Heavy Mental Rock Whether you love or hate Otep does not concern front-woman Otep Shamaya, so long as her music provokes something in you. What the disturbing poet does obsess about, however, is a fear of that moment when she stops being a “pilgrim for invention.” Fortunately on House of Secrets (Capitol), her newest release and second album, there are no signs of her brimming imagination waning.
In her lovely, brutal voice she confesses that she doesn’t value her self-worth on anything other than how hard she works at being creative and that to be successful at art, you have to make yourself vulnerable.
On House of Secrets Otep’s distressing imagery pushes boundaries, forcing her various influences in art, poetry, movement and music to squirm until they create a cohesive, rhythmic outpouring of emotive sounds. Otep’s dynamic passages are violent, troubling and authentically felt. Whether she’s ominously singing “I don’t feel pretty today” in the title track “House of Secrets” or whispering “Surrender is your only hope” at the end of “Requiem” (after a disturbingly violent spoken word introduction), the messages seethe. With haunted visions screaming from its walls, this House constructed by Lee Rios (guitar), Doug Pelerin (drums), eVil j (bass), guest drummer Joey Jordison (Slipknot) and Otep is not for the faint of heart. In fact the band first captured the interest of the mother of metal herself, Sharon Osbourne, who offered Otep a third stage slot at Ozzfest 2001 after she and son Jack noticed the band performing at the Roxy in Los Angeles. A record deal soon followed.
Otep took a break on her Mouth of Madness tour to talk to WomanRock.
WOMANROCK: Otep’s music has been described as ‘Heavy Mental Rock.” Does that fit?
OTEP SHAMAYA: I think it’s accurate. Our music is a synthesis of many forms of art. It attacks the brain in a way that stimulates a very sacred experience from the emotional cargo hold of the soul. The music is sometimes formulated in odd meters, composed and arranged according to the instinct of the song. It has been described as avant-garde, a dissident cabaret, a total assault on the senses in the purest sense; A tribute to Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty. I don't mean to imply the listener has to be an art snob to understand or appreciate our music, but I think those that experience what we do understand it is not the same ole formulaic claptrap that congests the airwaves these days.”
WOMANROCK: You mentioned that for art to be successful you have to make yourself vulnerable. A lot of people are afraid to be thought of as weak, but your only fear is not being creative. Can you go with that idea?
OTEP: I am obsessed with the spiritual connection I feel when creating or performing. Having a dry spell or writer’s block or becoming stagnant seems worse than death to me. I want to evolve, polish my talents, whatever they may be, and give back to the muses a fitting tribute and sacrificial offering that allows me to explore every territory of art and invention that I have yet to discover. That gives meaning and purpose to my existence.
WOMANROCK: You describe yourself as a conduit, the conductor through which everything flows. Can you talk about bringing your art, poetry, movement and music
together?
OTEP: I think all creative people are conduits, sponges of experience, and once we are soaking with life, we must squeeze every drop from our swollen souls. I am still learning, still trying to awaken pieces of me that remain trapped in slumber. The movement is the message and the message is evident in the music.
WOMANROCK: You've said that once you broke through the gates of metal it was lonely not just because of your gender, but because of the overall environment. How did you counter those negative elements?
OTEP: The odds have always been against me. I actually kind of enjoy the fight. This is nothing new. We have made many friends in the aggro community and elsewhere that proves what we are attempting to do and the music we make is important. We have mutual respect with many bands but if or when we encounter some strange opposition we just focus on what we do, our purpose and intention, and then annihilate it with our live shows.
WOMANROCK: Certainly having support helps. Sharon Osborne was so captivated by your live show she offered your band a third-stage slot on Ozzfest 2001 before you signed a record deal. You had only formed in 2000 and this was only your eighth gig! What was it like having the mother of metal take you under her wing?
OTEP: It was overwhelming and an honor and validating and empowering. She is one of
the best people I know.
WOMANROCK: Interestingly you said you never performed in your life really, but that you felt compelled to try. Why? How did you prepare yourself?
OTEP: I'm not sure really. It was just an echo in my head, an itch I needed to scratch. I never really thought much about it. I was really focused on finding the right musicians and learning everything that I could about songwriting and singing. I was basically on the verge of being homeless and this just seemed the only alternative. Either use the muse or evacuate.
WOMANROCK: So you taught yourself to sing then?
OTEP: I’ve never taken a vocal lesson in my life…The only thing I ever did was went to this opera teacher who taught me how to use diaphragmatic breathing…With the amount of touring we do you have to. On our last tour we were doing six nights a week for seven weeks solid.
WOMANROCK: Can you talk about why you include the “You Are Not Alone” page on your website?
OTEP: The most terrifying place for me to be, other than being absent of creativity, would be isolation… I wanted to give people an opportunity in the privacy, and I guess anonymity, of the internet to have a place that’s sort of an oasis for people who may be experiencing depression for the first time. Or maybe they want help with managing their cutting or suicide, or whatever. I just thought it was important that people realize that lots of people go through these things and you’re not alone and here’s proof. I think it empowers people when you don’t feel so lonely…I wanted to give people an opportunity to connect…Sort of a support group for the counterculture (laughs)…Yeah, sometimes life hurts, but its the obstacles we overcome that define who we are.
WOMANROCK: The literary figure Sappho is a favorite of yours. Why?
OTEP: Sappho has been called the 10th muse. She was one of the most revered poets in all of antiquity, but only fragments of her work remain. They were destroyed mainly due to her gender and puritan morality. She changed the way we use poetry. She made it personal and that was very appealing to me.
WOMANROCK: Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison joins you on six cuts for House of Secrets and producer Greg Wells also worked with you. What did they add to the record?
OTEP: It was an honor to work with both Joey and Greg. We had so much fun making
this album. They brought elements of creative depth that I felt were needed for House of Secrets. I learned a lot from them and they both aided my creative growth.
WOMANROCK: What are you listening to right now?
OTEP: I have been listening to a lot of Mike Patton lately, Hole (1st album), Jeff Buckley, Corey Taylor, Kurt Cobain, Wu Tang Clan, Thom York, Cannibal Oxe, Mudvayne, Bloodsimple, Blackstar and a collection of spoken poetry from the Beat Poets, which is very interesting to me now as I have performed twice on HBO'S Def
Poetry and will be on an episode in early August.
Check out the band’s website: http://www.otep.com/ and tune into HBO’s late-night series, "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry” when Otep makes a return appearance August 5 (11:30 p.m.-midnight ET/PT).
Originally posted to WomanRock.com July '05.
OTEP video "Buried Alive."
In her lovely, brutal voice she confesses that she doesn’t value her self-worth on anything other than how hard she works at being creative and that to be successful at art, you have to make yourself vulnerable.
On House of Secrets Otep’s distressing imagery pushes boundaries, forcing her various influences in art, poetry, movement and music to squirm until they create a cohesive, rhythmic outpouring of emotive sounds. Otep’s dynamic passages are violent, troubling and authentically felt. Whether she’s ominously singing “I don’t feel pretty today” in the title track “House of Secrets” or whispering “Surrender is your only hope” at the end of “Requiem” (after a disturbingly violent spoken word introduction), the messages seethe. With haunted visions screaming from its walls, this House constructed by Lee Rios (guitar), Doug Pelerin (drums), eVil j (bass), guest drummer Joey Jordison (Slipknot) and Otep is not for the faint of heart. In fact the band first captured the interest of the mother of metal herself, Sharon Osbourne, who offered Otep a third stage slot at Ozzfest 2001 after she and son Jack noticed the band performing at the Roxy in Los Angeles. A record deal soon followed.
Otep took a break on her Mouth of Madness tour to talk to WomanRock.
WOMANROCK: Otep’s music has been described as ‘Heavy Mental Rock.” Does that fit?
OTEP SHAMAYA: I think it’s accurate. Our music is a synthesis of many forms of art. It attacks the brain in a way that stimulates a very sacred experience from the emotional cargo hold of the soul. The music is sometimes formulated in odd meters, composed and arranged according to the instinct of the song. It has been described as avant-garde, a dissident cabaret, a total assault on the senses in the purest sense; A tribute to Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty. I don't mean to imply the listener has to be an art snob to understand or appreciate our music, but I think those that experience what we do understand it is not the same ole formulaic claptrap that congests the airwaves these days.”
WOMANROCK: You mentioned that for art to be successful you have to make yourself vulnerable. A lot of people are afraid to be thought of as weak, but your only fear is not being creative. Can you go with that idea?
OTEP: I am obsessed with the spiritual connection I feel when creating or performing. Having a dry spell or writer’s block or becoming stagnant seems worse than death to me. I want to evolve, polish my talents, whatever they may be, and give back to the muses a fitting tribute and sacrificial offering that allows me to explore every territory of art and invention that I have yet to discover. That gives meaning and purpose to my existence.
WOMANROCK: You describe yourself as a conduit, the conductor through which everything flows. Can you talk about bringing your art, poetry, movement and music
together?
OTEP: I think all creative people are conduits, sponges of experience, and once we are soaking with life, we must squeeze every drop from our swollen souls. I am still learning, still trying to awaken pieces of me that remain trapped in slumber. The movement is the message and the message is evident in the music.
WOMANROCK: You've said that once you broke through the gates of metal it was lonely not just because of your gender, but because of the overall environment. How did you counter those negative elements?
OTEP: The odds have always been against me. I actually kind of enjoy the fight. This is nothing new. We have made many friends in the aggro community and elsewhere that proves what we are attempting to do and the music we make is important. We have mutual respect with many bands but if or when we encounter some strange opposition we just focus on what we do, our purpose and intention, and then annihilate it with our live shows.
WOMANROCK: Certainly having support helps. Sharon Osborne was so captivated by your live show she offered your band a third-stage slot on Ozzfest 2001 before you signed a record deal. You had only formed in 2000 and this was only your eighth gig! What was it like having the mother of metal take you under her wing?
OTEP: It was overwhelming and an honor and validating and empowering. She is one of
the best people I know.
WOMANROCK: Interestingly you said you never performed in your life really, but that you felt compelled to try. Why? How did you prepare yourself?
OTEP: I'm not sure really. It was just an echo in my head, an itch I needed to scratch. I never really thought much about it. I was really focused on finding the right musicians and learning everything that I could about songwriting and singing. I was basically on the verge of being homeless and this just seemed the only alternative. Either use the muse or evacuate.
WOMANROCK: So you taught yourself to sing then?
OTEP: I’ve never taken a vocal lesson in my life…The only thing I ever did was went to this opera teacher who taught me how to use diaphragmatic breathing…With the amount of touring we do you have to. On our last tour we were doing six nights a week for seven weeks solid.
WOMANROCK: Can you talk about why you include the “You Are Not Alone” page on your website?
OTEP: The most terrifying place for me to be, other than being absent of creativity, would be isolation… I wanted to give people an opportunity in the privacy, and I guess anonymity, of the internet to have a place that’s sort of an oasis for people who may be experiencing depression for the first time. Or maybe they want help with managing their cutting or suicide, or whatever. I just thought it was important that people realize that lots of people go through these things and you’re not alone and here’s proof. I think it empowers people when you don’t feel so lonely…I wanted to give people an opportunity to connect…Sort of a support group for the counterculture (laughs)…Yeah, sometimes life hurts, but its the obstacles we overcome that define who we are.
WOMANROCK: The literary figure Sappho is a favorite of yours. Why?
OTEP: Sappho has been called the 10th muse. She was one of the most revered poets in all of antiquity, but only fragments of her work remain. They were destroyed mainly due to her gender and puritan morality. She changed the way we use poetry. She made it personal and that was very appealing to me.
WOMANROCK: Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison joins you on six cuts for House of Secrets and producer Greg Wells also worked with you. What did they add to the record?
OTEP: It was an honor to work with both Joey and Greg. We had so much fun making
this album. They brought elements of creative depth that I felt were needed for House of Secrets. I learned a lot from them and they both aided my creative growth.
WOMANROCK: What are you listening to right now?
OTEP: I have been listening to a lot of Mike Patton lately, Hole (1st album), Jeff Buckley, Corey Taylor, Kurt Cobain, Wu Tang Clan, Thom York, Cannibal Oxe, Mudvayne, Bloodsimple, Blackstar and a collection of spoken poetry from the Beat Poets, which is very interesting to me now as I have performed twice on HBO'S Def
Poetry and will be on an episode in early August.
Check out the band’s website: http://www.otep.com/ and tune into HBO’s late-night series, "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry” when Otep makes a return appearance August 5 (11:30 p.m.-midnight ET/PT).
Originally posted to WomanRock.com July '05.
OTEP video "Buried Alive."
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