Bastardane and OTTTO came to the Soda Bar in San Diego for the near end of their “The Reconquest Tour”. This was my fourth time seeing these two bands in the last two years. One of my favorite things about being in this industry is watching the younger bands grow and figure their shit out along the way. In the last few months, I have seen a few things on Instagram for both bands about lineup changes with their vocalist. One lost a vocalist and one gained a vocalist (not the same person).
I don't always love change, but I was curious to see how this would work out.
We first heard of OTTTO after we saw Tye Trujillo play with Suicidal Tendencies at Blue Ridge Rock Festival in 2021 and found out he had his own band. OTTTO is based out of Venice Beach with strong roots in thrash, funk, and metal. OTTTO includes Will Brennan (guitar), Tye Trujillo (bass), Patrick “Triko” Chavez (drums), and now new frontman Tito Dutta. Even with a smaller stage at Soda Bar, Tye still catches air off the drum kit and goes out into the crowd. While we loved the trio before, I absolutely love this new sound and I’m looking forward to new music.
Bastardane is made up of Ethan Sirotzki (guitar), Castor Hetfield (drums/ vocals), and Luca Baden (Bass/vocals). Having all come from different musical backgrounds, they’ve created a really unique sound mixed with old-school thrash, melodic rock, and sludge. They recently released their sophomore album, Catatonic Symphony, on May 31st of this year. The album “embodies the growth, exploration and brash non-compliance of a band that makes the kind of music that they want to make because they want to make it.” (Which made me laugh a little because they probably get asked the same questions over and over about their influence)
“In creating Catatonic Symphony, we endeavored to surpass all expectations set by our debut release, striving for each track to resonate with its own unique feel and contribution to the album as a whole. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those who have been with us every step of the way. Your support truly means the world to us. With deep appreciation, we dedicate this album to the people.” said Bastardane
In August, we learned via his Instagram post that Jake Dallas aka Jacobious Lovebone is no longer in the band. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the change. Jake was an interesting frontman, kind of Jim Morrison-ish and each show was different, sometimes having you ask what the fuck is happening right now, which may have led to his departure, pure speculation, I don’t know the story. I absolutely love the new vibe with Castor and Luca splitting the vocal duties and Castor taking on more of the frontman duties from behind the kit. A man of few words, but gets your attention, because you're expecting more after “Hello..., here’s a song." They seem to be more serious about the direction of the band. I haven’t seen anything official, so I’m not sure if they are looking for a new frontman or not. One of the things I love about Bastardane/OTTTO shows is the banter you see on and off-stage. They get the mosh pit going and the fans jump in.
This tour has ended, but be sure to follow them both on Spotify and Instagram for new announcements.
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