Music Night inspires Howl Owl Howl

Grammy Award-winning artist Darius Rucker told "The Today Show" and Rolling Stone that his 2019 performance at a school fundraiser with USN parent of alumni Steve Gorman led to the creation of their new band.
By Juanita I.C. Traughber, Director of Marketing & Communications

University School of Nashville's annual concert fundraiser inspired rock and country musician greats from Hootie & the Blowfish, The Black Crowes, and R.E.M. to form Howl Owl Howl. That's the story Darius Rucker is telling multiple media outlets while on a press tour to promote Howl Owl Howl's nine-show tour, concluding this week.
 
On February 16, 2019, then USN parent Steve Gorman brought Rucker, Peter Holsapple, and friends to the stage of the school's Durnan Auditorium to perform for Music Night. The group called themselves The Invisible Hand.
 
“You can call it a supergroup if you want, but I think people will really be surprised at how good it is,” Rucker told Rolling Stone magazine in September. “But we’re just a band. We’re friends, and we jammed together one day at Steve’s kid’s school with [Nashville session player] Tom Bukovac playing guitar. We were just like, ‘Let’s go in the studio and see what happens.’ And we went in the studio and to be honest with you, magic happened, and then I just can’t wait for the record to get out.’”
 
He retold the story on "The Today Show" on Monday, November 11.
 
Music Night is an annual adult-only concert with heavy hors d'oeuvres, an open bar, and some of Nashville’s best musicians to showcase the enormous talent of USN parents, faculty, and staff. Ticket sales benefit the school's Arts and Athletics Departments. Back in 2019, Music Night raised $28,875. 

“Music Night is such a hallmark event for our school community. It's wonderful to see the impact that it's had, not only on arts and athletics at USN, but also that this amazing group has come together,” said USNA Office Administrator Debra Alberts. “We got to see them first. You could almost see it happening on stage. There was something magical that night, and I think all 400 people in that auditorium might agree. It was a fantastic show. And we were so lucky to be a part of sort of that first coming together.”

Hear tunes performed during their 2019 Music Night set here, and view pictures from their performance here and hereFind more previous Music Night playlists on Spotify, including a collection of songs covered by the faculty & staff house band, The K-12 Situation.
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University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.