First of all, it’s not like Dead Otter are advocating for otter murder. They make a point to mention their otter-friendliness, but they never called themselves Kill Otters or something like that. Maybe bassist Gav Riddell had a pet otter at one point and it died and he decided to name the band in its honor. Or maybe Omar Aborida, who also plays in The Cosmic Dead, journeyed into the woods outside Glasgow — note: find out if there are woods outside Glasgow; don’t there have to be? — and made a special otter friend. I’m just saying, the name Dead Otter calls to mind a pretty gruesome image, roadkill and all that, but could be worse.

The Scottish four-piece’s debut EP, Pathfinder, builds off jammy impulses toward heavy psychedelic rock that retains an open feel — see “The Whangy,” which feels as much indebted tonally to Ween as Hendrix — and is available now to stream in full. You can see its flat-out amazing cover art below, and while I hope it gets pressed to CD for that alone, I wouldn’t mind a copy of these tracks for the archive either. Take a listen on the player below and you’ll hear why. Some potential here:

Dead Otter – Pathfinder

Dead Otter are an exploratory rock outfit based in Glasgow, crafting jams since rock music was invented in 1995. Influences range from such pre-95 heavyweights as Hawkwind to Gong, Black Sabbath, Captain Beyond, Led Zeppelin and The Sensational Alex Harvey band.

Over time the band has evolved into the current line up of John Riddell on Guitar and Vocals, Gav Riddell on Bass, Scott Falconer (Skeleton Gong, Los Destructos) on drums and Omar Aborida (The Cosmic Dead) on Guitar. This line up has just released a selection of Otter classics (Pathfinder EP) and are looking to follow up with a full length LP in 2017.

PS. Also should be noted that we’re 100% Otter friendly

Dead Otter, Pathfinder tracklist:
1. Stoner Devil 06:24
2. Open my eyes.. seen enough now 06:49
3. The Whangy 03:07
4. Pathfinder 07:53

Band Members:
John Riddell – Guitar / Vocals
Gav Riddell – Bass
Scott Falconer – Drums
Omar Aborida – Guitar

https://www.facebook.com/deadotterband/
https://dead-otter.bandcamp.com/releases

Participating in The Blackout Cookout has become something of a tradition for Lo-Pan. I don’t know if they play every year at the Kent, Ohio-based fest put together by Kenny Royer, also of The Ravenna Arsenal, but they’ve done it multiple times over and have always spoken highly of the experience. This year was The Blackout Cookout 7, and Lo-Pan, from Columbus, OH, headlined — topping a bill that also included Sofa King Killer, The Ravenna Arsenal, Bridesmaid, Horseburner and others. It looked like a pretty good show. It always does.

There’s some added intrigue to seeing live footage of Lo-Pan from The Blackout Cookout 7 in that, held on Aug. 13, it was also their first show with guitarist Chris Thompson, who joined the band last month. They’ve since embarked on a tour alongside The Atomic Bitchwax and Dirty Streets, put together by Tone Deaf, that will lead them to Psycho Las Vegas this weekend, where they join the lineup of everyone and their mother at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Not a minor introduction for a new member of the group. Probably closer to trial by fire, particularly when you factor in the desert heat.

But Thompson, who’s joined in Lo-Pan by bassist Scott Thompson (no relation), drummer Jesse Bartz and vocalist Jeff Martin, has clearly held his own so far, as you can see in the clip below for “Pathfinder.” The footage comes courtesy of Pittsburgh native and all-around top-notch individual Randy Blood, and if you’ve seen Lo-Pan in the last year, you probably recall the song. Last time I was fortunate enough to have the pleasure was in March and though it was my first time seeing or hearing “Pathfinder,” the immediate impression from it was that it’s one of the best things Lo-Pan has ever written, and I think that holds up here as well.

And it looks like Thompson is gonna be just fine on guitar, in case you were worried.

Enjoy the “Pathfinder” clip below, followed by Lo-Pan‘s remaining live dates:

Lo-Pan, “Pathfinder” live at The Blackout Cookout 7, Aug. 13, 2016

Lo-Pan with The Atomic Bitchwax & Dirty Streets:
8/24/2016 Grizzly Hall – Austin, TX
8/25/2016 Rail Club – Ft. Worth, TX
8/26/2016 Ned’s Bar – Albuquerque, NM
8/27/2016 Flycatcher – Tucson, AZ
8/28/2016 Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Las Vegas, NV @ Psycho Las Vegas

Lo-Pan website

Lo-Pan on Thee Facebooks