Otter Petter

Artist Information

Biography

"Nice Night for a Knife Fight" is the second full-length album from Otter Petter. Colin Sipos, an engineer for artists such as Iron and Wine and Califone, was called upon to achieve the big, cohesive sound the songs deserved. The album was recorded at Chicago's Clava Studios, possibly best-known as the location where Modest Mouse recorded "The Moon and Antarctica." The album can be purchased at shows or online on CDBaby.com, Amazon.com, and the iTunes Store.

Hailing from Chicago, Otter Petter delivers "big, bright, hooky tunes with their hearts pinned proudly on their sleeves" (Chicago Reader). The indie pop quintet features brothers Michael (guitar, vocals) and William Pritchard (drums), Raphael Dussaussoy (guitars, keyboards), Amy Anderson (bass, vocals), and Jeremy Tromburg (keyboards). Recent highlights for the band include a CMJ showcase in New York and a featured role in an NBC TV show pilot entitled "State of Romance." Director Peter Sollet ("Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist") chose the band to appear in segments filmed at the Double Door and Millennium Park in Chicago.

Otter Petter emerged on the Chicago music scene in 2005 with a self-titled, five-song EP. In 2006, Otter Petter was chosen by the Chicago Tribune as one of 10 bands to compete in the "Metromix Rock 'n' Vote" contest. Readers voted Otter Petter as one of the four winning bands to play a show at Metro in Chicago. In 2008, the band's first full-length album "Fireflies and Lamplights" was greeted with glowing reviews. NewCity called it "devastatingly infectious," and Gapers Block described it as a "perfect blend of roots rock, sugary pop and complex indie rock."

Otter Petter has been featured on WGN television, CLTV television, WXRT radio, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun Times, the Chicago Reader, NewCity Chicago, the Illinois Entertainer, City Beat Magazine, Gapers Block and musicOMH.com. The band has performed with other notable indie rock/pop bands including The French Kicks, The Rosebuds, Wheat, Bound Stems, Cage The Elephant, and Irving.

Otter Petter
2941 N Troy St #D2
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 425-1676
http://www.otterpetter.com
http://www.facebook.com/otterpetter
http://www.myspace.com/otterpetter

Instrumentation

Michael Pritchard - vocals; guitars
William Pritchard - Drums
Raphael Dussaussoy - guitars
Amy Anderson - Bass
Jeremy Tromburg - Keyboard.

Discography

Nice Night for a Knife Fight - LP - 2011

Fireflies And Lamplights - LP - 2008

Otter Petter - Self-titled - EP - 2005

Official Website

http://www.otterpetter.com

Audio

• Tie Your Hands
  Listen  
• Magazines
  Listen  
• Pins And Needles
  Listen  
• The Rest Of The World
  Listen  
• The Fourth of July (acoustic)
  Listen  

Video

Photo Gallery

Press

• "Tracks like "Tiny Words" and "Tie Your Hands" belong on a 90-minute cassette mix from one crushed-out pop geek to another." [+ Show ]
  

  January 20, 2011 The hard thing about reviving 90s power pop isn't necessarily that the style was...January 20, 2011
  
  The hard thing about reviving 90s power pop isn't necessarily that the style was pretty much done to death in the 70s, though it certainly was—it's more that the fans who got really into it during the 90s revival were, well, pretty much dorks. People into the goth, grunge, and rave scenes seem to have ended up working for fashionable magazines and styling fashionable photo shoots, which lends those revivals extra cultural currency, but nostalgia for the 90s hasn't lifted the power-pop boat just yet. But the obsessives out there who are still proud that they scoured record stores for Teenage Fanclub and Matthew Sweet CD singles back in the day (those import-only B sides were crucial) will find a lot to love in Nice Night for a Knife Fight. Part of the trick in power pop is knowing when to stop writing, and Otter Petter know how to stay out of the way of their songs—they keep the production lean and let the abundant hooks and sugar-buzz energy speak for themselves. It's perfect that tape decks are coming back in style, because tracks like "Tiny Words" and "Tie Your Hands" belong on a 90-minute cassette mix from one crushed-out pop geek to another.
  
  --Miles Raymer

• Otter Petter’s second full-length is all hooks and sweetness, like Death Cab for Cutie or Telekinesis stuffed into a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. [+ Show ]
  

  “Nice Night for a Knife Fight” (Self-released) ***1/2 (out of five) Much-needed cotton candy to l...“Nice Night for a Knife Fight”
  (Self-released)
  ***1/2 (out of five)
  Much-needed cotton candy to liven this freezing, abysmal time of year, Otter Petter’s second full-length is all hooks and sweetness, like Death Cab for Cutie or Telekinesis stuffed into a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. It may not be complicated, but the locals’ pure pop sensibilities make you wish there were more good romantic comedies so an Otter Petter song (particularly “Pins and Needless” and “Bones,” whose violent imagery would make it a daringly ironic choice) could be considered for the moment when the hero finally kisses the girl. It goes down so easy that the slightest distraction will make you forget you’re listening to music. You’ll hum it later, though, and be glad to have it back in your head, not annoyed that you can’t forget about it. Looking at you, Bruno Mars.
  In concert: 9 p.m. Sat. at Subterranean
  -- Matt Pais
  
  

• "This is near perfect pop music - the songs are catch as heck." - Richard Milne WXRT Radio [+ Show ]
  

  Otter Petter was featured on both the Local Anesthetic feature program on Feb 6th 2011, as well as t...Otter Petter was featured on both the Local Anesthetic feature program on Feb 6th 2011, as well as the Local Anesthetic Capsule receiving plays throughout the following week.
  
  

• “This is the kind of music that should be blasting out of every car stereo this summer." [+ Show ]
  

  Otter Petter March 15, 2011 - 5:35pm When you go out to see a lot of live music you invariably e...Otter Petter
  March 15, 2011 - 5:35pm
  
  When you go out to see a lot of live music you invariably end up watching plenty of bands that aren't very good. Sloppy, unprofessional, and lacking any ambition. And then there are some bands that when you hear them for the first time you think, "Boy, I wonder why these guys aren't more popular." Otter Petter is the latter. A polished band with infectious melodies and the kind of vocals that would make Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie blush. This is the kind of music that should be blasting out of every car stereo this summer. From Chicago, they play a hometown gig (at The Hideout 1354 W. Wabansia) this Friday, March 18th so make sure to check them out before they are huge.
  

• Live on WGN Television [+ Show ]
  

  Otter Petter performs live on WGN!!! WGN TV: Friday, February 4th 2011 Short Clip "Magazines...Otter Petter performs live on WGN!!!
  
  WGN TV:
  Friday, February 4th 2011
  
  Short Clip "Magazines": http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/63cfee92-0fc5-4518-a8da-e5b6b8eb51ec/News/Music-Lounge-Otter-Petter
  
  Complete song "Tie Your Hands": http://www.wgntv.com/videobeta/7c15dd72-e25e-4e87-828b-dae6e410292b/News/Music-Lounge-Otter-Petter-part-2

• "Fireflies and Lamp Lights" is a perfect blend of roots rock, sugary pop and complex indie rock." [+ Show ]
  

  10-03-08 - Schubas Show Preview http://gapersblock.com/transmission/2008/10/03/otter_petter/ Ott...10-03-08 - Schubas Show Preview
  http://gapersblock.com/transmission/2008/10/03/otter_petter/
  
  Otter Petter, whose members include brothers Michael (guitar,vocals) and William Pritchard (drums), Jojo Yang (keyboards and vocals), Raphael
  Dussaussoy (guitar), and Alex Barandi (bass), came together in 2005 with the intention of playing indie pop and playing it well. Over the last three years that is exactly what they have done. Releasing their debut ep that same year, this Chicago band started to gain a local following and by the end of 2007 they had tour East Coast and finished recording their debut full-length album. On January 22nd they self-released Fireflies and Lamp Lights which is a perfect blend of roots rock, sugary pop, and more complex indie rock. As they continue to tour and record they grow as a unit, and into a solid fixture of the Chicago scene.
  
  
  10-07-08 - Schubas Show Review
  http://gapersblock.com/transmission/2008/10/07/review_wild_sweet_orange_schub/
  
  Opening the show was Chicago's Otter Petter, and they were extremely fun and entertaining. I had never fully understood the Ben Gibbard references until I saw Michael Pritchard perform live. The sound is as if Ben Gibbard had moved to Chicago and decided to play dusty bar room rock, and there is nothing wrong with that.
  
  
  

• ...the melodies found within (Fireflies and Lamp Lights) are devastatingly infectious." [+ Show ]
  

  Our CD release show on 1/26/08 was an "event pick" in NewCity Chicago! Here's what Tom Lynch had to...Our CD release show on 1/26/08 was an "event pick" in NewCity Chicago! Here's what Tom Lynch had to say:
  
  "Chicago indie-pop collective Otter Petter celebrates the release of "Fireflies and Lamp Lights" tonight, the band's follow-up to its likeable, though derivative, self-titled debut EP. The more advanced sound on this new full-length takes the band away from its obvious Death Cab for Cutie influence and moves it towards an appealing Fountains of Wayne-type bubblegum-rock (minus the lusting after friends' moms), and, to the songwriters' credit, the melodies found within are devastatingly infectious. Channeling Matthew Sweet perhaps way too much, Otter Petter might not be a right fit for this election year—darker, darker, darker she goes. The lyrics, and leader Michael Pritchard's delivery, can be smothering in their preciousness, and it harms the record as a whole that each of the twelve songs sounds considerably familiar. But those are minor complaints—there's clear songwriting savvy present, and the best moments (like the middle instrumental of "Moment's End"), while small, are certainly memorable."
  
  http://events.newcitychicago.com/calendar/event.asp?whatID=94927

• Daily Chorus Staff Selection! [+ Show ]
  

  The Daily Chorus: 2/22/08 Otter Petter was a "Staff Selection" on the website TheDailyChorus.com....The Daily Chorus: 2/22/08
  
  Otter Petter was a "Staff Selection" on the website TheDailyChorus.com. The Daily Chorus specializes in news about unsigned bands. Check it out every day and discover lots of great new music!
  
  Here's a direct link to the entry:
  http://www.thedailychorus.com/index.php?subaction=showcomments&id=1203701227&archive=&start_from=&ucat=1&
  
  A big thanks to Brian at The Daily Chorus for making us his pick!

• City Beat Review [+ Show ]
  

  September 27, 2007 Indie Pop "Obsessed-over vocal melodies float on a sea of simple, staccato...September 27, 2007
  
  Indie Pop
  
  "Obsessed-over vocal melodies float on a sea of simple, staccato grooves and angular accents. The recorded stuff is as sweet and endearing as their plush mascot, but on stage they let the frisky little marine mammal bare its webbed claws and dig for a more intense Pop Rock energy.
  
  You'll Dig It If You Dig: The Thrills, The Postal Service jamming on Carly Simon tunes. (EW)"
  

• "Otter Petter have range as well as dynamics well mastered." [+ Show ]
  

  From: The Handy guide to the wonderfully unsigned Otter Petter are a five piece dealing in crunch...From: The Handy guide to the wonderfully unsigned
  
  Otter Petter are a five piece dealing in crunching power pop. The Americans always seem more skilled at blending dirty guitars and huge soaring harmonies.
  
  The songs are sugar sweet but with hard edges. Michael Pritchard's writing recalls acts like Weezer, The Shins and The Postal Service. From the Beginning has a chorus like a confetti missile, high octane and sparkling. The jangling opening melody of Winter Days is a drunken Decemberists windsurfing on Lake Michigan. It's low key approach displaying that Otter Petter have range as well as dynamics well mastered. It brought a smile to my face.
  
  - Tony Heywood, 5/2006
  http://www.musicomh.com/comment/unsigned_7_0506.htm
  
  
  

• "Otter Petter is a band that has grown into its own ambitions." [+ Show ]
  

  Otter Petter on Local Anesthetic Capsule Wednesday, January 23 at 9:45 PM Saturday, January 26 at ...Otter Petter on Local Anesthetic Capsule
  Wednesday, January 23 at 9:45 PM
  Saturday, January 26 at 4:45 PM
  93.1 FM WXRT Chicago
  Listen online at www.93xrt.com or
  player.streamtheworld.com/CBS/?CALLSIGN=WXRTFM.
  
  Featured Song: "The Rest of The World" from 2008's "Fireflies And Lamp Lights"

• Otter Petter Featured on MetroMix TV Chicago [+ Show ]
  

  6-15-06 Otter Petter is featured as a band to see in the Chicago area by Metromix TV. Thanks Pogo!...6-15-06
  Otter Petter is featured as a band to see in the Chicago area by Metromix TV. Thanks Pogo!!
  
  Here is a link to the video:
  
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAbuPINZMrs
  
  
  
  

• "big, bright, hooky tunes with their hearts pinned proudly on their sleeves." [+ Show ]
  

  Thursday, April 10, 2008 "Chicago five-piece Otter Petter (4/15, 9 PM, Abbey Pub) are a better fi...Thursday, April 10, 2008
  
  "Chicago five-piece Otter Petter (4/15, 9 PM, Abbey Pub) are a better fit with the festival’s general tone, playing big, bright, hooky tunes with their hearts pinned proudly on their sleeves. There’s nothing on their recent Fireflies and Lamp Lights that hasn’t been done a thousand times before, but as any real pop fan knows, that doesn’t mean it can’t be good the 1,001st time too."
  
  --Miles Raymer, from his article on the the 2008 Chicago International Pop Overthrow Festival:
  
  http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/sidebars/music/ipo08/

• "God yeah this is catchy!" [+ Show ]
  

  Richard Milne of 93.1 WXRT Radio Chicago chose to play "From the Beginning" as the first song on his...Richard Milne of 93.1 WXRT Radio Chicago chose to play "From the Beginning" as the first song on his show "Local Anesthetic" on Sunday, February 5, as well as the "Local Anesthetic Capsule" several times throughout the week. He described Otter Petter as having a "very catchy, polished pop sound." Here's a link to his show's website:
  http://www.wxrt.com/program/detail/local_anesthetic.html
  
  

Setlist

Typical sets are about 30-45 minutes depending on the show. Sets usually include about 10 original songs.

Basic Requirements

Calendar