Otis Grove Download Share
Rock City
Otis Grove Download Share
There’s a new sound taking over the town known as Boston. If you’re by
the banks of the Charles River as the moon glows over the muddy waters you very well may hear some thick, groovy beats banging out a trail for raw guitar licks and a soul-drenched Hammond organ. Yes indeed, ladies and gentleman who are down with the funk, it's time to get rocked by your new favorite band: Otis Grove.
Six years and over 500 shows later, Otis Grove has shared the stage with musicians and bands John Medeski, Billy Martin, Charlie Hunter, DJ Logic, Eric Krasno of Soulive, The New Mastersounds, the Jerry Garcia Band, The Brew, Spiritual Rez, Trombone Shorty, and many more. With a few national and European tours under their belt, Otis Grove is hitting it harder then ever, having played venues from the Paradise Rock club and House of Blues in Boston to Sullivan Hall and the famous Blue Note jazz club in New York City. The trio - known for their cranked up, dance inducing, dynamic live performances - signed with Ropeadope Digital records in early 2008 and are currently promoting their second release on the label, The Runk.
Northeast Performer Magazine, December 2007
CD Review by Sam Merrick
Otis Grove - Crank It Up
When Sam Gilman hit the first thundering note on the Hammond B-3 organ, the attendees of the Hooker St. Hoedown in Lower Allston on October 13 witnessed a sudden exodus of frightened street rats. Gilman was soon joined by his counterparts on drums and guitar, creating a monstrous funk groove that probably would have sent Godzilla running had he been in the neighborhood. The live sonic power and energy of this instrumental jazz/funk trio, known as Otis Grove, gracefully translates onto their eight-track studio effort, Crank It Up.
While drummer Blake Goedde and guitarist Tyler Wayne Drabick undoubtedly demonstrate great musical skill, each track on this CD is consistently driven by the powerful B-3 playing of Sam Gilman who spits out lyrical leads and funky bass lines simultaneously. Much credit goes out to the record’s engineers who made the organ sound so rich and authentic throughout. With Otis Grove’s organ/guitar/drums instrumentation, one cannot help compare the trio to contemporaries such as Soulive and Medeski, Martin, and Wood. While OG composes highly catchy jazz-influenced hooks, tracks such as “Pure Luck†and “Check It†recall Soulive’s 2002 release, Turn It Out.
The hip-hop influence in OG’s music is unmistakable. However, the trio covers a great deal of musical ground throughout the album. The lead hook on “Buckfush,†for example, offers a harder rock groove while an up-tempo drum ‘n’ bass rout is explored on “Chimichanga.†With a solid foundation and tight live dynamic to build upon, the band has an immense amount of potential.