THERE’S A BREAK IN THE ROAD’
NEW SINGLE & VIDEO
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Rock n’ rollers OTIS, hailing from the genre blending pot of Kentucky USA make a warm welcome return with a new groove laden, swampy single and video ‘There’s A Break In The Road’. Bringing their unique and spiced recipe to the Betty Harris soul classic, Boone Froggett (frontman/guitarist) tells the tale, “A few years back I bought a New Orleans soul compilation LP for three bucks at Habersham Records, a cool spot in Macon, Georgia specialising in used blues, soul, and gospel records. I threw it in my collection and didn’t think too much more about it.”
While it would be easy to categorise them as southern rock, their musical palette is clearly much broader, “Some time passed and I realised – Hey, there are a few records I haven’t heard yet! I recalled the album and dropped the needle. I heard Dr. John, The Meters and for the first time Betty Harris ‘There’s A Break In The Road’. Man, it stopped me in my tracks I can tell you.” Boone enthuses, “The way she sang it, the tight but loose swing of the band, the fuzzy guitar feedback. It resonated with me very profoundly, I heard so much of myself and the band in something that was recorded over forty years ago. I knew that at some point we could breathe new life into it.”
“Fast forward to 2024, and with a fresh new lineup, we felt with all the things we’ve been through as a band that we had the right energy to take on the song and we’re excited for folk to hear it!” Alongside Boone, John Seeley (bass), Alex Wells (guitar), and Dale Myers (drums), the tight-knit guys stay connected to their homegrown roots having been around traditional instruments from a young age in piano, fiddle, and guitar instilling in them an appreciation of country-rock, bluegrass and folk music. Recorded in a live full band take at The Rock House in Franklin Tennessee, the single features electric piano and mixing by renowned Grammy Award winning musician Kevin McKendree (Brian Setzer, George Thorogood) and mastering courtesy of Ty Tabor of the acclaimed US rock band Kings X.
Previously, a chance meeting with Billy F Gibbons led to the legend listening and becoming a fan of the band – even handing their albums off to the likes of Buddy Guy and Jeff Beck and previous US/UK tours have included sharing bills with ZZ Top, The Kentucky Headhunters and Blackberry Smoke. With new original music in their pockets to come later this year encompassing melodic howling vocals, slick intertwining guitars, soulful grooves and a band steeped in musical heritage…that’s OTIS.
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