SHORE WORLD/OCTOBER 2001~!~!~! (continued from page 6) among the first nominees for best songwriters at the first Asbury Music Awards. Nowadays, The band is back in the acoustic format featuring Nick Ciavatta on acoustic guitar and lead vocals, Charlie Schafer on bass, and Ryan Herbison on percussion and backing vocals. With the offbeat appeal of "My Lawn Is My Life"[hence my Webb Wilder reference], a modern day anthem satirizing the trivialities of some people, and "Life Without Pills," an agonizing journey into the later stages of
drug addiction, The Sea Of Otters amuse, and hopefully make people think, but, not too hard.
The Otters have also gotten good press recently in "The Atlanticville" and "Shoreview", while.their song "My Lawn Is My Life" has gotten
airplay on WHTG, WMCX, and WFMU, and we mean more than once on the stations' Local Yokels shows.
Ciavatta = Sea of Otter...Get it?
With 'Fabulous', this band has reached the apex of its trademark sound; Starting off w/'"Burnt Umber Blues', a sprightly rhythmic, sauntering tune that continues the Otters' war on conformity, where 'Bein' Beige' won't prevent you from foot-tapping along to its funky riffs propelled by Darren Lambeth's squonking saxwork; Another fave and live standout is the blues harp-driven "Dressing Room", Nick's flip-off ode to the pitfalls and perks of Rock Stardom: "dressing room, where I get PAID, dressing room dressing room where I get LAID". And it makes you wonder; could THEY be sucked in by the glammy trappings, or is every Otter backstage hangout full of 'plastic furniture and 2 big photos of Elvis"? As you remember another song about 'don't wannabee a slave to a major label, rather shovel dookey in farmer brown's stable', then its OK again, The Otter Legend is still pure..
Whether you're a serious fan of this spot-on goofing is not an issue; If you're any kind of student of Garage or Indy rock who's listened to an acoustic guitar once, you'll find something oddly charming and earthy here that'll make you sit down and ramble along: Check out the retro-moral tale of 'My own Tail', where Herbason's
(continued on page 8)
