Today is a big day for Houston six-piece Otenki, who are releasing their new music video for "Ghosts" off their sophomore album Kinetic via YouTube. Rocks Off got the chance to chat with guitarist/band manager Enoma Asowata over the weekend to get the scoop on the new video, the support from 94.5 The Buzz and what the band has planned next.
Rocks Off: This isn't the first professional music video you guys have done. What's different about this one than the video for "Phoenix"?
Enoma Asowata: I think the biggest differences between our older video and the one we have for "Ghosts" are our director David Nguyen and how involved I was in post production. When we got together with him we were one of the first rock bands he's worked with - he comes from a fashion photography background - and we were able to really take our time with things. With David's experience he brought in a keen eye for the visuals and helped us really up the ante. Also, I spent a lot of time with David working on the footage that made the cut. We had tons of footage and I would help convey what the vision of the band was. David was fantastic; he rolled with the punches and it made for a great experience and a sharp looking video
Rocks Off: How different of a sound is "Ghosts" than "Phoenix"? Is "Ghosts" a good representation of what the new album will sound like?
Enoma: I think with "Ghosts" we really tried to take all the elements we loved from the previous record and hone in on what made them stand out. We're big on melodies so we had to make sure this song really focused on that. I would say that the song is a fairly good starting point for people to learn about what we can do.
Rocks Off: You've been getting some airplay on 94.5 The Buzz on Sunday Nights during the Texas Buzz. Have you seen a bump in Facebook fans or attendees at shows since then?
Enoma: Since 94.5 The Buzz has said they're going to get behind the single and start us off on the Texas Buzz, we have seen an increase in our fan base on Facebook and show attendance. On Friday night, while we were out promoting the band for the premiere show, we ran into some people at a local electronics store. Turns out they had heard our song on The Texas Buzz, looked us up and are huge fans of what we're doing. One of the young ladies said, "'Ghosts' is my favorite song ever." I don't care how cool you are, when someone tells you that sincerely, it's the best feeling in the world. The Buzz is critical in what we're planning to do with our hometown fan base and we couldn't be happier to be on the station.
Rocks Off: And how'd the show go Saturday night?
Enoma: The show went really well. Great attendance and some of the bands were absolutely amazing. I want to give props to AThousandColours, Adelaine, and our brothers in Another Run. All great people and great bands.
