With his music distinguished as ‘impassioned literary folk’, Owen Meany’s Batting Stance is the pseudonym of singer-songwriter Daniel Walker.
Following the release of his self-titled EP, Daniel has spent the last few years exploring the thrills of the live circuit, whilst constantly perfecting his craft. Now, the Canadian native returns with his highly anticipated full-length ‘Feather Weights’ with LHM Records (2nd October).
Recorded above a fishmonger’s shop in the Halifax Regional Municipality, his new project consists of eight singularly voiced short stories that explore everyday theming with deep insight and thoughtful perspective. Boasting the Owen Meany live band with bassist Cailen Alcorn Pygott, and keyboardist Siobhan Martin, together they showcase soft chords of folk pushed into the angles of indie rock.
Listen in full and read Daniel’s Track-by-Track guide below:
Owen Meany’s Batting Stance ‘Feather Weights’ Track-By-Track:
- The Androgynous Hockey Stick
“The Androgynous Hockey Stick was written as a means to reclaim my negative experience playing hockey as a kid into a personal anthem. It is a call to counter the narrative which has both glorified the sport and traditionally ignored the varying degrees of toxic culture it has enabled. This song draws from my childhood being exposed and reduced by those perpetuating false ideals of maleness. As a child, it seemed when we put on the jersey, we weren’t performing for the sake of a sport but something else entirely.” - He (art) Attack
“He (art) Attack was written after the end of my first long-term relationship. In the immediate aftermath of the break-up, I felt lost, overwhelmed, and was having trouble figuring out which direction to place my next footstep. Using allusions to various surrealist painters and art styles helped me frame the confusion I was feeling. The cyclical spiral of attempting to figure out what went wrong seemed similar to staring at an abstract work of art and trying to determine how long to look before moving on.” - Car Odyssey
“This is a song about how humans often will put more time into vehicle maintenance than upkeep in a relationship. The song dwells on a used-car in a junkyard as it re-tells old adventures and hopes for the chance at a new one.” - Game Show Winnings
“Game Show Winnings is a concept rooted in my disillusionment with the music industry being related to commercial TV game shows.” - Krakow
“Krakow’ is a reflection on my first experience touring overseas and having to miss my best friend’s wedding, a family member being ill, and meeting new people who I’d likely never see again.” - Empty Vespers
“Empty Vespers focuses on times when I’ve felt as though I’ve lost the sense of youthful innocence. A pining for the way things were along with an uncertainty of my ability to succeed in a new role as an adult. There’s a theme of contradictions throughout the lyrics to represent the feeling of unease.” - Every Child
“The thesis statement of ‘Every Child’ is that we are who we are from a young age. I was working as a recreation program facilitator at an elementary school and saw far too often, that some parents would not hold their children accountable when there was a behavioural issue. There was a ‘boys will be boys’ mentality, or more aptly, ‘kids will be kids’ and while I absolutely agree children need a longer leash to explore themselves and the world, I think there must be some guidance along the way. The other predominant theme in this song is reconciling being in my late twenties and wrestling with new worries that I hadn’t had in my younger years. Overall, it’s about growing up when you feel more or less like the person you were as a child but with all these new responsibilities.” - Breakfast Again
“Breakfast Again details the worries and resolution that come with no longer sharing a life with someone important to you.”
Comments on the album:
The primary inspiration for Feather Weights was reconciling the end of my first serious relationship and the uncertainty/confusion that followed. Half the album are songs that dwell on the various stages I experienced, namely over analyzing what led to the end, believing there was still love and work to be done (Car Odyssey), and ultimately true acceptance (Breakfast Again). The other songs on the record are inspired by various life experiences that I’ve been attempting to understand through song writing.
Feather Weights has been an exercise in patience. When I had completed the demos for the album in February of 2018, I went into the studio eager to see the album released by the fall. However, by April it was clear that the vision I had for the record wasn’t communicated clearly and by the month’s end, I decided to scrap the recordings we had done and start again.
At the beginning of May, the owners of the building we were recording in announced the property was to be demolished and by month’s end, it was. Our producer and multi-instrumentalist, Palmer Jamieson, found a new place to record above a fishmonger’s shop.
By the start of July, he had built Golden Palm Studio and we were recording again.
Near the end of the summer 2018, we were pretty well finished with Feather Weights. There were a few flourishes and outside contributors, namely Jim Bryson who provides electric guitar throughout the album, but we were all thrilled with what we had created. It was around this time where the largest infraction occurred, the record label I had signed onto began to inexplicably stop communication.
I signed a record deal in 2017 with an American label who were extremely eager to release our next record. Despite the geographic distance we phoned every two weeks, strategizing and planning with increased enthusiasm. When I delivered the album demos, they were thrilled with what we were working on. For some reason still not known to me today (see Game Show Winnings) in April of 2018 they stopped communicating all together. Months would pass and dozens upon dozens of texts/emails/calls went unanswered. When the album was delivered close to completion in the summer of 2018, they finally got in contact, apologized without giving any context for their ghostlike replies, and reaffirmed me of their commitment to the project. Then I never heard from them again.
I was fortunate enough to meet my current label through various local shows and conferences. His roster included some of my favourite local songwriters and I eventually explained my predicament to him. By the new year of 2019 he had negotiated in good faith a contract with the old label, and myself, in which I was able to sign with Laughing Heart Music. The better part of the past year was spent re-strategizing the release, as plans of old must be adjusted. There were new realities in the industry, the band, and my life. October 2nd, 2020 will see the release of Feather Weights, an exercise in patience but more so, friendship and camaraderie. One of the silver linings is how much this experience brought the people who put so much of themselves and talent into the project closer, as we navigated a comedy’s worth of setbacks.
Feather Weights Album and Focus Track Car Odyssey will be available from October 2nd, 2020, with LHM Records.