Dean Owens has a new album (Spirit Ridge) in the pipeline (scheduled for release in Feb 2025), preceded by three (taster) EPs (The Ridge Trilogy), the first one of which (Vol 1 – Ghost Walking) is out on 26 July (the same day as Dean and his band make their debut at Cambridge Folk Festival). Watch the video for the lead track, My Beloved Hills below.
Dean: My Beloved Hills was Inspired by something a friend of Don Antonio (my production partner in this project) said to me when I was talking to her about the possibility of Don Antonio joining us for dinner in Bologna on my first visit there. ‘Yes,’ she replied, ‘if he’s able to leave his beloved hills for one day’. When I finally got to see his beautiful hills around Crinale I understood why he might not want to leave them.
The video reflects the Scottish/Italian roots of the song and the album, blending cinematic views of the hills around both Edinburgh and Crinale (in the Emilia Romagna region of north Italy), with intimate shots of the musicians at work in the studio (a 400-year-old converted farmhouse).
Spirit Ridge is the official follow-up to Sinner’s Shrine. Mutual friend John Convertino introduced Dean to renowned Italian producer Don Antonio, who thought they would work well together. He wasn’t wrong! The results are as big and cinematic as Dean’s recent collaboration with Calexico, with an equally deeply rooted sense of place.
Don Antonio (Antonio Gramentieri) is a highly regarded Italian producer/musician/ filmmaker. Recent collaborations include producing Alejandro Escovedo’s Echo Dancing album, as well as his own Sacri Cuori band, known for their atmospheric, cinematic sound.
Video credits:
Crinale Studio film by Nicki Young.
Drone footage by Johnny Magowan
Video by Ruth Barrie and Dylan Matthew
Musicians:
Dean Owens – lead vocals, nylon string guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals, whistling
& The Stone Buffalo Band:
Don Antonio – guitars, lapsteel, mellotron, piano
Luca Giovacchini – guitars, dobro
Piero Perelli – drums and percussion
Danilo Gallo – double bass, bass
with:
Nicola Peruch – piano, organ, keyboards
Vanni Crociani – horns arrangements
Francesco Bucci – trombone
Michele Vignali – baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
Martin Wenk – trumpet
Tom Hagerman – strings and string arrangements
Kirsten Adamson – backing vocals
Upcoming Dates
Thur 11, 12, 13, & Mon 15 Jul – Roots In The Round: Dean with Kirsten Adamson, Matt Joe Gow
Glad Café Glasgow, King’s Kirkcaldy, Behind The Wall, Falkirk, Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh
Tue 23 Jul – Vinyl Whistle*, Leeds
Wed 24 Jul – Temperance*, Leamington Spa
Thu 25 Jul – The Green Note, London
Fri 26 Jul – Cambridge Folk Festival, Cambridge
Sat 27 Jul – Hanover Community Hall, Brighton
Sun 28 Jul – High Tide Festival, Twickenham
Mon 29 Jul – Kingsmead House Concerts, High Wycombe*
Fri 9 Aug – Fringe By The Sea, North Berwick
Sat 10 Aug – Ghillie Dhu*, Edinburgh (Fringe)
*Duo show, with special guest Philip Cardwell (trumpet)
More: https://www.deanowens.com/