motosota (RIP: 2004-2009)

The Complete Motosota Story (minus the controversy and scandals)
Conceived in the first weeks of 2004, the band that would become known as Motosota started as the brainchild of guitarist/songwriter Brian Jarecki as a means to step away from the expected alt-rock, punk and metal flavors of music (or worse yet, covers) that were so prevalent in the underground Indianapolis music scene at the time. The easiest way to ensure that was to form a band where vocals were not even a passing thought, focusing wholly on instrumental passages of thinking man’s music. It didn’t take long to find like-minded musicians as drummer Benjamin Nagengast, bassist David Hinkle, and flutist/keyboardist Jerry Snook immediately joined the cause.
Early on the band experimented with both Hinkle and Snook as its bassist, since both responded to Jarecki’s call for a bass player. This experiment had mixed results but as it turned out Snook just happened to be quite the accomplished flute player and even offered to shore up keyboard duties as the band decided to adopt a more jazz-rock groove.
Snook had suggested the name Motosota and within a few months the band was playing shows around Indy. This original lineup recorded a 5-song Demo simply named Motosota which included the songs “Ice, Bridge, Powerline”, “In Passing”, “Machete-Benz”, “Crystal Lattice” and “Vincent Got Mad” (four of which would be recorded in their re-imagined forms later). Before the end of their first year, Hinkle took himself out of the lineup for personal reasons. Motosota marched on briefly without anyone manning the low-end and even played a show as an undeterred three-piece.
In April 2005, after a lengthy search for a new bassist, Brandon Rucker, a veteran of the Indy underground scene, joined the band as its new bassist. Having had a background in metal, rock and punk, Rucker brought a more propulsive presence to the music as he settled in lockstep with Nagengast’s solid rhythms. It wasn’t long before a more versatile sense of music would eventually lead the band’s sound further from the jazz-rock hybrid they had developed early on to a deliberate yet less-defined sound of mixed genres. This was certainly hinted at with the official release of their debut full-length CD, trans.metro.politik in August 2005.
Recorded by future band mate Alex Kerchaval at his Scientia Studios, trans.metro.politik was a smooth mix of jazzy melodies and rock-steady rhythms to be sure, but there was clearly something not-so-easily defined being offered on its twelve tracks, particularly in the album’s finest selections such as “The Starlab”, “Ichi”, “Comma” and “Visceral Lei”. A month after its release things really culminated for this crucial second lineup in the form of their first of three appearances at ORANJE, the premier Indianapolis arts and music festival held annually in September. Performing at this event was both a major event for such a relatively unknown, off-kilter band and a bittersweet occasion as it marked original drummer Nagengast’s final act with the band.
The departure of Nagengast ushered the arrival of Marko Zientara on the drum kit as well as another evolution in the band’s sound. Again, a touch of jazz could still be felt in the next batch of diverse songs written during this phase, particularly on songs like “Son of Frankenstein”, “Calypse” & “Fluctuation vs. Dissipation”. Yet they were undeniably rocking on something that could only be considered original as their influences were not readily discernable in the finished product (dare you try to decode songs like “Aurora Borealis”, “Echo Chamber” and “Outer Orbit”). However, after a handful of shows which included two more outstanding appearances at ORANJE, and the release of their 7-song EP In Outer Orbit (July 2007), this lineup’s run came to an end with the departure of both Snook and Zientara.
The opportunity for Motosota to enter yet another new phase was all too easy to seize at that point. By the fall of 2007 the group’s trademark diversity was increased with the addition of three new members joining the remaining core of Jarecki & Rucker. This current and final lineup included: the aforementioned Alex K. (keys, guitar) plus Amy Johnson (vocals) and Paul Hardie (drums). The most surprising new element in this lineup would be the addition of vocals to what was once an all-instrumental ensemble. Check out the song “The Monstrosity” for a sample of their heady blend of soulful melodies and bob-your-head rhythms.
Motosota’s next and likely final move will be to finish recording their latest collection of songs for release to the public for free download sometime in 2009. Free downloads of older releases can be found here at MySpace and many other place on the web. As for physical versions of the albums – the band has sold out of its one-time pressing of the In Outer Orbit EP, but a few copies still remain of the trans.metro.politik LP. A copy can be obtained for free upon request. Send inquiries to: [email protected]
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