| Sons of Otis | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Background information | ||
| Also known as | Otis (1992 - 1996) | |
| Origin | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | |
| Genres | Stoner Metal, Doom Metal, Psychedelic Rock | |
| Years active | 1992 - Present | |
| Labels | Hypnotic Records, Man's Ruin Records, The Music Cartel, Small Stone Records, Concrete Lo-Fi, Totem Cat Records | |
| Associated acts | Olde, Ox, Nice Cat, Electric Magma, Low Orbit | |
| Website | Sons of Otis on Facebook | |
| Current members | Ken Baluke Ryan Aubin | |
| Past members | John Moran Frank Sargeant Emilio Mammone | |
| Band Logo | ||
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Sons Of Otis are a Stoner Doom Metal band, hailing from Toronto, Canada. Forming in 1992 as Otis, the band changed their name to Sons of Otis for legal reasons around 1996. The band's sound ranges from stoner metal to doom to what the band themselves have described as "heavy psychedelic blues" (In regards to Templeball). Since their formation the band has toured worldwide with the likes of Kyuss, Killdozer, Voivod, Queens of the Stone Age, Fu Manchu, Electric Wizard, Unearthly Trance and Ufomammut among others. In their tenure the band has released six studio albums and are best known as one of Canada's longest serving doom bands.
The band's name is taken from a character in the movie Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer.
History[]
Beginnings and Spacejumbofudge (1992 - 1998)[]
Otis began in late 1992 by the trio's founder/guitarist/vocalist Ken Baluke, an export from Detriot, Michigan. The band’s then monicker, ‘OTIS’, was dubbed in homage to the character of the same name from the cult film Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. In 1994 they released a 6 track EP entitled Paid To Suffer and played with the likes of Killdozer and Shallow among others. The instant success of the EP as well as a presitigious reputation in the underground Toronto music scene led them to a recording contract that same year with Hypnotic Records.
In 1996, Otis would become Sons of Otis to prevent legal conflicts with a Boston-based band of the same name. The band would release their debut album Spacejumbofudge that same year.
Templeball and Songs For Worship (1999 - 2004)[]
The newly christened Sons of Otis would perform various shows around Canada supporting a host of musical acts, eventually building up to touring. In 1999 the band would sign to Man's Ruin Records and then release their second album Templeball on 12 October that year, praised by stoner critics and establishing them among the scene. In 2000, Hypnotic Records would close their doors, leading Man's Ruin to reissue Spacejumbofudge. Sons of Otis would tour Europe for the first time in 2000, a handful of those dates with Electric Wizard. In 2001 the band released an untitled EP featuring a cover of "The Pusher" by Steppenwolf, via The Music Cartel. During this time the band cycled through a host of drummers, even utilizing a drum machine for live performances at one point.
On 11 September 2001, Sons of Otis released their third album Songs For Worship via The Music Cartel, now signed to that label after Man's Ruin going under. A release party followed at Kathedral in Toronto (With Shallow, Fifty Watt Head)[1] The band would tour North America with Electric Wizard (Touring in support of Let Us Prey) and Unearthly Trance the next year. What would follow would be appearances at the 2003 edition of Emissions from the Monolith and a headlining appearance at Stoner Hands of Doom in 2004. That same year The Music Cartel would close and eventually Sons of Otis would sign to Small Stone Records.
X and Exiled (2005 - 2010)[]
Now signed to Small Stone, Sons of Otis would release their fourth album X on 15 February 2005, with a release show on 26 February at Sneaky Dee's (With Fifty Watt Head, Electric Magma)[2] The band followed up mostly with supporting shows with bands touring in Canada over the next few years, sharing the stage with the likes of Nadja, Lichens, Om and Jucifer among others. The band released their fifth album Exiled on 13 June 2009, with the release party once again at Sneaky Dee's.[3] The band also made an appearance in the United States that year at the tenth edition of Stoner Hands of Doom at Krug's Place in Frederick, Maryland.
2010 would see Sons of Otis return to Europe for an appearance at Roadburn Festival, performing Templeball in it's entirety. A marquee show in Ottawa with Blood Ceremony, Electric Magma and Gypsy Chief Goliath also happened on 16 October.
Seismic (2011 - Present)[]
Sons of Otis would begin 2011 with an extensive European tour entitled You've Been Warned, touring with the likes of Ufomammut, Beehoover, Zippo and Samsara Blues Experiment among others over the course of two months. Following the tour the band would perform with Yob on 15 July at The Courthouse and participate in Noctis Metal Fest[4] before beginning work on their sixth studio album. Seismic would see release in August that year although a planned European tour in support was canceled. Nonetheless the band would perform with Daniel Higgs and Om on 18 November.[5]
For the next few years the band played sporadic shows around Canada supporting various acts such as Down, Ufomammut and Space Ritual. In 2017 the band would celebrate their 25th Anniversary with their first appearance in the United States in well over a decade at Psycho Las Vegas[6] and a 25th anniversary hometown set at The Bovine on Friday 13 October.[7] Going into 2018 the band is returning to Europe for an extensive summer tour with Dopethrone, Bongzilla and on select dates Church of Misery. This includes appearances at Hellfest and Stoned From The Underground.
Work would begin on a seventh studio album through 2019 and in August 2020 Isolation would be announced for a Fall 2020 release via Totem Cat Records.
Discography[]
Studio Albums[]
- Spacejumbofudge (1996, Hypnotic)
- Templeball (1999, Man's Ruin Records)
- Songs For Worship (2001, The Music Cartel)
- X (2005, Small Stone Records)
- Exiled (2009, Small Stone Records)
- Seismic (2012, Small Stone Records)
- Isolation (2020, Totem Cat Records)
Other Releases[]
- Paid To Suffer (EP) (1994, Self-Released; As Otis)
- Untitled EP (EP) (2001, The Music Cartel)
- Sons of Otis / Queen Elephantine (Split with Queen Elephantine) (2007, Concrete Lo-Fi)
- Live in Den Bosch (Live Album) (2018, Totem Cat Records)
Members[]
Current Members[]
- Ken Baluke - Guitar, Vocals (1992 - Present)
- Ryan Aubin - Drums (2001 - Present)
Past Members[]
- Frank Sargeant - Bass (1992 - 2019)
- John Moran - Drums (1992 - 1995)
- Emilio Mammone - Drums (1996 - 1998)
List of Known Tours[]
- We Hate You European Tour 2000 (With Electric Wizard, Wizard dropped off all but three dates.)[8]
- Let Us Prey... North American Tour (With Electric Wizard, Unearthly Trance) (2002)
- You've Been Warned (With Samsara Blues Experiment, Beehoover, Zippo)(2011)[9]
- March 2011 European Tour (With Ufomammut) (2011)[10]
- 2012 European Tour (2012; Canceled)
- European Tour 2018 (With Bongzilla, Dopethrone; Church of Misery on select dates.) (2018)[11]
External Links[]
- Sons of Otis MySpace
- Exclaim article circa 1999
- Hellride Music Interview
- Archived interview
- Archived official webpage
- 1999 Triple Header
- Stoned From The Underground Flyer