Colony House Coming to OBU for March 27 Concert

March 19, 2021

Colony House, a popular American indie rock quartet with three albums and countless accolades, is coming to Bison Hill for a spectacular outdoor concert Saturday evening, March 27. Admission is free. The concert is sponsored by the student-led University Concert Series, which uses reserved student fees to fund performances like this to enrich the campus life experience for OBU students.

Food trucks and lawn games kick things off at 5 p.m., coinciding with the “Back to the Future Parade.” Cavern Company takes the stage on the south steps of Raley Chapel at 7 p.m., with Colony House headlining the show at 8:15 p.m.

The event is free and open to the entire campus community. Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs. Physical distancing should be maintained and face coverings worn while on campus.

The concert is the culmination of four days of events celebrating OBU and the inauguration of the University’s 16th president, Dr. Heath A. Thomas.

With Colony House’s third full-length album, “Leave What’s Lost Behind” (Roon Records), the Nashville quartet—Caleb Chapman (vocals), Will Chapman (drums), Scott Mills (guitar) and Parke Cottrell (bass)—stitch together a singular folklore between threads of stadium rock scope, alternative experimentation and indie spirit, making a bold statement in the process.

“Leave What’s Lost Behind is a bit of an experiment,” explains Caleb. “After a confusing season of trying to figure out what Colony House was supposed to sound like next, we put that on hold and began focusing on what Colony House wanted to communicate next.”

A confluence of serendipity, fate and inspiration brought the group here. They quietly steamrolled into the mainstream on their 2014 full-length debut “When I Was Younger.” Its lead single “Silhouettes” not only generated over 30 million total streams, but it also stood out as the #1 most-played track on SiriusXM’s Alt Nation for four consecutive months.

In between constant touring and performances on Late Night with Seth Meyers, CONAN and Today, 2017’s “Only The Lonely” yielded fan favorites “You Know It” and “You & I.” The group garnered widespread praise from the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Paste, Clash, Huffington Post, A.V. Club, Earmilk and many others.

After nearly two years of solid touring without recording, the musicians found themselves at a crossroads.

“With managers, labels and peers offering a moving target of opinion on what Colony House should do next, we knew our approach to this next album had to change,” Scott Mills explained.

At the top of 2018, the band transitioned out of the major label system, a welcomed change the group saw as more of an opportunity than a setback.

“We scrapped nearly everything we had written for the last couple of years and started from scratch,” Caleb continued. “When all the voices, real or in your own head are silenced, an amazing new perspective takes shape. That empty space we call writer's block quickly turns into a space bursting at the seams with new ideas and inspiration.”

At the top of 2019, the band teamed up with Ben Shive, who produced Colony House’s first album “When I Was Younger,” to begin working on “Leave What’s Lost Behind.” Colony House operated without rules, tapping into the freedom of their formative years as a band. The first single “Looking for Some Light” illuminates that direction. Lush guitar gives way to sweeping strings and strong keys before a luminous cathedral-size chant takes hold.

From a three-part narrative that evokes American folklore to deeply personal tracks confronting faith, purpose and the insecurities that exist inside it all, Colony House’s third album is an endeavor designed to be experienced in its entirety.

“Call us old fashioned, but we still think albums are important and that a collection of songs in support of each other holds a unique power,” Caleb said. “We want to take the listener on a journey a single song never could.”

In the end, Colony House delivers a story meant to be inhabited like a timeless novel.

Learn more about Colony House. View a full list of inaugural events.