Owl (band)

Owl
Owl performing in 2015
Background information
Origin	Los Angeles, California
Genres	Hard rock experimental rock alternative rock
Years active	2007 (2007)–present
Labels	Overit Records, Magnetic Eye Records
Associated acts	The Cult, The Clay People, Black Belt Karate
Website	www.owltheband.net
Members	Chris Wyse Dan Dinsmore Jason Achilles Mezilis

Owl is a three piece Los Angeles-based hard rock band. Led by vocalist/bassist Chris Wyse, the long-time bassist for the Cult and a member of Ace Frehley's band, Owl released their eponymous debut in 2009 and their second album, The Right Thing, in 2013.

Wyse began playing bass while in grade school in upstate New York. As a teenager, he met drummer Dan Dinsmore, then 17; shortly thereafter, they began playing together in a local band, East Wall. After touring regionally, Wyse, who had garnered national attention as a bass player, moved to Los Angeles, while Dinsmore remained in Albany, joining the industrial rock band The Clay People.

Wyse's success came quickly in Los Angeles, where he played with Guns N' Roses' Chris Pitman, Tool's Paul D'Amour, Tal Bachman, Mick Jagger, Scott Weiland, and Ozzy Osbourne before joining the Cult in 2006. Dinsmore's band also achieved significant success, particularly with the single Awake, from the Strangeland soundtrack which hit #1 on the metal charts. When the Clay People went on hiatus in 2001, Dinsmore continued his career as a drummer, playing with producer Mike Clink, known for his work with Metallica, among others.

In 2002, Wyse met guitarist Jason Achilles Mezilis through a mutual friend. A classically trained pianist, Mezilis had recently graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. After graduation, he interned at several prominent recording studios and played guitar with Los Angeles bands, including Your Horrible Smile. In 2011, Mezilis founded Organic Audio Recorders, a boutique analog & digital recording studio in downtown Los Angeles.

An early version of Owl was formed in 2001 to recorded a cover of "Behind The Sun" for the record Flammable: A Tribute To the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In reviewing the album, All Music Guide wrote "Owl's version of "Behind the Sun" is appropriately trippy, and even replicates Flea's dominating bassline with aplomb."