Photos courtesy of Octopus Brothel
Bringing the right musicians together to form a band can sometimes be challenging, as most musicians can attest to. Using wanted ads and Craigslist as a starting point can sometimes make this process even more difficult. However, as Long Beach-based band Octopus Brothel has shown, it can also come together so well sometimes, it almost seemed effortless.
In 2010, lead singer Daniel De La Cruz had taken a solo break from other bands he was playing with and wrote five songs at home. He soon decided to search out musicians to bring these songs to life. He put an ad up on a local online classified website looking for people willing to form a band with him and received a few quick responses.
Andy Mores and Murkat Arikan showed up at De La Cruz’s with some beer and their equipment ready to jam; things came together almost immediately. Deemed a “magical event” by all of them, their separate sounds blended into one another and unified them.
With similar musical tastes and ideas about music, Mores, Arikan and De La Cruz were able to find a common foundation to begin their new band. All three felt a strong pull towards music at an early age and grew up wanting to share the therapeutic calm they had been given by listening to music all those years.
“Music is the outlet. We reached the point where we had to do something with it,” De La Cruz said. “ We’re not the only ones who need this.”
The band’s passion continued to spill into the skeletons of songs De La Cruz had previously written on his own and Mores and Arikan were able to help complete them, leading to Octopus Brothel’s first album, Cave Paintings, which was released in December 2012. The band says their process for the album consisted of lavish jam sessions, reminiscent of bands from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
“It was a hodge-podge, missing pieces that became songs,” said guitarist Arikan. “Most of them came out of gems. They came from these three hour sessions of just getting together and playing.”
Cave Paintings is not for the impatient–it’s a slow ride with many dips and turns. The band’s songs progress rhythmically and are transparent, which can be seen in their video for the song, “On the Verge of Madness.” The songs are akin to a musical story that has been passed on through the years, with each member of the band adding their own contemporary elements to reflections from bands such as Pink Floyd, The Doors and Black Sabbath.
“You have to figure out how to get out of your own way and let go and there’s a natural chemistry that starts,” Mores says. “When the atoms start bouncing around, they will form into a solidified song. We tune into a similar energy as some of our favorites, but go another way with it.”
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The band has begun working on their untitled second album with two songs, “Dead Flowers” and “Song for the Gatherers,” both of which are up on their bandcamp. Steeped in old-fashioned, spiritual energy, the band is sure to use this album as a channel for their souls.
Keeping consistent with their previous album, but allowing an organic growth to occur, the new tracks tantalize the senses with intention and fluidity. Their music is, after all, for them too. With what could have seemingly been a disaster in online wanted ads, Octopus Brothel has proven that they are more than just a missed connection.
For more Octopus Brothel, visit their bandcamp.