Otepka is as easygoing and unassuming as pop-singing eccentrics get, not to mention a wittily engaging songwriter who's just weird enough to achieve true brilliance. - NPR
The Heligoats quietly entered its 10th year of existence in 2009. Chris Otepka (formerly of Troubled Hubble) always used the moniker as a separate songwriting outlet, even while touring and recording with other full-time, well-acclaimed bands. Releasing at least one record per year since the first The Heligoats release in 1999, Chris has worked on the band constantly for ten years. Otepka's adventures, wrapped in delirious art craft and song wit, allow his freaked-out but devoted supporters to wade into his odyssey as deeply as they choose to challenge themselves. Over time, The Heligoats has varied in members and instrumentation, all while traveling to lands far and wide atop Otepka’s bony legs.
No surprise, The Heligoats is currently on the move. After being based in Chicago’s orbital construction traffic and unforgiving winters for the past ten years, Chris Otepka has left the city. Chris spent his last Chicago winter around a wood stove with friends Michael Mergenthaler, David James, Steven Mitchell and Nick Lombardo, who played in local band Ulysses S. Grant. They spent January and February playing, learning and writing songs while the outside world was a in a deep freeze. After a solo tour with Clem Snide that spring, Chris returned to Chicago and Ulysses S. Grant for more cabin jams and recorded some songs. The new record is a full-band composite of many songs written and performed solo by Chris during the past two years of touring. Nine of the ten tracks of Goodness Gracious were finished the day he departed; then sent to Andy Chavez in Chandler, Arizona to be mixed and mastered. Chris was sent to Bellingham, Washington where he currently resides, and prepares to leave for tour this coming spring.
The Heligoats are Chris Otepka, Mike Mergenthaler, David James and Steven Mitchell. They will be bringing the spirit of Goodness Gracious with them on the road this new year, playing the songs from the record, as well as new songs from an upcoming record and a number of selections from the past ten years of The Heligoats’ wilder jaunt.
http://www.theheligoats.com/
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