Night Owls unveil new album at Friday Halloween show

Fans of the Night Owl Country Band are invited out for a spook-tacular good time beginning at 7 p.m. this Friday at the Commons for the Fourth Annual Night Owl Halloween Show.

This year’s event is even more special as the band will be celebrating its fourth anniversary, as well as the release of its second album, self-titled “Night Owl Country Band.”

“The album is something totally different from what we have done before,” says Matt Lee, NOCB’s lead singer. “It is a VIP interactive album.”

Upon the album’s release that evening, fans will be able to download it for free. Once fans have downloaded the album, via a text to a number that will be given that evening, they will be in the loop to receive additional free downloads for that album, Lee says.

“When people get it that night, they will get a notification each time the band releases another song,” Lee explains. “As long as we add to the album, they’ll get the songs for free as they are released.”

Lee says the band will certainly be giving fans a sneak peek of what the album has to offer with a few songs they will perform that evening. Among the titles in the set is “Lies In You,” a song written by a local gentleman who suffered with drug addiction until he fell in love with a woman who helped him find the strength he needed to get and remain sober, Lee says.

Lee says he and the guys will also be dressed in costume, however, they have been sworn to secrecy as to what those costumes will be, he says, and it shall remain a secret until the performance that evening, when they take the stage to perform their latest song “Made In America,” as well as familiar favorites including “Somewhere” and “Certified Night Owl.”

Joining the band this year will be The Tacketts, a band who performed at the Grand Ole Opry the same evening as NOCB did last year, as well as local favorite Dustin Huff, who has written songs for performers such as Blake Shelton, Lee says.

Television’s “Survivor” series finalist Rupert will make another appearance at this year and fans will be able to chat with the reality TV star who will have a booth set up, Lee says. In addition, the Riverfront Tap Room will be serving adult beverages and Special Dogs will be offering tasty treats with all the toppings.

Those who are curious about the paranormal will have a special treat as the Southern Indiana Paranormal Society will have a booth set up where they will be greeting people and answering questions about their investigations and experiences, Lee says.

NOCB guitarist Tim Dooley says he hopes to have a spare few minutes to pay the booth a visit.

“I’d like to hear their stories, especially about locations around here,” Dooley says. “You always hear stories, like about Azalia bridge and the Crump Theatre. I know they’ve investigated some of those places and it would be interesting to hear about what they found.”

But getting answers about the paranormal takes a back seat to Dooley and the guys’ main priority that evening.

“I just hope everyone has a really good time,” he says. “We’ve got some Halloween music we are going to perform that will likely surprise fans. I want everyone to have a good time and forget about the worries of their life for a couple of hours. That is what we are here for, to make people smile and, hopefully, make their day a bit better.”