Bones Owens Announces Self-Produced Record ‘Best Western,’ Releases Rocking Lead Single “Old Time Low”

All you Southern rock fans, listen up.

If you’re a fan of Whiskey Myers, Blackberry Smoke, Fox ‘N Vead, Rob Leines, or Treaty Oak Revival, here’s an artist you need to add to your list: Bones Owens.

Bones, whose name is Caleb Owens but got the nickname from his grandfather, is no stranger to the country and music scene. After years of touring with other artists like YellaWolf, Jelly Roll, and more, he chose to chase his dreams, kicking off his solo career in 2014 and releasing his debut record three years later in 2017.

“Seven or eight years ago, I started focusing in on creating my own thing.”

Growing up in the Midwest on a corn and soybean farm in rural north-central Missouri, which Bones notes is in the “smack dab in the middle of nowhere, honestly,” shaped a lot of his sound, he tells Whiskey Riff. While he has written songs alongside some of country music’s big names, like Koe Wetzel, he’s never fallen into the trap of Nashville since relocating there 20 years ago. He doesn’t feel the need to appease the sound that other artists in Music City are leaning into. 

“I think that factors into it. I live in Nashville, I’ve lived here for a long time, but I don’t necessarily feel that influenced by a lot of music that’s coming out of Nashville. But that’s probably obvious, maybe, to some people who are listening to my music.”

Bones Owen is in a lane of his own, blending some of the classic country elements his grandfather exposed him to with the classic rock bands his dad enjoyed. The combination of the two creates a gritty, garage-style sound with a slight twang that he’s honed in on since his debut, Make Me No King, and has grown and refined through his latest album, Love Out Of Lemons.

“There are little nods occasionally to the classic country records that I was introduced to by both of my grandpas. I mean, I’m a nostalgic person, and I grew up in the ’90s when alternative, real alternative music was huge. So, I felt like my music is kind of all, interestingly, a product of the music my grandfathers, the music of my dad, and the music that I really grew up on. It’s some hybrid of kind of those three generations of influence.”

Check it out:

“Get It On”

Bones Owens Announces Forthcoming Record

Now, Bones is entering a new chapter of music. He still considers it to fall more in the rock than country category, but still leans into elements of alternative music, giving a slight nod to artists like The Strokes or The Black Keys based on the sound.

“Even when I’m influenced by something, it’s not really going to sound like that. I’m not trying to duplicate anything that’s been done. But it’s always going to be my own take on it.”

That statement rings true on the lead single “Old Time Low,” from his newly announced record Best Western, which is slated for a September 19th release.

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“Old Time Low” is a strong lead single for Best Western, showcasing the softer side of Bones Owens, which he notes will be a common thread throughout the album. He shared that this record feels the “southern blues feels less up front” on this album and that he moved away from the “big riff heavy” sound.

“This is a little departure from that. I’m excited to see what people think about it. I’m happy with it.” 

Bones approached the creation of this record differently than in the past; he didn’t want to dig through his archives or listen to old demos. He wanted the album to be all fresh new songs, and it was his goal to write enough songs that he liked in the three months coming off a tour with Blackberry Smoke before his studio time was booked to do that task.

“I didn’t make it too hard on myself, but just hard enough to get through it. It’s all brand new songs, all stuff I’ve written in the past half of the year. It just feels fresh to me.” 

The album’s title came about as he began to write for Best Western while staying at Best Western in Georgia, while working on a film project. The location featured a half-modern, half-motel layout. The nostalgia of a roadside motel got the creative juices flowing, and he began to geotag all his ideas as “Best Western 1,” “Best Western 2,” etc.

He read me an excerpt he wrote about Best Western’s theme and how these roadside motels represent the gritty way of life, which Bones notes he’s always been drawn to.

“Roadside motels are largely a thing of the past. You stayed at them when you were on the move between places. ‘Best Western’ harkens back to a time gone by, giving nods to things that have come before and also appears during a time in my life and career that feels in between places. Roadside motels today feel seedy, a place the majority of society shies away from. A world for hustlers, addicts, and those on the fringe of society. One of the final vestiges of the Wild West.”

Bones produced it himself for the first time, recording the album at Paul Moak’s The Smoakstack in the heart of Nashville’s Berry Hill district. He impressively played nearly all the instruments in the studio as well.

“I’m just kind of nuts like that, I guess.”

Bones shared that he creates many of his albums alone, noting that only three tracks on the 15-track record are co-written with other people. He shared that he does a lot of the creative heavy lifting for his records at his home, where he also cuts the demos, often getting attached to the sound that he curates on the demos. Because he knows how he wants the melody and instrumentals to sound, he felt like he could do it all, following in the footsteps of Dave Grohl, who had also played all the instruments on the Foo Fighters’ first album. However, Bones admits that he needed help with the percussion of it all.

“That’s the thing I can’t do. I can’t play drums worth s**t. No one wants to hear that. So, I brought my buddy Julian [Dorio], who used to play live with me. He’s played on most of my records. He tours now, not with me but Stephen Wilson Jr. So he’s staying busy doing that, but timing worked out cool for him to come in and play drums on this record.” 

Bones Owens’ footprint is in this record through every aspect, making it uniquely his and highlighting him as a dynamic artist.

Living For The Live Show

While Bones loves that fans are getting to stream “Old Time Low” and will soon have more new songs to listen to, the live performances truly bring him joy.

“The main response that I obviously kind of hope for is that it sounds like something you’ll go see in person, you know, and come experience a show. That’s kind of the main reason for making the records. It’s cool that records live forever, and that’s kind of exciting and scary at the same time, but really, I live for the live show part of it. And so I think the records to me are kind of a tool to get people to come out to the show.”

Speaking of shows, Bones has a busy tour schedule for the summer, including returning to the famed festival Under The Big Sky in Whitefish, Montana, which Bones raved about during our conversation.

“It’s a beautiful backdrop for a festival.” 

Bones played at Under The Big Sky during their inaugural year and praised Outrider Presents for having a smooth experience for artists and guests during the first year, which we all know is impressive.

“They’ve got a cool little supportive community up there. They are going out of their way to bring good music to kind of the middle of nowhere… It’s just a beautiful area. It’s a killer lineup this year, as always.” 

Bones shared that any festivalgoers who might stop by his set should be prepared for him to be loud and to have a rocking time.

“Bring earplugs. It’s going to be loud, and I’m not going to turn it down. I do, maybe to a fault, especially if I have an outdoor stage like that, I pride myself on being as loud as I can.

I don’t know how to prepare anyone for it, except it may or may not be the most rock and roll set on the festival for the year.” 

That sounds like my kind of scene. Bones also shared that he and the band are beginning to practice the new tunes and plan on performing a few of the songs from Best Western on stage.

“Maybe even a little teaser of a song or two that hasn’t come out yet.” 

If you’re headed to Whitefish later this summer, Bones Owens needs to be on your list of artists to see.

I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the rest of Best Western.The post Bones Owens Announces Self-Produced Record ‘Best Western,’ Releases Rocking Lead Single “Old Time Low” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.