Paul Otten

Artist Information

Biography

Laced with infectious hooks, overtones of electronica, bluegrass and funk, the music of Cincinnati singer/songwriter Paul Otten is fresh, inventive and undeniably catchy. Steeped in the classic sounds of The Beatles' "Rubber Soul" era, Sting, Billy Joel and Squeeze, his blend of Piano Pop and Acoustic Rock also cultivates a shared aesthetic with current creators Coldplay, Ben Folds, David Gray and Guster.

The December 2004 release of Otten's debut solo effort, "BAD PARADE" contains 11 piano-and guitar-driven pop song narratives produced by Brian Lovely (Adrian Belew, Cincinnati Enquirer 2003 Producer of the Year) at his Beat Parlor recording studio. Since the release of his album, Otten has received steady airplay, sold out shows in his hometown, had two of his songs finish as top-5 finalists in VH1's "Song of the Year" contest, and recently signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Corp. for 3 of his songs.

Otten has been writing and performing music since the age of 17, continually developing a style seasoned and tempered with his various musical muses. Otten released two albums in the mid-nineties with former band Porterhouse, and went on to team up with brother/drummer Brian Otten to create his current project. Otten's combination of catchy pop/rock songs and high-energy live performances has earned him a fan base that grows with every show.

From start to finish, Paul Otten's debut album is an ear-pleasing journey of his many influences. It begins with the Piano-pop, melody-drenched opening track "Leave It Alone," and continues on to the funky Steely Dan-meets-Squeeze track "Rudy," the Bluegrass-Electronica blend "Find Myself," the Acoustic guitar-driven "Drown Me," and ends with the jazzy Ben Folds and Paul McCartney overtones of "Turn Another Page." In all of his songs, Otten takes a serious, sometimes humorous, and unique look at life from his perspective, all the while packaging it in piano-and guitar-driven pop/rock at it's best.

Instrumentation

Paul Otten: Vocals, piano, guitar, bass programming
Brian Otten: Drums, percussion

Discography

"Bad Parade" LP 2005
There are song samples on badparade.com and cdbaby.com/paulotten
Songs from album are available on ITunes.
Currently being played on WVXU 91.7FM (Cincinnati, OH), and WNKU 89.7fm (Northern Kentucky University).

Audio

• Leave It Alone
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• Everything Burns Out
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• Boo and Shane
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Lyrics

• Leave It Alone
• Everything Burns Out
• Boo and Shane

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• NightTimes.com [+ Show ]
  

  The chorus on opening track “Leave It Alone” is so breathtaking that it has to be heard to be believ...The chorus on opening track “Leave It Alone” is so breathtaking that it has to be heard to be believed. Otten does a fabulous job in blending traditional guitar pop-rock with a tinge of ambient-inflected electronica. Bad Parade is simply great pop music that transcends any genre you may care to mention. After all, songs like “Boo and Shane,” “Everything Burns Out” and “Drown Me” are so good that nothing else needs be said. Save maybe to say that Todd Rundgren fans will find Bad Parade an indispensable album.

• Kool Kat Musik [+ Show ]
  

  The following is such a cool, accurate description of Paul that we just had to share it with you! "...The following is such a cool, accurate description of Paul that we just had to share it with you! "Cincinnati singer-songwriter's debut is infectious, melody-drenched Piano-Pop and Acoustic-Guitar-Rock, with shades of Electronica, Bluegrass and Funk, that sounds like Sting singing with Steely Dan playing Coldplay, Ben Folds and Keane songs on a Squeeze tribute album to The Beatles!" Believe it! Brilliantly produced by Brian Lovely, this is one helluva debut that, in fact, eerily calls to mind Mr. Lovely's awesome discs - and that's a very, very good thing! The singing and songwriting is top-notch! Paul's got plenty of "intelligent pop sensibility chops" going for him! Welcome to the wonderful world of "Cincinnati Pop" my friends! GREAT!!!!

• Only Local Music Magazine [+ Show ]
  

  Paul Otten's latest release, "Bad Parade," is a refreshing blend of classic harmonies and catchy mel...Paul Otten's latest release, "Bad Parade," is a refreshing blend of classic harmonies and catchy melodies that are the foundation of a good pop album...this eclectic cornucopia of sounds will appeal to the musically adventurous and open-minded.
  

• Cincinnati Enquirer [+ Show ]
  

  The heart of Paul Otten's new album, "Bad Parade," pulses with pure pop; tinges of electronica, blue...The heart of Paul Otten's new album, "Bad Parade," pulses with pure pop; tinges of electronica, bluegrass and funk make the record as engagingly unpredictable as it is catchy.

• Not Lame Recording Company [+ Show ]
  

  "Produced by Not Lame fave Brian Lovely, Otten blends his piano-based pop in the classic sounds of S..."Produced by Not Lame fave Brian Lovely, Otten blends his piano-based pop in the classic sounds of Squeeze, Spymob(a lot!), Guster, Ben Folds and dashes of Steely Dan. The charms are many, the melodies for real and the songcraft something special to behold."

• Cincinnati Post [+ Show ]
  

  ...Warm, lush...Otten is a clever writer, often couching some biting lyrics in his breezy pop melodi......Warm, lush...Otten is a clever writer, often couching some biting lyrics in his breezy pop melodies...friendly pleading vocals and catchy piano work are well captured on this 11-cut release.

• Cincinnati CityBeat
  

  ...Mature, accomplished Pop/Rock that occasionally sounds like Steely Dan covering Squeeze.

• IntelligentPop.com [+ Show ]
  

  "One of the top 20 independent CDs we found anywhere in the world in the past year."--Intelligent..."One of the top 20 independent CDs we found anywhere in the world in
  the past year."--IntelligentPop.com

Setlist

1. Leave it Alone
2. Boo and Shane
3. Kimberly
4. Everything Burns Out
5. Rudy
6. Find Myself
7. Drown Me
8. Down Inside My World
9. My Home
10. Confusion Girl
11. Turn Another Page
12. Sinking
13. Shine
14. She Carries It
15. Lemonade
16. Too Late To Recover
17. Seven
18. 3/94
19. Fence
20. Last Call
We usually play 2 sets a night; one hour and a half set, and a two hour set. We mix all of our original songs with a variety of choice covers. The covers range from The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Marvin Gaye, David Gray, Counting Crows, Bob Marley, Dave Matthews, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Paul Simon, The Police, Barenaked Ladies, and The Rolling Stones.

Basic Requirements

Calendar