PREMIERE: Unwed Sailor Offer a Behind-the-Scenes Look at Twenty Years of Indie Rock in “Ovid” Video

Members of Fleet Foxes, Pedro the Lion, Manchester Orchestra, and more populate the unearthed Super-8 footage for the Johnathon Ford project’s first release in a decade.
PREMIERE: Unwed Sailor Offer a Behind-the-Scenes Look at Twenty Years of Indie Rock in “Ovid” Video

Members of Fleet Foxes, Pedro the Lion, Manchester Orchestra, and more populate the unearthed Super-8 footage for the Johnathon Ford project’s first release in a decade.

Words: Dean Brandt

photo by Jen Cray

March 21, 2019

Unwed Sailor may not be a household name, but the vast array of artists who have circled through the group’s lineup over their two decades of existence will certainly ring a bell: members of late-’00s indie heavyweights Fleet Foxes and Manchester Orchestra contributed to the Johnathon Ford–conducted instrumental jam band, while early ’00s Tooth & Nail artists like Sufjan Stevens, mewithoutYou, Danielson Famile, and Pedro the Lion also lent a hand in the collective’s heyday.

Having recently announced their first record in over ten years—Heavy Age, set for a May 3 release—Ford and co. are revealing a track from the album which picks up right where they left off, echoing the post-rock soundscapes of Tristeza and Lymbyc Systym. In addition, “Ovid” is being shared with a video compiling Super-8 footage of the band in its many forms across the past two decades, edited by current drummer Matt Putman. It’s an Easter egg hunt of familiar indie rockers, including God’s favorite customer himself.

“In its twenty-first year, Unwed Sailor has toured the world while being an incubator and musical outlet for artists that went on to make current, modern day classic albums,” the band shares. “Because of Unwed Sailor’s creative spirit, they’ve enjoyed the honor of collaborating with some of the most creative musical minds in modern independent music. This video for ‘Ovid’ is a snapshot of that collaborative history.”

Heavy Age is out May 3. Catch the preview below, along with upcoming tour dates.

Tour Dates:

4/11 – Little Rock, AR @ Whitewater Tavern
4/12 – Kansas City, MO @ Rino
4/13 – St. Louis, MO @ Foam
4/14 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
4/15 – Milwaukee, WI @ Cactus Club
4/16 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean Downstairs
4/17 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahallʼs Locker Room
4/18 – Columbus, OH @ Spacebar
4/19 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smallʼs Funhouse
4/20 – Brooklyn, NY @ Gold Sounds
4/21 – Boston, MA @ OʼBrienʼs Pub
4/22 – Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
4/23 – Baltimore, MD @ Joe Squared
4/24 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
4/25 – Asheville, NC @ Ole Shakeyʼs
4/26 – Athens, GA @ Flicker
4/27 – Birmingham, AL @ Momʼs Basement
6/16 – San Francisco, CA @ Hotel Utah
6/17 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Crepe Place