Formed in the summer of 2004, the rock/pop quintet of Otenki (now consisting of Enoma Asowata (rhythm guitar/vocals), German Hernandez( lead vocals), Fausto Padilla(lead guitar/vocals/programming), Josh Tenorio(bass/vocals) and new comer Kris Hiatt(drums)) had a start that most bands would envy. Formed through exchanging emails through mutual friends, within six months of being a band, they headed to California to record their first EP. Also during those formative months, they were selected by MySpace users to play with My Chemical Romance and The Used during the inaugural year of the Taste of Chaos Tour. Shortly after that they performed at the 2005 Vans Warped Tour and the 2006 Taste of Chaos tour.
The band opted to hit the road for a 2 month self booked/promoted full US tour. They continued to hone their skills while being on the road and enduring the hardships of the DIY lifestyle. While continuing the writing process the band knew they would have to look beyond themselves to bring out all the potential the new material had. At the end of the band’s summer tour, the decision was made to work with record producer Paul Leavitt. Leavitt’s work includes pop punk heavy weights All Time Low, and Over It, as well as The Bled, Senses Fail, Circa Survive, Conditions, Mercy Mercedes, and newly signed Gwen Stacy. In November of 2007 the band headed to Valencia Recording Studio in Baltimore to work on the collection of songs that would become “Making Sense of Staticâ€.
“As the title of the record suggests, the songs are about finding your place in the world. This record is the summation of us trying to figure ourselves out. And hopefully people can take hold of something to relate to in it,†states Asowata. Starting out with the darkest and heaviest song “Empty Wordsâ€, a song about the falling out of friends or lovers, to the ending track “The Impossibleâ€, a power-pop anthem of chasing dreams but being thankful for what you have, Otenki has redefined themselves with this effort. With thousands of miles clocked, over one hundred of shows played, and a ever growing fan base, Otenki has risen from the ashes a transformed group of wiser, more focused individuals that share one goal…to never slow down.