Reviews of Otis Ball's "I'm Gonna Love You 'Til I Don't"
Chicago Sun-Times, March 23, 1990
"Dave's Dawn Patrol"
Otis.
The world does not have enough good Oti. That's plural for Otis. Our favorite Otis remains local gospel-soul singer Otis Clay. Oakland Raider center Jim Otis was such
a cool Otis he used Otis as his last name. And the country's most up-and-coming Oti are quirk-rockers Otis Ball and the Chains, who will make their Chicago debut at 10
tonight at Lounge Ax, 2438 N. Lincoln (526-6620).
And if you really want to sew your wild Otis, you can make a night of it by catching Otis Clay and the Chicago Fire at 9 tonight at B.L.U.E.S. Etc., 1124 W. Belmont (525-8989).
Otis Ball bounced to Chicago by way of Dekalb, Ill., where he studied music at Northern Illinois University. Fans of the skewed rock 'n' roll of NRBQ and They Might Be Giants should
dig Ball. His debut record, "I'm Gonna Love You 'Til I Don't" (Bar None Records, Box 1704, Hoboken, N.J., 07030), features offbeat stuff such as "Hey Buddha," an in-your-face
tribute to Buddhism; "Under a Rock," with infectious '60's soul music riffs, and the gnarly "Artists in Day Jobs," co-written by Chicago's Phil Bimstein, formerly of Phil 'n' the Blanks.
On the record, you'll hear Ball's whiney wise-guy vocals on "Artists in Day Jobs," followed on the next cut by a cleaner and controlled approach to "Walk on Water." It's a kinetic yodel on a yo-yo.
"I was the head guy of a band in high school, and it was the worst voice you ever heard," Ball said in a conversation from Hoboken before hitting the road. "I was completely untrained,
but I kept plugging away for 10 years. I did a lot of listening. Vocally, one of those I admire most is Elvis Costello, whose voice can be a million different ones. I'm not anywhere
near that, but I aspire to that."
At tonight's show, the Ball of sound will front a band that includes ex-Waitresses drummer Chris Butler and Rage to Live bassist Rich Grula.
A resident of Hoboken, Ball is originally from West Virginia. He attended high school in Madison, Wis., before heading off to N.I.U. Ball formed his first rock band in De Kalb,
which is how he hooked up with Bimstein.
"I used to come to their [Phil 'n' the Blanks] shows and bug the hell out of him," he said. "I brought my camera and took tons of pictures. When Phil and Blanche started doing acoustic folk,
I was starting to perform a little bit. They'd ask me to perform in between their sets and I was knocked out. As far as I was concerned, they were like Dylan or Costello. Eventually
Phil said if I ever wanted to send some lyrics or music, he'd be glad to send back a tape with music or lyrics. 'Artists in Day Jobs' is one of the first collaborations."
Trouser Press
written by Scott McCaughey of the Young Fresh Fellows, The Minus Five, and occasionally REM
A transplanted Midwesterner who joined the Hoboken scene, singer/guitarist Ball has a whiny voice perfectly suited to songs that poke fun at celebs from Buddha to Charles Manson,
as well as several women who are no doubt nearer to his heart. The two exceptional songs that make this light, warm self-produced pop record worth many a return visit are the rollicking
"Walk on Water" (They Might Be Giants provide the insidious chorus vocal hook) and the anthemic title track, a wondrous let's-live-for-today credo that's somehow both sad and strongly optimistic.
Billboard, February 3, 1990
Midwestern songsmith's debut is chockfull of funny, offbeat pop melodies that should interest, if not delight, alternative-minded listeners. Highlights include
the title track, "Dianamal," "Walk on Water" (featuring ex-labelmates They Might Be Giants on backing vocals), "Amy," "Under A Rock," and "Dancing in the Rubble."
The creepily humorous "Charles Manson's Birthday" should get some deserved novelty play.
CMJ New Music Report, February 2, 1990
Jackpot! Essential New Music - As chosen by NMR's editorial staff. These records demand your attention.
Well, one of the benefits of being an unbelievably successful recording artist is that you get to "discover" other performers and even get them signed to record
labels. This seems to be somewhat the case with Otis Ball, whose singular brand of zany, wacky hijinks were first noticed by John and John of They Might Be Giants,
who dug a tape of Ball's so much that he was eventually inked to the label that launched that duo, Bar/None Records. After piling all of his worldly belongings into
his car and embarking from his Midwest homeland to New Jersey, Ball immediately immersed himself in the eclectic and fertile wok-like jumble of the Hoboken music scene
(cameos here from TMBG and members of Pianosaurus stand out), the result being this, his Bar/None debut. With much of the quirkiness of TMBG (a similar mix of
eccentricity and melodic pop perfection pervades both) and a lot of the same nerdy charm that made the Giants' early work so endearing, Ball's nasal vocals and twangy
melodies place him somewhere between either a tamer Eugene Chadbourne or a more mentally ill Ed Haynes. Though the Giants are still the reigning masters of this genre,
Ball gives us several intriguing glimpses of his inimitable persona on "Artists In Day Jobs," the title track, "Hey Buddha," "Amy," and "Charlie Manson's Birthday."
The Gavin Report, February 16, 1990
Like his "discoverers" and ex-labelmates They Might Be Giants, Otis Ball relies heavily on the oddities of the English language and American lifestyle/culture for
much of his inspiration. Quirky humor is his backbone, but Ball doesn't depend on word-play to replace substance. Instead, he fills out his material with Alex
Chiltonesque wit ("Walk On Water," "Love You Til I Don't") and pointed characterizations ("Artists In Day Jobs"), all of which are complete with chiming, so-Pop-it-hurts
guitar. While deceptively innocent Pop is his forte, Ball proves he can pound and wail with the hilarious "Hey Buddha," and he even tries a swelling rocker, "Amanda For All Seasons".
Seventeen, October 1990
Otis Ball is a way-cool musician with major attitude. As soon as we saw the title of his debut album, I'm Gonna Love You 'Til I Don't (Bar/None), we knew we had to hear
this guy. Our report: definitely catchy, clever music. Otis describes his sound as "really ticked-off Beach Boys" - but maybe we caught him at a bad time. It's Otis's lyrics as much
as his music that've inspired Otiskult (his fans) to compare him to Elvis Costello. Need proof? Here's Otis's cynical love advice from Honesty: "The best policy is to tell them what
they want to hear/The truth may hurt and lies are more convenient anyway." Not anyone we'd want to get involved with...but it does make you think. Look for Otis's next album in record stores soon.
People, June 4, 1990
A great sense of humor goes a long way, as does a knack for writing feather- light pop tunes. So, even though Ball sings with
a nasal, slightly clumsy voice, he and the three rockers in his band, the Chains, deserve a lot of praise for their jaunty debut album.
Like a good comedian, this Midwesterner who now lives in Hoboken, N.J., writes lyrics that give familiar topics a revitalizing tweak.
''Artists in Day Jobs'' describes characters who never lose their dreams of fame, or their pretensions, as they slog away at menial
jobs. ''Honesty'' supplies cynical rules for a modern relationship: ''The best policy is to tell them what they want to hear . . . The
truth may hurt and lies are more convenient anyway.'' Ball was discovered by the New York City duo They Might Be Giants, who sing backup vocals on one song. Like the Giants, Ball keeps his
music hummable even when the lyrics get pretty weird. In one song that's especially strange (even for him), ''Charles Manson's
Birthday,'' Ball asks, ''What can you get for a psychotic guy who's stuck in prison?'' A copy of Ball's record, maybe? Nah. Get it for
yourself instead. (Michael Small)
MUSH!, March 1988
"Local Rocker is Near Contract With N.Y. Record Company" by Tom Long
One of DeKalb's hottest (and goofiest) rock acts is about to hit the big time -- or at least bigger time. Otis Ball, of Otis Ball and the Chains, is close as can be to signing a record contract with Bar-None,
an independent label based out of New York City. "There will be a contract," Otis said. "It's just not on paper. I'd be shocked if it didn't come through." Otis, a self-described "sorta part-time" NIU student
and WKDI jock, said he will probably move to Hoboken, N.J. for at least the summer. Some of the rest of the band (which includes "Fat Boy" on drums, "Wanda Bob" on keyboards & guitar, Glenn "Killer" Donaldson
on bass, and Steve Blunt on guitar & vocals) may join Otis (vocals, guitar) in New York late this summer. Otis said he hopes Killer and Blunt will join him this August. "We'll probably find a drummer out there and go to a
three- or four- piece lineup," he said. "I have no idea what they have in mind for this summer," he said. "I may record with studio people -- it could be anything."
Otis Ball and the Chains has only been around since
September or October of last year, but the "concept" dates back about three years, Otis said. Otis was "discovered" last year when he sent a demo tape along with a fan letter to another of Bar-None's bands, They Might Be Giants,
whose video "Don't Let's Start" is getting fairly heavy play on MTV, for a "new music" band. "They really liked (the tape)," Otis said. According to "This", a new music fan-zine, Otis' demo was the band's "cruise tape"
during their recent tour. The band's two members are "huge fans," "This" said. At a TMBG concert, Otis said, he went to the T-shirt stand to try to get a message to the band. The man behind the counter turned out to be the
band's manager, who recognized Otis from a photo he sent with the tape. He then advised Otis to send a tape to Bar-None, who seem to like it as much as TMBG.
"Bar-None is as excited about us as we are about them," Otis said. Bar-None is a small label, still growing, which Otis said is lucky for the band. "I think we'd probably get lost in one of the big labels." If all goes well, a record
could be out as soon as September. "But I doubt that," Otis said. The band had planned to release a single in February, "but we decided that we'd just hold off and wait." WKDI still has four of his songs on cart, though, including
the already-classic "Charles Manson's Birthday," "Walk on Water," "Hot Day," and "Artists and Day Jobs." They can still be requested by listeners.
"We've been recording on 8-track at a friend's house," Otis said. "We've got about three
that are pretty decent." The band is working on a lot of new songs, he said, but they rehearse at a place in Sycamore which has no heat, so they haven't done a lot of rehearsing lately. Most recently the band appeared at the Wesley Foundation
on March 4 as the headliners in an unbeatable-bargain triple-bill, and Otis also made an appearance at the MUSH! fund-raising coffeehouse at the Wesley on Feb. 26. Just last semester, the band's most auspicious venue was The Barn Snack Bar, in the basement
of Grant Towers North, where they competed with calls of "Order No. 142, your cheese fries are ready, " and the like. Glenn Morrow, co-owner of Bar-None, flew in from New York to see the band play that show, Otis said.
A standard at Otis shows is
the "Request Bucket," in which audience members place requests for any song they want to hear. "We prefer goofier stuff," Otis said. "It's kind of a fight to hold back from being too goofy," Otis said. "I want to make a living at this. Look at me --
I've sold out before I even have an album!" To find success in the recording industry, Otis said, you almost certainly have to leave the area. "It's hard to base a band out here," he said. "Even Chicago's not very receptive to new music. But things are
looking really good. I want to thank WKDI for all the help -- they gave me a lot of free advertising...and thanks to (music director) Jim Moran, who put me on the charts at number four for a while."
"Oh -- I'm subletting my apartment," Otis said.
"My number's 758-1021." So, if anyone's interested...
One more request -- "If (the band) Snake Out's reading this article, have 'em call me. Glen Campbell, too..."
Interviews: Otis Speaks!
(Otis plays solo versions of "Love You 'Til I Don't" and "Stupid.")
Kristin Hersh: That was Otis Ball without any Chains. He's coming over to talk to us about his new record "Love You 'Til I Don't." Hello.
Otis Ball: Why, it's positively ancient. How can you call it new?
KH: Oh, is it really?
OB: It'll be a year in January.
KH: A year... that's not too ancient. My record will be a year old before it comes out.
OB: Oh well, alright. I stand corrected.
KH: You're from Hoboken but you're not.
OB: (grunts)
KH: (laughs) I made him promise not to grunt.
OB: Actually, I've been in Hoboken a couple years now. I'm from this nebulous area called the Midwest.
KH: Are you really? You're a Midwest guy... you could capitalize on that now - that's big.
OB: Well, I choose to stay away from the trends, to become just, like, a fringe dude, you know.
KH: A fringe dude... Otis the Fringe Dude.
OB: That's what they called me in the Midwest, and I'm staying true to my heritage.
KH: What part of the Midwest?
OB: Um...
KH: General Midwest area?
OB: I'm from the Midwest, you know. Yeah.
KH: That's probably a lie, isn't it? You're probably from Hoboken.
OB: Well, you know... who's to say? I just really prefer to keep my family safe and out of harm's way.
KH: Is your family the Ball family, or do you have another name you started with?
OB: You know, I have a great answer to that, but I don't know how...
(to producer offscreen) Hey Mark, is it still anything goes?
(back to KH) We've lost Mark. It's anything goes? You got it. OK. No, Otis Ball is not my real name. My real name is Otis F*ck, but I had to change it for show business purposes.
KH: Yeah, alright. I'm fired.
OB: Hey, you know... I think I got permission from everyone. I got three or four nods.
KH: Do you usually write for yourself or for the band?
OB: I'm sorry... I'm still freaked out because I said f*ck. I have to calm down a minute.
KH: I'm a little freaked out, but I thought of a question - you should think of an answer.
OB: Alright, repeat the question please. I'm sorry.
KH: Do you ever do solo stuff? Is that what you write for, or do you generally write for a band?
OB: I write for... I write songs... and then they're interpreted however I may be performing that night, be it solo or with a band.
KH: And that's cool with you?
OB: Sure, I mean, I'm a songwriter and performer, first and foremost. If people want to stand behind me and bang things, that's fine with me. But they don't have to, you know?
KH: That's cool. It stands up alone. It does sound really good. What's your regular lineup?
OB: Right now, that's a loaded question. It's bass and drums.
KH: No lead?
OB: We're working on it.
KH: (laughing) There's a lot of that going around. Thank you for being with us. It sounds wonderful. Take care. See you in Hoboken.
Thank you very much. That's it for BMI Live tonight. I'm Kristin Hersh. I'm glad you were here with us for Picket Line Coyotes and Otis Ball without his Chains. Bye bye.
Record Shopping in LaLaLand, originally published in Stay Free! #3 on ibiblio.org
Lollapalooza (abbreviated "Lala") tried something new this year. Sparked by
an idea by Jenny Toomey (Tsunami, Simple Machines), the Tour of tours invited
the hippest record store it could find to come along for the ride and introduce
Lala kids to grass-roots indie rock. The store was Pier Platters, the Hoboken,
NJ, indie outlet known to local rockers as the place to trade in rare records.
Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan. Lala kids weren't
interested, and after a few days on the road, Pier Platters' owner Otis Ball
packed for home. Despite what came as troubling news for local record
enthusiasts, Otis had no ill feelings toward the Lala people (we'll admit we
think this story probably would've been better if he had!). Oh well, as one
indie rocker put it, $30 is a lot to pay to shop at Pier Platters in Raleigh,
anyway. (Heather)
SF!: Were people familiar with the music you were carrying?
Otis: It's hard to say. People seemed to have an idea.
SF!: How did you get involved with Lala?
Otis: Jenny from Tsunami had been negotiating with Lala people about the booth
and one they said yeah, Tsunami needed someone to run it and (the band) called
me. So I organized it from there.
SF!: What other stuff was being sold there?
Otis: A lot of food, jewelry, hats, the spaceball ride, some
LSD/acid-simulator thing . . .
SF!: Those things cost money. Were they financially successful?
Otis: I've no idea how much anyone made. Lala took no payment or rent from us,
so I don't know what rent on the booths was. The guy I was working with came up
with the rule of thumb for these things: "If you can't eat it and you can't wear
it, you ain't gonna sell it."
SF!: If you were shopping at Lollapalooza, would there be stuff you'd want
to buy?
Otis: No, other than food, but I'm not really big on Grateful Dead-type
clothing or LSD-simulators.
SF!: How was dealing with the Lala people?
Otis: They just had one rep and he was very overworked, but good at pushing
things through. I don't blame any of this on Lala. They provided the free space.
The rest was up to me and the kids, to see if we could get it together
This page last updated on September 20, 2004.