Outside the New (OTN)

OTN was a 2010 winner of the Standard Bank Ovation Award at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa.

If it has been thought of, it has been done…

…a harrowing thought to say the least, but possibly the truest words ever spoken, as a result it’s difficult to construct a building, paint a painting , write a song, or even write a biography because to be honest, writing a biography is about as much fun as reading one…

Outside the New (OTN) are individuals that strive to avoid limitations and treading familiar paths, in whatever they do independently or as a group. Taking into account the first line above this is in itself an impossible task, so for sake of classification if Outside the New was a person it would be the product of a drunken night spent between Linkin Park and Jamiroquai with potential ‘other’ people coming and going, so as art imitates life sometimes it’s almost impossible to define who the parents are…

The band consists of musicians who pride themselves on the fact that they are all schooled in music in one way or another. Their influences include Dr Dre’, Metallica, The Dave Matthews Band, Slipknot, John Coltrane, OutKast, Jimi Hendrix, The Police, Tool, and as stated - Jamiroquai and Linkin Park, the list continues but gives a good indication of how the end result is achieved firmly grounded in Hip-hop, Jazz and Rock but with many hints of other influences.

The current lineup has been pushing since February 2010 creating overwhelmingly positive hype in their wake, relying on word of mouth and an active web presence which continues to grow exponentially. On top of this the band have been recognized by the industry insofar as winning the highly venerated 2010 Standard Bank Ovation Award alongside solo artists such as Gold winner Guy Buttery and Silver winner Nibs Van Der Spuy. Incidentally Outside The New is the first band in the history of the festival to win the award.

The band is currently putting the final touches on their debut album for a 2011 release.