also worked extensively on illustrations for books, and on murals for schools, and as a speaker on talent development and creativity. [7]

In 2004, Dawson Prater of Locust Music discovered one of the original test pressings of the O.W.L. record in a thrift store. The record was issued on CD in 2008 (and later vinyl), to considerable acclaim, being described at Allmusic as "among the very best previously unknown finds of the last decade". [1] As a result, Titra revived O.W.L. in 2009, to perform a number of shows in Chicago and elsewhere, as a trio with Al Keeler and Doug Jones. [2] [5] [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilco</span> American alternative rock band

Wilco is an American alternative rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo following singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its first decade, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt remaining from the original incarnation. Since early 2004, the lineup has been unchanged, consisting of Tweedy, Stirratt, guitarist Nels Cline, multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, keyboard player Mikael Jorgensen, and drummer Glenn Kotche. Wilco has released twelve studio albums, a live double album, and four collaborations: three with Billy Bragg and one with The Minus 5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Country Joe and the Fish</span> American psychedelic rock band

Country Joe and the Fish was an American psychedelic rock band formed in Berkeley, California, in 1965. The band was among the influential groups in the San Francisco music scene during the mid- to late 1960s. Much of the band's music was written by founding members Country Joe McDonald and Barry "The Fish" Melton, with lyrics pointedly addressing issues of importance to the counterculture, such as anti-war protests, free love, and recreational drug use. Through a combination of psychedelia and electronic music, the band's sound was marked by innovative guitar melodies and distorted organ-driven instrumentals which were significant to the development of acid rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Machine Head (band)</span> American heavy metal band

Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. The band was formed in 1991 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Robb Flynn, who remains the only original member of the band. Machine Head's aggressive musicianship made it one of the pioneering bands in the new wave of American heavy metal. Its current lineup comprises Flynn, bassist Jared MacEachern, lead guitarist Wacław Kiełtyka and drummer Matt Alston. Bassist Adam Duce, lead guitarists Logan Mader, Ahrue Luster and Phil Demmel, and drummers Tony Costanza, Chris Kontos and Dave McClain are former members of the band; Mader and Kontos toured with the band in 2019 and 2020 as part of the 25th anniversary tour for its first album, Burn My Eyes (1994).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">If You Leave Me Now</span> 1976 song by American rock band Chicago

"If You Leave Me Now" is a song by the American rock group Chicago, from their album Chicago X. It was written and sung by bass player Peter Cetera and released as a single on July 30, 1976. It is also the title of a Chicago compilation album released by Columbia Records in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Chambers Brothers</span> American psychedelic soul band

The Chambers Brothers are an American psychedelic soul band, best known for their eleven-minute 1967 psychedelic soul hit "Time Has Come Today". The group was part of the wave of new music that integrated American blues and gospel traditions with modern psychedelic and rock elements. Their music has been kept alive through frequent use in film soundtracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Botch (band)</span> American mathcore band

Botch is an American mathcore band formed in 1993 in Tacoma, Washington. The band, featuring Brian Cook, Dave Knudson, Tim Latona and Dave Verellen, spent four years as a garage band and released several demos and EPs before signing to Hydra Head Records. Through the label, Botch released two studio albums: American Nervoso (1998) and We Are the Romans (1999). The group toured extensively and internationally in support of their albums with like-minded bands such as The Blood Brothers, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Ink & Dagger and Jesuit. Botch struggled to write a third studio album, and in 2002 the group broke up due to tensions among the band members and creative differences. Hydra Head posthumously released an EP of songs the group had been working on before they split titled An Anthology of Dead Ends and a live album documenting their final show titled 061502 in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Bird</span> American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist

Andrew Wegman Bird is an American indie rock multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Since 1996, he has released 16 studio albums, as well as several live albums and EPs, spanning various genres including swing music, indie rock, and folk music. He is primarily known for his unique style of violin playing, accompanied by loop and effect pedals, whistling, and voice. In the 1990s, he sang and played violin in several jazz ensembles, including Squirrel Nut Zippers and Kevin O'Donnell's Quality Six. He went on to start his own swing ensemble, Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, which released three albums between 1998 and 2001. Weather Systems (2003) was his first solo album after Bowl of Fire disbandment, and it marked a departure from jazz music into indie music. Bird's 2019 album My Finest Work Yet was nominated for "Best Folk Album" at the 2020 Grammy Awards.

<i>Locust Abortion Technician</i> 1987 studio album by Butthole Surfers

Locust Abortion Technician is the third full-length studio album by American rock band Butthole Surfers, released in March 1987. The album was originally released on both vinyl and CD on Touch and Go, and was remastered on CD on the band's label, Latino Buggerveil, in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Thomas (blues musician)</span> Musical artist

Henry Thomas (1874–1930?) was an American country blues singer, songster and musician. Although his recording career, in the late 1920s, was brief, Thomas influenced performers including Bob Dylan, Taj Mahal, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Grateful Dead, and Canned Heat. Often billed as "Ragtime Texas", Thomas's style is an early example of what later became known as Texas blues guitar.

"I'll Fly Away" is a hymn written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled Wonderful Message. Brumley's writing was influenced by the 1924 secular ballad, "The Prisoner's Song".

<i>Folk Singer</i> (album) 1964 studio album by Muddy Waters

Folk Singer is the fourth studio album by Muddy Waters, released in January 1964 by Chess Records. The album features Waters on acoustic guitar, backed by Willie Dixon on string bass, Clifton James on drums, and Buddy Guy on acoustic guitar. It is Waters's only all-acoustic album. Numerous reissues of Folk Singer include bonus tracks from two subsequent sessions, in April 1964 and October 1964.

Sing-Sing were an English indie pop/dream pop supergroup formed in 1997 in London, comprising vocalist Lisa O'Neill and guitarist/vocalist Emma Anderson. They worked with a variety of musicians to create a sound which nodded to 1960s girl groups, electronica and folk. They disbanded in 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Coming (band)</span> American rock band

Second Coming was an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1990. They relocated to Seattle, Washington, around 1992 and released their debut album L.O.V.Evil in 1994. This band underwent several lineup changes throughout its existence with drummer James Bergstrom and bassist Johnny Bacolas ostensibly being the nucleus of the band, as they were the only members who appeared on every album. The two of them have been friends since childhood and they had also formed the rhythm section in an early incarnation of Alice in Chains that also consisted of vocalist Layne Staley and guitarist Nick Pollock; they called themselves Alice N' Chains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian McNeill</span> Musical artist

Brian McNeill is a Scottish folk multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, record producer and musical director. He was a founding member of Battlefield Band which combined traditional Celtic melodies and new material.

Greg Weeks is an American singer-songwriter based in Philadelphia. His music has been described as folk, acoustic, psychedelic and experimental. He is best known as a founding member of the psychedelic folk-rock band Espers. Weeks has released four solo albums and has guest-recorded with many artists, including Fern Knight and Marissa Nadler. He is also a member of The Valerie Project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dolly Varden (band)</span> American alternative rock band

Dolly Varden is a Chicago band built around the singing and songwriting of husband and wife duo Steve Dawson and Diane Christiansen. Their music combines elements of folk, rock and pop and country. The band has released 5 albums, along with several collections and side projects.

<i>And the Weathermen Shrug Their Shoulders</i> 1993 studio album by The Ex and Tom Cora

And the Weathermen Shrug Their Shoulders is the second of two albums by Dutch punk band The Ex in collaboration with avant-garde cellist Tom Cora. Cora was acknowledged in the credits of earlier album Joggers and Smoggers but didn't actually appear on an Ex album until a recording session in 1990 which led to Scrabbling at the Lock as well as And the Weathermen Shrug Their Shoulders.

Chris Murphy is an American musician, violinist, bandleader, and composer who has been composing and performing music for over 30 years. His music combines jazz, blues, country, classical, ethnic, and electronic music. Chris has performed in over 40 U.S. states, including Hawaii, and in England and Ireland. He has lived, worked, and studied in New York City, Boston, Seattle, and his current home, Los Angeles, United States.

<i>Scrabbling at the Lock</i> 1991 studio album by The Ex and Tom Cora

Scrabbling at the Lock is the first of two albums by Dutch punk band The Ex in collaboration with avant-garde cellist Tom Cora. It is also the first of The Ex's studio albums to feature the work of then Dog Faced Hermans guitarist Andy Moor, who has remained in the band ever since.

Pete Morton is an English folk singer-songwriter who lives in London, England. According to fRoots, Morton "is amongst the best that the British roots music scene has produced in living memory."

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Review by François Couture, Allmusic.com. Retrieved 12 January 2020
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The Secret History of Chicago Music: O.W.L.", Chicago Reader, December 15, 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2020
  3. 1 2 3 4 Dawson Prater, Liner notes, Of Wondrous Legends, Locust Music L110, 2008
  4. ↑ "Of Wondrous Legends", Prog Archives. Retrieved 12 January 2020
  5. 1 2 "O.W.L.: "Of Wondrous Legends", Rising Storm. Retrieved 12 January 2020
  6. ↑ "O.W.L.", Fusetron. Retrieved 20 January 2020
  7. ↑ Stephen Titra: Bio, Artspan. Retrieved 12 January 2020
  8. ↑ "Legendary 70s Chicago Folk Group Tops RAW Musical Lineup" Ravenswood Art Walk. Retrieved 12 January 2020
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.