Cadence, Rhythm, and Ink: The Musical Creation of “The Wizard and The Owl”

Cadence, Rhythm, and Ink: The Musical Creation of “The Wizard and The Owl”

By Ethan Orwig

One of the most vivid memories I have as a child was sitting cross legged before my dad’s seemingly eternal collection of books, he stored on the shelves of our Oakland Tennessee living room. From history biographies to fantasy fiction, dad supplied my sister and I with stories that encapsulated the good, the true, and the beautiful; tales that defined clear depictions of the light and dark, the good triumphing over evil. There is one that that captivated me even as a little six-year-old boy. Long before I read JRR Tolkien’s “The Hobbit”, I immersed myself in its illustrative counterpart, “The Art of the Hobbit”. It is an extensive collection of Tolkien’s concept drawings, watercolors, and ink work of Middle Earth. From the surrealistic ink drawings of the trolls peeking out from behind trees of the smoke-like campfire, and even the pleasant geometric design of Bilbo Baggins’ hobbit hole; these illustrations are burned nostalgically in my head.

In his element: Broadbridge mixes his music in a n at-home fully analog studio

Years later, I read “The Hobbit” itself. The beauty of the illustrations I loved were reinforced with Tolkien’s trance-like poems and songs that blended into the story of Bilbo Baggins’ adventures. These songs and poems were filled with an unwavering cadence which can only be described as musically oriented.

“The Wizard and the Owl” book Cover, written by Clifton David Broadbridge and illustrated by Cat Broadbridge

So, when I was given the opportunity to read the “Wizard and the Owl”, a children’s book written by Clifton David Broadbridge, it is no wonder why this little red book sent me into an otherworldly wave of warmth and nostalgia for the books I read in my youth. It is illustrated by Broadbridge’s wife, Cat Broadbridge. “The Wizard and the Owl,” Mr. Broadbridge’s first published book, is a poetically written story about a kind old wizard finding refuge in a forest of talking animals. When the creatures of the woods are alarmed by the sight of their new neighbor, they confide in the advice of an ornery old owl. They are quick to discard the owl’s hostile words when the kind wizard helps the creatures in all their groans and troubles. The owl’s redemption comes when he takes flight to save the forest from a sudden storm casted by the wizard’s own doing. Like all happy endings, the forest finds peace when the wizard and owl join hands to save the forest in a tale of the humility, redemption, and eventual friendship.

“I loved to write different stories as a kid,” Clifton David Broadbridge said. “We’d often read them in class. I think what happened was that I was always fascinated with the Dr. Suess books and songs that rhyme, even like ‘The Night Before Christmas’, the cadences of it.”

Clifton, a Canadian native living in Rutherford Tennessee, explained that he met his wife Cat, an illustrator from St. Petersburg, Russia, after asking her to illustrate the story while connecting online. The two decided to combine their creative minds and get married.

Cat’s traditionally drawn pen and ink illustrations compliment Clifton’s musical storytelling in a remarkable way, like adding salt and spices to an already flavorful adventure. It stands out on the pale-yellow pages of the book. In a world that’s shifting away from hand drawn art and toward the entanglement of AI, Mrs. Broadbridge’s grounded talents on paper are a breath of fresh air. Her tender care put into each creature on page is stylized in a way that embraces her Eastern European traditions. Cat’s gorgeous illustrations in “The Wizard and the Owl” isn’t only a truly special work of art. It reinforces the soul of the story.

But the most fascinating thing about the Clifton David Broadbridge isn’t that he’s the writer and visionary behind this fantastical tale; it’s that he’s full-time rock and roll musician. Broadbridge spends his days playing music with Classic Albums Live, a professional touring company whose musicians, as the name describes, performs classic rock albums live, note for note. In his recent tour, he performed Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here” albums. Broadbridge also covers artists like Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Jimi Hendrix, and Steve Ray Vaughn.

The moment I shook Clifton’s hand in The Rutherford Coffee House, I struck him as a rock and roller who just emerged from a time machine hailing from the late ‘60’s. With a leather jacket, a dark mane of hair reminiscent of The Beatles, and a thoughtful voice, it was clear that Clifton’s talents in storytelling weren’t limited to the poetic stanzas in the children’s literature sections.

Clifton takes inspiration from many of the rock and roll artists of the 1960’s like Paul McCartney and The Beatles. He explained that the writing process for many of these songwriters often began with a melody, and then wrote lyric to fit its mold.

“All of the songs that a lot of these guys write, they just have a melody,” Clifton said. “What they do is take concepts and fit them into the syllables of the melody, which is very different from that.” He tapped the beautiful red book in front of him. “So that (The “Wizard and the Owl”) was like a stream of consciousness that turned into this story of humility, sharing, and kindness.”

While Broadbridge pays attention to the melody and cadence in the songwriting process first, his approach to writing The Wizard and the Owl is similar, only reversed. He explained how he wrote the book first, then edited it to

fit a chosen cadence from start to finish.

“It was all my songwriting that went into that,” Broadbridge said. “Obviously as it got closer to being published, I was just endlessly tightening up words and removing commas. If you read it the way it was written, it just bounces,” he said, flicking his hand to the beat of an inaudible rhythm.

In addition to publishing his first children’s book, an original record of fuzzed out, psychedelic rock is being mastered and will soon be released to the world as Broadbridge’s first studio album. Although Broadbridge has written hundreds of songs which he hopes will soon see the light of day, his priorities are shifting towards releasing his own original music.

On paper, 70’s inspired psychedelic rock music, whimsical children’s books, and fantastical illustrations shouldn’t blend together. But Clifton David Broadbridge and illustrative mastermind Cat Broadbridge have shown that creativity isn’t restricted to individual compartments of ingenuity. The process is a flavorful onion coated with dozens of layers or imagination, wonder, and charm. From the throbbing rhythm of a psychedelic rock tune to the comfort and nostalgia felt when reading about a forest of talking animals and a kind old wizard, Mr. and Mrs. Broadbridge have proven that that creativity is the endless quest to spark something deep within the soul. It is the same feeling I felt as a child flipping the pages of “The Hobbit” and admiring its beautiful illustrations.

You can purchase The Wizard and the Owl and explore his musical endeavors by visiting CliftonDavidBroadbridge.com. The book is also available at its publisher’s website, sallypublishing.com or amazon.com.