Night Owl Country Band to Play CERAland Sunday

Amidst abundant sunshine and relaxing lakeside vibes, Hope’s Night Owl Country Band is set to return to CERAland for their annual Memorial Day Celebration show beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday.

“We will play up until 10 p.m. and if the crowd still wants to hang out we will continue to play until 11 p.m.,” says Matt Lee, lead singer.

Lee says the band has been rehearsing some new original songs, including “It’s All In A Song” written by the band’s guitarist Brett Denney and one written by a fan residing in Worthville, Kentucky.

The genesis of the song “You Can Keep the Ring” is experience, says songwriter Allison Bolton.

“I’ve been through a lot of relationships and what would hurt me the most was when the guy would ask for the ring back,” 54-year-old Bolton says. “I thought, ‘You give me back the love I gave you and you can have the ring.’”

Bolton admits she was surprised and honored to know the Night Owls will not only be performing the song, but also recording it at a later date, she says.

“I hope it is a number one for them because they are an excellent band,” Bolton says. “I would love for my song to be a number one hit, but I’ll also be humble about it because that is what God would want me to do.”

Nigh Owl guitarist Tim Dooley considers it an honor to record a song written by a fan. Equating it to having a child, there is immense trust involved whether people realize it or not.

“Songs are kind of like your baby and you just don’t hand it over to anyone,” Dooley says. “It is quite an honor and it is a beautiful song.”

Dooley says playing CERAland is always a great time.

“You aren’t going to see me at the pool, you’ll see me hanging by the lake,” Dooley says. “It is going to be great with beautiful weather.”

Fans likely won't know simply by sound, but Lee says the band will be trying out new equipment this weekend, too.

“We needed to beef up our equipment a bit more,” he says. “We are doing quite a few outdoor shows this year, so we wanted to make sure we had the equipment to do that with.”

Before the first note is played that evening, Lee and the guys invite fans to arrive around 5 p.m. for a pre-show gathering to celebrate drummer Casey Johnson’s recent college graduation.

“If they want, they can bring a gift and celebrate with him,” Lee says. “Graduating college is a big deal.”

Johnson, who earned a bachelor’s degree in communications and a business minor from IUPUC in Columbus, says he feels a sense of accomplishment and immense relief for the newfound free time in his schedule.

As he and the band continue to rehearse ahead of Sunday’s show, Johnson says the whole band is looking forward to setting up lakeside.

“Playing at the landing the few times we do is always really nice and a crowd is always there,” Johnson says. “Memorial Day that place is swarming with people and we always look forward to entertaining them.”