Otep
Interview with Otep Shamaya
Otep
Interview with Otep Shamaya
Words: Michael Spadoni
Photo: Courtesy of Adrenaline PR

Being signed to a major label without even a demo is no easy task.  L.A. based band, Otep was signed to Capitol records only eight months after their inception with a second stage slot on Ozzfest already under their belt.  Since then they have put out two full-length albums and two EPs, with a new album titled, The Ascension, waiting to be released shortly fingers crossed.  The experimental metal act will be playing five shows around Florida, both opening for Static X and headlining the Mojo Room in Port St. Lucie.  If you’re into “metal with a meaning”, be sure to check them out on one of their dates.
 
REAX:  You’ve just recently just gotten back on the road, how is this tour treating you?
Otep Shamaya:  It’s marvelous actually.  It’s only the second time we’ve ever done a main support gig as far as a touring situation.  Usually it has been our own headlining runs or Ozzfest.  All the bands are magnificent and the crowds have just been crazy.  So, we’re having a lot of fun.

REAX:  How did the Capitol Records merger affect Otep and the release of “The Ascension”?
OS:  Well… it’s pushed the record back, that’s for sure.  We’re really proud of the new album and whenever something like this happens, it feels like the wind has been stolen from our sails.  The whole process of writing and recording this album took about a year and a half.  So, we’re trapped in this bizarre place of perpetual pause.  The fans are anxious and we’re anxious to finally have it released.  We’re confident that our hired guns, lawyers, finger-pointers, managers will make sure everything is resolved and the album will be out quickly.  This is the first time we’ve ever felt the “corporate-side” of music, ever.  So it’s been very difficult.  But, we have a great album, awesome fans, and we’re on an amazing tour so we’re just excited that we can still go out there and play music.  There are a lot of bands who have found themselves in an even worse predicament.

REAX:  Your rise to success from an outsiders perspective was pretty much instant.  Would you recommend that bands just starting out strive to take the path you took or work their way up on smaller labels first?
OS:  A record deal is a record deal… it doesn’t matter whether it’s a small label or a large label.  Just make sure that it’s the right label.  When we first signed with Capitol, I knew it was the right label for us because the right people were there.  Right after we signed, they hired a new president who came in there and cleaned house.  A lot of the people that were important to me in coming to Capitol were now gone and they’re at other labels now.  It is a different situation when you believe in the band’s intention versus being hired on and being told what your workload is… and that’s what happened to us after the first record.

REAX:  Is it hard staying focused and challenging yourself with each album in a genre littered with bands that are mostly stuck in the past?
OS:  I think it’s a task that I enjoy.  I like challenging myself into being a better artist.  I want to be inspired by every source that I encounter.  I can’t limit myself to genre restrictions.  I’ve always been kind of an outlaw in that regard.  I don’t pay attention to cultural roles or like being told what to do.  Art should be instinctive and a reaction to something that you have been provoked or inspired by.  It’s not hard to challenge or evolve, it’s our duty and the songs write themselves.  People do call us a metal band, but I see us more as a fusion band.  We do have an aggressive style, but there’s grunge, punk, poetry, hip hop, and rock all fused into one.  Every song is a chapter in this book we’re writing.

REAX:  I love that you encourage your fans to participate in charities and causes though your music and website.  Do you think it’s the responsibility of anyone who is in a popular band to support their fans and why don’t you think more bands have this mindset?
OS:  I think that it’s the responsibility of anyone who has an opinion to speak out.  If there is some publicity for a new record coming out and I can shed a little bit of light on a subject that doesn’t get a lot of attention such as the genocide in Darfur, domestic violence, rape counseling, St. Jude’s Hospital, then I’m going to get my thoughts out there because those issues are important to me.  There are certain areas of the world where people are force fed their information from the propaganda news channels and are given a one-sided version of what is going on in the world.  Art has given me a platform to be able to speak and I will take advantage of that.  Some bands talk about their favorite cars, alcohol, groupies… but some people don’t think it’s right for me to talk about my favorite charity.  If they have the opportunity to talk about that, then I’m going to take my opportunity also.