Getting to Know… Otherworldly Entity | Interview

In the Q&A in our 426^th Getting to Know… series, we get the inside scoop from Syracuse, NY-based indie nu-metal, alternative, and hard rock band, Otherworldly Entity. 

“We have a great dynamic sound. We try not to go just for heavy or just for soft.” Rock on, Otherworldly Entity, rock on! Otherworldly Entity are John Harris (vocals, guitar), Zlatko Grozl (guitar, backing vocals),  Matt Raymond (bass), and Shawn Washer (drums). In response to our first burning question, Harris, who answers all of our questions, expounds, “Human emotion is a huge range, from minute to minute. We want to encapsulate that.” Killer! We get the inside scoop on the band’s genesis, goals, musical influences, and current, and future musical endeavors. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into Getting to Know…Otherworldly Entity: Interview No. 426!

For those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes Otherworldly Entity distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

We have a great dynamic sound. We try not to go just for heavy or just for soft. Human emotion is a huge range, from minute to minute. We want to encapsulate that. We also add a lot of visuals to our live show to bring it together.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did Otherworldly Entity form, and what were some of your goals or visions early?

We started the band back in 2018. Zlatko [Grozl] and I met playing acoustic shows and open mics and at the time, I was releasing a new solo album that needed a band for live shows. So we started as ‘John Harris and the Otherworldly Entities’ along with Shane Reed and Matt Raymond. But as we were playing my solo material, we started writing and after a short time, rebranded to focus on the new material. The name came because I am a professional paranormal investigator.

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

Not really. We’ve always been focused on the live shows. We want to tour as much as possible, so that hasn’t really changed. Especially because both Z and I really wanted to bring the visual side of the music to life in live shows.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Whom would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

Cold and Blue October have been my biggest influences. And we’ve been lucky enough to play with Cold multiple times now. It’s the darkness with the silver lining, that is so important to me.

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

For me, it was playing a metal festival back in 2001. A couple of hours before our set, I was on stage setting up some cameras. It was raining, and I slipped and fell off the stage onto the pavement. I fractured my skull, broke 6 bones, and ended up having a seizure. With blood dripping down my arms, I still managed to get on stage, and we played our set. Immediately after, I took some selfies with some fans and was rushed to the ER where I spent the night. A couple of weeks later, we were in West Virginia at another metal festival. It was pretty crazy.

To this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

I think “Sunset” is one of those really special songs for me. The way the lyrics dance around, the way the song drives. It just always feels good to play. The music video added so much to that song, too.

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left-of-center we should know about Otherworldly Entity? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

I do all of our fashion and special FX. Masks, outfits, all of that, I do it myself, down to dying the fabric. I take it really seriously to design everything to bring the visuals to life.

What is Otherworldly Entity currently working on or promoting that you can share? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure. 

Our new album Inside-Out was released September 20, 2024! It’s an acoustic album that re-imagines some of our favorite songs from our past albums, so it’s a really different approach and gets back to our acoustic roots.

Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward. 

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Getting to Know… Otherworldly Entity: Interview No. 426 [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Otherworldly Entity; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Królestwo Nauki, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pete Linforth, Tumisu from Pixabay]