The band Brother Octopus doesn’t talk about how they got together. Despite the fact that the band is made up of three humans, lead singer Nathaniel Sutton, AKA “Brother Octopus,” (he asked that he and his band members be referred to by their aliases), maintains that he emerged from the sea to create the band.
“I’m Brother Octopus, and I’m from the ocean,” he explained. “I arose from the Pacific Ocean and originally started the band with Lady Friend, who used to be in the band … She had to go back to jail because she stole a candy bar. Long story short, we regrouped with new members. We have Little Guppy (Carmen Steele) – she controls tambourine and vocals – and she’s a friend of mine back in the Pacific Ocean, who came back and now she’s part of the band. We have another member who goes by the name of Golden Boy (Jordan Smith), … so he joined our band. We’re a trio right now.”
Needless to say, they’re a unique band and they’ll be playing two shows in Humboldt at the end of May, one rock and one acoustic. That’s only one stop on a Saskatchewan tour that they’re embarking on with another band, Wheels of Industry.
“Everybody that we’ve booked with seems really excited to have us, and that just goes to show me the potential of everybody else enjoying the music as well,” Octopus said. “It seems encouraging.”
Other than a mini-tour within Alberta, this tour is a first for the band, who’s looking forward to it. Other than a visit when he was really little, it will be Octopus’ first time in Saskatchewan as an adult.
The ocean backstory isn’t just a one-off gimmick: the band commits to the story, with octopus tentacles and a plushie onstage, as well as Octopus’ signature red top hat.
“I like doing whatever you want to do onstage,” he said. “When you have that timeframe on stage, you’re free to play your original music. We get people to hear our music, but interchange them visually by bringing props and dressing up differently, so that sticks in their imagination and plays in their imagination a little bit more.”
The idea for the gimmick came when the band participated in a battle of bands, and every band was the same; there wasn’t much variety.
“I was just kind of like ‘I want to do something different; I want to do something unique. I don’t want to sing about what other people sing about or put on a show that people normally put on.’ So that’s kind of where that idea came from. Brother Octopus has always been about doing unique things like that.”
To this end, their song subjects run the gamut from superheroes to Winnie the Pooh to zombies to (of course) sea creatures.
The band is from Edmonton, which Octopus said is a great environment for nurturing musicians.
“We’re kind of like a community of musicians and everybody … kind of knows each other and are friends. (When you’re) playing shows out here for so long, you get to know these bands,” he said. “They’re really kindhearted and willing to help each other, so that’s what I really like about it.”
Every band member has full-time jobs, which can cause complications with regards to balancing commitments; Little Guppy couldn’t get time off so she won’t be going on tour.
“I got my sister from the Pacific Ocean, Sister Octopus (Bailey Sutton), to fill in for her, so she’s going to be coming with us,” he said.
Other than the octopus, Brother Octopus said his favourite sea creature is a swordfish, so he can fight off sharks. He recommends aspiring musicians just persevere, no matter what roadblocks appear.
“Keep at it,” he said. “Don’t stop making music. Even if you play a show and it has one person, play the heck out of it to that one person. Keep going because it’s worth it in the long run.”
The band will be playing two shows on May 24: the acoustic show at Triskeles Cafe at 2 p.m. and the rock show at the Windsor Hotel at 7 p.m.
