MRM recently interviewed OTIS lead singer/guitarist Boone Froggett. Froggett spoke about his influences, starting OTIS, new single “Last Fool in the Line,” playing in Macon, GA for GABBAFest and much more!

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MRM: Where are you “calling” from?

Froggett: I’m calling from right here at home in Glasgow, South Central Kentucky! If you’re looking at the map we’re right between Louisville & Bowling Green.

MRM: Let’s start from the beginning…Who are your influences?

Froggett: We have so many different influences 50’s Blues, 60’s Soul and free-form Classic Rock is our bread and butter but if you were riding in the van with us you’ll hear everything from Deep Purple to Del Reeves.

MRM: How did you start in the music business?

Froggett: Music has always been in my blood, I’ve been on stage since I was eight years old! My late Grandfather David Froggett Sr. was a very well known old time fiddler in our region and my Father David Froggett Jr. is a great Bakersfield Honky-Tonk style guitar player. I didn’t stand a chance, haha!

MRM: How was Otis formed?

Froggett: John Mark Seeley and I started this band as an outlet to pursue our love of classic blues and improvisational rock & roll! Musical exploration has really been our only pursuit as a band, whatever else comes our way is simply a by-product. We chose to play the long game from the very beginning but in a lot of ways it feels like we’ve just started. We’ve been very fortunate to create an internationally touring band from a rural area.

MRM: What is the origin of the band’s name?

Froggett: Greg Martin from The Kentucky Headhunters has had a hand in guiding us in so many ways! He suggested the band name to us due to another “OTIS” that was active in Louisville, KY in the 1970’s but never quite made it to prominence, the name stuck with Greg and we ran with it.

MRM: How did y’all end up meeting Billy Gibbons?

Froggett: Greg Martin and I had went down to Nashville, TN to attend the visitation of Brian Farmer who was the longtime guitar tech for The Allman Brothers Band & Gov’t Mule. On the way home Greg gets a call from Billy and he happened to be in Nashville for a few days and invited Greg to come hang if he was in then area, so we turned right back around and had supper with Billy! Towards the end of the night Greg slides our debut album over to Billy and says “I think you might like this album, it’s Boone’s band they listen to the right stuff.” We knew that there may be a chance that he might use it for a drink coaster but he actually listened to it and liked it. He calls Greg up the next day and compliments the albums tone and authenticity and even clears us a press quote to use as well as mentioned us in interviews. Things got a lot more serious for us thanks to the encouragement of our tone lord and hero!

MRM: Your new single “Last Fool in the Line” is a banger! Did you enjoy recording it?

Froggett: We’re really proud of this one! The song itself had been around for a bit, it’s been a live staple for us especially since the new lineup of the band has been touring. We played it out enough that we were confident about the arrangement and people seemed to dig it, so recording it was a natural next step! The reception has been great so far! Joe Bonamassa added it to of his Spotify playlists “Cutting Edge Blues” & “Cutting Edge Rock”. We also were featured in Classic Rock Magazine’s “Tracks of The Week”. It’s setting at over 36,000 streams on Spotify currently not too bad for four country boys who play some rock & blues.

MRM: How was it working with the legendary Kevin McKendree?

Froggett: It was such a breath of fresh air and an experience we really needed as a band! Kevin is such a veteran of roots music and he has an incredible talent for using the room as an instrument. It was a struggle for us to find someone who knows how to record a live rock band with real amps and no samples. We really owe a lot to Tinsley Ellis and Greg Martin for connecting the dots for us to record at The Rock House.

MRM: And how was it picking the brain of Ty Tabor of King’s X?

Froggett: We are so honored that Ty made room for us in his schedule to master both the singles that we released this year, like everyone else we are students of King’s X! The coolest thing about it is that we didn’t have to have a lot of back and forth, like Kevin, Ty understood where the band needed to be sonically. The first master he sent us was the one.

MRM: Do y’all have any plans for a full length album?

Froggett: That is the goal that we’re currently working towards! We’ve got a lot of material in our back pocket that we’ve been saving for the album format. That is our preferred way to communicate who we are as a band. Releasing singles has been great but it limits how much you can show of who you really are as a band. A full length release will happen!

MRM: Otis will be playing September 27th at Grant’s Lounge in Macon, GA for the GABBA FEST Afterparty (Georgia Allman Brothers Band Association). What can fans expect from Otis at that show?

Froggett: It’s such an honor for us to be a small part of The Allman Brothers Band legacy this is the third GABBA Fest we’ve had chance to be a part of and listen, they are putting us to work this year. We’re coming down a day early to do a meet & greet at Fresh Produce Records and we’re making an appearance at The Capitol Theatre for the GABBA showcase on September 26th and we’re playing the late night slot at the historic Grant’s Lounge on the 27th! Our set at Grant’s will be a long one, anything could happen!

MRM: Thanks for the interview. Anything else you would like to add?

Froggett: My pleasure thanks for having me! You can find all things OTIS at www.theotisband.com

We’d love to play some rock & roll for y’all! Come out and be part of the OTIS family.