Video Premiere: “On the Ridgeline” by Owen Davies
Ottawa Showbox is excited to premiere of Montreal-via-Westport singer-songwriter Owen Davies‘ new video “On the Ridgeline,” the first single off of his upcoming record Lollipop Pumpkinhead.
The video and music for the song was edited by local wiz Pascal Huot (Pony Girl), of Huot & Valentin. “On the Ridgeline” features Davies wonderful blend of electronic and folk music, with dashes of shoegaze and psych, over footage from the 1960’s movie “Grandfather of the Blue Ridge” by Hugh M. Morton.
The retro visuals, which feel like old family travel footage, include scenes of people smelling flowers, young ones running around playing, long car rides, wild animals and even some sweet old-school cars (maybe ultra-modern for the time) racing through the mountain side. It is a beautiful combination of for both you eyes and ears as Davies voice serenades you.
Speaking about the song, Owen Davies said ” the song was one of the last I had been working on for the record. The idea came up when I was at my cousin’s cottage with my friend Dave.”
“Across the lake is an island that’s for sale and it has a long limestone ridge on it that faces the cottage. Dave and I were imagining building a series of small shelters on it and calling it The Ridgeline. Soon after, the verse melody of “On the Ridgeline…” was stuck in my head. It ended up being a tough idea to flesh out. I was pretty ready to ditch it. I brought it to my long time collaborator, Jeff D Elliott, who co-produced the record with me, and it really took off. Now, I think it’s one of my favourites from this record.
While Davies isn’t from Ottawa, he spent a number of years living in the nation’s capital, and this clearly had an impact on him and this song in particular. “This song was inspired by an actual ridgeline located outside of Ottawa at my cousin’s cottage” said Davies. Davies is also signed to local record label So Sorry Records, so Ottawa runs strong within him even if he is now living in Montreal.
Check out the video for “On the Ridgeline” below, off Davies’ new record Lollipop Pumpkinhead which is scheduled to be released September 6th, 2019 via So Sorry Records. Can’t wait that long to hear some of the new songs? Go see him and his band live this month in Ottawa on July 19th @ Bar Robo with Michael C. Duguay and Graven and in Montreal on July 29th @ Quai Des Brumes with Pallice and a yet to be named special guest.