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By Travis Tutwiler |
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This is evident, as she speaks of the band’s recent move to Koch Records. “This is the best possible move for us, and we’re really happy,” she ads. “They’re (Koch) fans, they are believers, they are passionate to be working with us and that is very, very exciting,” proclaims Otep. “And they are doing things for us as an indie label that our major label (Capitol) never did for us.” Capitol/EMI Records initiated the move, when their board of directors fired their two CEO’s. “They hired a new guy, and he decided to make some pretty drastic changes in all of the labels they own, and one of the first ones to fall was Capitol,” reflects Otep. “Everyone I knew received their walking papers, including my A & R, my publicist and everyone else. I wanted to test the waters to see what other labels were out there that truly believe in our music, our message and were excited to be a part of it. The one that stood out to me for a lot of reasons was Koch.” With a fresh new start, Otep — joined by longtime bassist, “Evil” J McGuire, and relatively newcomers Brian Wolff (drums) and Aaron Nordstrom (guitar) — are ready to unleash their highly-anticipated new effort, The Ascension. “This is probably the strongest the band’s ever been, right now, with this foursome we have,” she states. “Everyone’s in it for the right reasons, and that’s what I’ve been looking for since I started it.” Otep admits that, “Brian is hands down the best drummer I’ve ever had in this band. Some drummers are exceptionally technical, and some are exceptionally passionate, and he’s both.” She describes Aaron, a childhood friend of Brian’s, as “technical, passionate, charismatic, and he was a fan of the band before he joined.” Adding, “He is one of the top two guitarists we’ve ever had.” Formed in 2001 and getting a gig on the 2001 Ozzfest Tour, Otep has honed her skills over the past six years and evolved into a well-rounded singer and songwriter. “I’ve tried to focus more on learning the art of song writing and song structure and taking the mechanics and the art of singing very seriously now; where as before, perhaps, I viewed it primarily just as a weapon,” she explains. “Now, it seems like it still remains my weapon, but it’s also my lover, my best friend, my worse enemy, my salvation and my damnation. So I’ve learned to use it as more of a tool for the canvas that is our music.” The Ascension is an eclectic canvass of emotion, creativity and sheer power. The slowly building sonic track “Milk Of Regret” is a song of love and loss. Otep described the gripping “Perfectly Flawed” as “a song that celebrates uniqueness and individuality and reinforces self-love and self-acceptance, and that’s the beginning of evolution and personal rebirth.” On the alternative rocker “Breed,” she pays homage to one of her biggest influences, Kurt Cobain (Nirvana). “It symbolizes how important Kurt was to me as a singer; to see someone as artistic and creative and talented and dangerous and as driven as he was,” she notes. “It’s an offering to remind everyone just how much he’s missed in our world.” A very personal song is “Home Grown,” which she says “delves into the psychology of domestic violence, where in the beginning you think you deserve this violence and you think you deserve this abuse and it’s all your fault. I was raised in violence and absorbed a lot of that violence and sort of programmed it into me for a long time. Just because you’re a victim of it, doesn’t mean you deserve it or that you have to take it,” adding, “you can decide to fight back in whatever way you find appropriate, whether it’s yourself going to find help or reporting it to the police or whatever you need to do to protect you and your family.” |
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