Night Owl Country Band will perform March 2 at the Pixy Theatre, 111 S. Walnut St. in Edinburgh.
Photo by Joshua Adams
Formerly nationally touring local ensemble Night Owl Country Band has reorganized for a new sound, new single and new opportunity.
Area music lovers can see for themselves when the quintet (plus its sound man) debuts all this during a concert at 7 p.m. March 2 at the Pixy Theatre, 111 S. Walnut St. in Edinburgh. Tickets are $10 and available at the door.
“We’ll still have some of that old-school, outlaw country sound,” said lead singer Matt Lee, referring to tunes from artists such as Waylon Jennings. “But now we get to mix in songs from people such as Miranda Lambert-type stuff.”
That shift is due to the addition of female vocalist Kyndal Dixon, the group’s first. Lee mentioned that she and another new member, rhythm guitarist and keyboard player Brandon Fields, give the group more vocal flexibility. Lead guitarist Tim Dooley and drummer Casey Johnson remain with the group.
“With the three-part harmony we’re able to now have, we almost have a Lady Antebellum sound to us at times,” Lee said.
Plus, the group is even adding in covers of pop-rock staples such as Fleetwood Mac.
“I’m really excited about all this,” said Lee, the band’s leader since 2015.
That’s saying something, since the group performed a few years ago at the fabled Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
The new original single, releasing March 12, is “Somewhere in the Country,” from the forthcoming disc “Off the Tracks” recorded in Nashville, Tennessee for ISSA Records and Colt Records. The single will be highlighted during a two-hour release party at 7 p.m. March 16 at Mike’s Music & Dance Barn, 2277 State Road 46 West in Brown County’s Nashville.
The band appeared days ago on Indianapolis’ WISH-TV’s “Lifestyle Live” to promote the shows, introduce the new members and to perform the original, soft-pop-oriented love song “Lies In You.”
That video clip can be found on the Facebook page for Night Owl Country Band.
The release party admission is $10, to be donated to Mother Cupboard Community Kitchen in nearby Nashville.
Its newest opportunity, though, is beyond all this exposure. The group will be opening shows this year at a few venues nationwide for nationally touring artist Tom Wopat, perhaps best known by some for his role years ago on network television’s popular series “The Dukes of Hazzard.” Night Owl formed Wopat’s backing band when he performed at The Commons in Columbus in November 2022.
Besides this news, the group also has been nominated in several categories for the Holland-based Red Carpet Awards Show. They are up for everything from Song of the Year to Entertainer of the Year.
Through it all and through the changes, Lee said the band maintains a cohesiveness on and off the stage.
“We are still,” Lee said, “still kind of like family.”
Catch the group
Who: The local Night Owl Country Band.
When: 7 p.m. March 2.
Where: Pixy Theatre, 111 S. Walnut St. in Edinburgh.
Tickets: $10, can be reserved by calling (619) 379-5116.
