Weird Owl was formed in 2004 by Trevor Tyrrell (guitar, vocals), John Cassidy (bass), Sean Reynolds (drums) and Josh Weber (keyboards).
After self-releasing several cds, including the 2007 full-length Nuclear Psychology, Weird Owl caught the ears of Matthew J. Tow of the Australian band The Lovetones, who helped get them signed to Tee Pee Records in 2008.
The departure of Weber led to the addition of Jon Rudd (guitar) and Kenneth Cook (bass), former member of The Damn Personals, to the band's lineup. Their debut LP for Tee Pee Records, Ever the Silver Cord Be Loosed, was released in February of 2009. All Music stated the record was "melodic, pleasant, head numbing, and sticks with the listener in terms of its relaxed approach and its utterly well-executed weightiness", giving it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
In the summer of 2009, Weird Owl embarked on a West Coast tour with label-mates Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound.
In 2011, Weird Owl was asked to play the prestigious Austin Psych Fest, curated by The Black Angels in Austin, Texas. In July of that year, their second LP for Tee Pee Records, Build Your Beast a Fire, recorded by Justin Pizzoferrato (Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth) and Justin Rice of Bishop Allen, was released. Giving the album a B+, The Onion A.V. Club said its songs "are emotionally engaging and frequently moving; they’re also catchy earworms with great choruses".
Following the departure of Rudd and Cook, the band went into the studio for the first time with new member J. David Nugent (synthesizers), with Cassidy also picking up synth duties in addition to bass. Demos from this session, recorded and produced by Jeffrey Berner of Psychic TV, were posted online and caught the attention of Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, who asked the band if he could put out an EP of their music on his personal label, A Recordings, Ltd.
In October of 2013, Healing was released as a double 10-inch on day-glo vinyl, and according to All Music, its "trippy miasmas are more soothing than stunning...it reveals them as a more interesting and versatile band", giving it 3.5 of 5 stars.
The band toured Europe in June of 2014, including an appearance at Eindhoven Psych Fest and as support for The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Weird Owl’s latest full-length, Interstellar Skeletal, also recorded and produced by Berner, was released by A Recordings, Ltd. in May 2015.
All Music gave the album 3.5 out 5 stars, saying “It's a solid release with the quality musicianship and experimental nature fans have come to expect of Weird Owl”.
The band toured Europe in September of 2015 to support the record, including a date at The Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia and the Incubate Festival in Tilburg, NL.
If 2016, the band returned to the studio with Berner to begin working on a new LP. Completed in the spring of 2017, the album, Bubblegum Brainwaves, features an appearance by the legendary Genesis Breyer P'Orridge of Psychic TV, and is due to be self-released by the band on October 13, 2017. The album marks the band's sixth release in a decade.
After self-releasing several cds, including the 2007 full-length Nuclear Psychology, Weird Owl caught the ears of Matthew J. Tow of the Australian band The Lovetones, who helped get them signed to Tee Pee Records in 2008.
The departure of Weber led to the addition of Jon Rudd (guitar) and Kenneth Cook (bass), former member of The Damn Personals, to the band's lineup. Their debut LP for Tee Pee Records, Ever the Silver Cord Be Loosed, was released in February of 2009. All Music stated the record was "melodic, pleasant, head numbing, and sticks with the listener in terms of its relaxed approach and its utterly well-executed weightiness", giving it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
In the summer of 2009, Weird Owl embarked on a West Coast tour with label-mates Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound.
In 2011, Weird Owl was asked to play the prestigious Austin Psych Fest, curated by The Black Angels in Austin, Texas. In July of that year, their second LP for Tee Pee Records, Build Your Beast a Fire, recorded by Justin Pizzoferrato (Dinosaur Jr. and Sonic Youth) and Justin Rice of Bishop Allen, was released. Giving the album a B+, The Onion A.V. Club said its songs "are emotionally engaging and frequently moving; they’re also catchy earworms with great choruses".
Following the departure of Rudd and Cook, the band went into the studio for the first time with new member J. David Nugent (synthesizers), with Cassidy also picking up synth duties in addition to bass. Demos from this session, recorded and produced by Jeffrey Berner of Psychic TV, were posted online and caught the attention of Anton Newcombe of The Brian Jonestown Massacre, who asked the band if he could put out an EP of their music on his personal label, A Recordings, Ltd.
In October of 2013, Healing was released as a double 10-inch on day-glo vinyl, and according to All Music, its "trippy miasmas are more soothing than stunning...it reveals them as a more interesting and versatile band", giving it 3.5 of 5 stars.
The band toured Europe in June of 2014, including an appearance at Eindhoven Psych Fest and as support for The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Weird Owl’s latest full-length, Interstellar Skeletal, also recorded and produced by Berner, was released by A Recordings, Ltd. in May 2015.
All Music gave the album 3.5 out 5 stars, saying “It's a solid release with the quality musicianship and experimental nature fans have come to expect of Weird Owl”.
The band toured Europe in September of 2015 to support the record, including a date at The Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia and the Incubate Festival in Tilburg, NL.
If 2016, the band returned to the studio with Berner to begin working on a new LP. Completed in the spring of 2017, the album, Bubblegum Brainwaves, features an appearance by the legendary Genesis Breyer P'Orridge of Psychic TV, and is due to be self-released by the band on October 13, 2017. The album marks the band's sixth release in a decade.