By Scout Nicholson / The Jambar
Virginia-based band Dogwood Tales released its third album titled “Destination Heaven,” alongside Philadelphia-based band Euphoria Again, in January 2026.
Dogwood Tales is composed of lead guitarists and vocalists Ben Ryan and Kyle Grim, bassist Danny Gibney and drummer Jake Golibart.
For over a decade, the band has been performing music. Originally formed by Ryan and Grim in 2014. In 2017, the duo met Gibney and Golibart and officially became a four-piece band.
Ryan said the band’s sound leans alternative country with indie rock influences.
“We call it alt country, as an ode to a lot of 1990s alt country — big influences like Wilco, Whiskytown and Son Volt,” Ryan said. “It’s definitely different, and we’re probably leaning more into the indie rock world, but I like to stick with alt country/indie rock.”
So far, the band has released two albums, an EP and multiple singles prior to “Destination Heaven.” In 2018, the band released its debut album titled “Too Hard to Tell.”
“[‘Too Hard to Tell’] felt like a big stepping stone for us in terms of direction and what we wanted to do musically. It’s still something I listen back to and feel really proud of,” Ryan said. “We had a vision, and we executed it.”
Dogwood Tales released its second album in 2020 titled “Closest Thing to Heaven.” Afterwards, it released an EP titled “sending.” This EP features its most streamed song on Spotify, “i saw angels,” with over 143,000 streams.
Ryan said the band’s most recent album came about unexpectedly, with the intention to only record four songs alongside Euphoria Again.
“[Euphoria Again] came down [to Virginia], and we ended up helping write each other’s songs. We were vibing so hard in the studio,” Ryan said. “We ended up with these nine tracks that were mainly live takes, and we all collaborated on the songwriting, and it ended up being like, ‘Let’s just put this out quickly.’”
Dogwood Tales music is produced through Born Losers Records, based in Philadelphia. The band records its music at Gibney’s recording studio, Soundcheck Infinity, in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Currently, the band is on a midwest tour opening for Coma Cinema and Trace Tuesdays, and performing at spots in Chicago, Detroit, Nashville, Tennessee and St. Louis.
Ryan said the band plans to release its fourth album at the end of the summer, with a tour in the fall.
“We’re gonna release this album with a lot of energy behind it, and a lot of content behind it. We’re super stoked — I think it’s our best work that we’ve ever done. It’s very cohesive, and it’s different from every release,” Ryan said.
Those interested in more on Dogwood Tales can visit its website or stream its music on Spotify and Apple Music.