Tobias the Owl - Painting Zeroes by Your Name (2015)

Tobias the Owl is based on the songwriting of Toronto native turned Seattle resident, Elijah Dhawan, who spent years traveling, sometimes on foot, throughout the southwest and west coast. Along the way, he gathered a diverse set of influences, from Texas roots and folk traditions; deep Southern bluegrass; Canadian indie rock; Long Beach surf and rockabilly; and Pacific Northwestern acoustic music. Throughout, Elijah has also proudly carried and reflected the traditions of his native, Moroccan music; from the deeply spiritual, tones of classical Sufi music to the community-shared folk of Berber culture. The songs are built on using music to heal and sublimate the tribulations of life into higher spiritual awareness.

The name, “Tobias the Owl”, hales from a line in a Pavel Solivar poem, about a one-eyed owl who visits the home of a lonely musician. Hungry and unable to hunt, the owl begins to visit regularly for meals and keeps the musician company while he plays. The poem describes the moment at which the musician decides on a name to call the owl, stating: “Oh, Tobias, you see through the blindness, and in the cold of the darkness every eye that shines is a universe unto itself”.

This newly remixed 6 song EP, Painting Zeroes by Your Name, released on London Tone Music is Tobias the Owl’s first commercially available project. The original was self-released and shared with friends, but word spread and some of the songs gained international prominence and critical acclaim, including the track “Low Life”, which has been performed by the likes of Deer Tick and Jonah Tolchin, the deeply spiritual singer-songwriter who has had the most profound influence on the band and their songwriting.

Tobias the Owl has been named “Best Songwriter” in the 2014 Seattle Sound Music Awards, and also “Best Singer/Songwriter” in the 2014 Toronto Independent Music Awards.

Tobias the Owl released a single for London Tone Music’s 52x52 launch campaign in late 2014 called, “No Light (Moon Song)” (included in this remixed and re-packaged set). When asked to describe the various themes and ideas of the songs, songwriter Elijah Dhawan explained, “The songs exist on several, intertwined spectra that revolve around some central themes. “Low Life” for instance is about disappearing anonymously into the background of a cold, unfeeling universe. It’s about the transient nature of our relationships. “Mouse” however, reflects the permanence of our actions, and our words, and talks about how our interactions may be brief, but the effects they have seem to last forever. “Inverse Seconds” is about the inverse relationship between time and memory. It’s about letting go. “CA” is about how important it is to hold on to the moments that feel sacred to us. “No Light (Moon Song)” is about the fine boundary between cherishing what we have, and gently letting go of the things that are beyond our reach.”

A bonus with the physical CD is an accompanying novel of the same name. Elijah discussed how the novel works as a companion piece to the CD, explaining, “The novel offers a much more thorough, flushed out, and dense discussion of some of the themes. Some of the ideas can be hinted at, but not really indulged in a 4 minute song. Some of the concepts really took several pages to explain. I hope that there will be some enjoyment in delving deeper into the ideas that the songs hint at.”

Tobias The Owl recently went back into London Bridge Studio to begin recording a brand new EP project with Producer/Engineer Geoff Ott, with hopes of a summer 2015 release.