Tucked between two houses on a nondescript side street in Irvington stands the Kile Oak. The 85-foot-tall bur oak tree is estimated to be 450 years old, meaning it’s been growing since before the U.S. was established. The tree is named after Reverend Oliver Kile — and now, it’ll be the name of an album by Ultimate Dog as well.
If you go
“The Reverend Kile Oak” release party
🗓️ 8 p.m. Feb. 25
📍 State Street Pub, 243 N. State Ave.
🎟️ $10
The three-member psychedelic rock band will release “The Reverend Kile Oak” at an album launch party at State Street Pub Feb. 25. The album will be available for streaming the next day.
“The tree was just something that stuck in my head as cool in the area where I was living,” band member and Irvington resident Matt McDonald said. “I think we liked that it could refer to a tree or a person, and that ambiguity had kind of a mystique to it.”
The idea for the album title came before the songs themselves. McDonald said he was drawn to the way the Kile Oak can break through the noise of day-to-day life to remind you that you’re part of something bigger.
“You go stand under a tree that old, and you just think about everybody who’s stood and looked at this same tree,” he said. “All the different experiences, all the different kinds of people who’ve maybe had similar moments with this tree as just kind of an overarching presence in your life.”
Related
Arborists work to ensure Irvington’s Kile Oak continues to stand tall
The 450-year-old tree is a central part of Irvington’s identity.
The Kile Oak is not the only part of McDonald’s life in Irvington that made it into the album.
“There is a siren noise that’s gonna be on the record, which actually references a larger story at play,” McDonald said.
It’s the story of a character called Mr. Bettleman, inspired by a disgruntled neighbor who set off car alarms every time Ultimate Dog practiced. At first, the band thought it was a mistake, but the pattern became more clear and more aggressive, including alarms at 6 a.m. the day after a practice. The neighbor also screamed at them from his front porch and blared the siren from a police bullhorn.
“One of the times that he decided to blast us with the alarms, we recorded it,” McDonald said. “So we’ve got a song that is from his perspective, and it kind of gives a heart to him. But then he kind of descends into madness.”
Field recordings from around Irvington feature in the album, too. The sounds of trains, frogs and geese help immerse the listener in everyday life.
“There’s a deliberate effort to place this record, to locate it some definite ‘where,’” drummer Jacob Worrell said. “But I think it’s also a matter of the fact that no matter how far out you go, you’re always creating from exactly where you’re at.”
The show on Feb. 25 will also feature rock ’n’ roll from Afterglow and psychedelic rock from Stuporwaffles. All proceeds from the show will go to saving the State Street Pub.
“It’s one of the greatest live music venues in the city,” McDonald said.
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Emily Worrell is a Mirror Indy freelance contributor. You can reach her at emily.worrell@mirrorindy.org.
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