Interview: Otherworldy Entity (Written – 2024)

Otherworldly Entity are an indie nu-metal, alternative rock, and hard rock band based out of Syracuse, NY, USA. They will release their new album, ‘Inside-Out’ on September 20th, and in this interview we get to know them a bit more.

Hello! Thank you for taking the time to chat to us. First things first, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got started.

I’m John Harris, lead singer of Otherworldly Entity. We’re a numetal/alt rock band from Central NY that started back in 2018.

Someone comes to you and asks you to sum up what kind of music you play – what do you tell them?

I would say Cold meets Deftones.

What’s currently going on in your camp? New releases? Tours? Etc.

We’re about to release our new album Inside-Out, which is an acoustic full-band album.

What has been the most positive experience of making music to date for you?

Working with my bandmates. Zlatko Grozl and Shawn Washer are like family to me. It’s always fun writing and playing weird them.

Likewise, what has been some of the more challenging aspects and how have you overcome them?

I’ve had a lot of personal tragedy in my life. A divorce, a lot of deaths, a lot of loss. But my friends, my family, and my bandmates have all been there for me. Being able to write about it all, and bring it to the stage so that we can all feel and grieve together, it makes such a big difference. Especially since my dad died.

How do you handle the modern expectations of being in a band? Always online, having to put out content constantly, your success measured in likes and follows?

For me, personally, I measure success in connection. When we play shows and people come up to me and talk about how our music has made them feel, that’s what’s most important to me. We’re all in this crazy human experience together. The likes, the shares, the sales, those are all great, and help give us opportunities to meet the fans. But the emotional connection, if it’s even one person, that’s so much more meaningful.

What’s something that really ‘grinds your gears’ about the industry/business these days and what would you propose is done to combat it?

The drama. There’s always something wrong. There are always people attacking other people. I think the way to handle it is to be logical and intelligent. To approach things with rationality and not just give in to the hype. On top of that, I think we need to hold people accountable for rumors and lies.

Speaking directly to listeners – what would you ask they do to help support your music?

Buying merch is the best way, mathematically, to support a band. First off, touring costs more now in proportion than it ever has. Merch is a great way to off-set the growing costs of touring. Second, profit margins on merch are much higher than venues are willing to pay anymore because of their increasing costs of operation, and merch pays so much better ran the tiny amounts that these streaming services pay. Third, merch visually shows support and advertises the band. On top of that, when we as artists see people wearing our merch, I can’t speak for everyone, but I get excited and happy. It’s such a morale boost! So check out our merch at www.OtherworldlyEntity.com.

Outside of the music, what’s do you do to relax?

I really like to go for hikes. I’m also a fashion and jewellery designer for my company JPHii DESIGN, so I’m always working on something.

Where can people find you?

Website | Facebook | Spotify | Instagram | Tiktok