As a second generation junkman and working musician for the last "fifty-some years," Ott Tarner has experienced his fair share of ups and downs. The songs he performs are directly inspired by what he has seen and lived "from both sides of paying the bills," as he puts it.
Captured outside, under the front awning of his workshop in Oklahoma, the listener is given the experience of being right there in the moment. Traffic noise, bird calls, the jingle of his dog's collar, and the sounds of Ott's Pabst Blue Ribbon beer cans being opened, drank, and tossed into the collection bin were all left intact.
Though he played the country blues, rags, and hokum tunes he's entertained house parties and juke joints with for more than half a century, Mr. Tarner informed the Shive Records field team he wanted his songs to appeal to a younger audience. To honor this request, the raw field recordings were taken to LoFi Shit studio where digital beats and rhythm sections were overdubbed.
The resulting product is an album of rough, raw, and raunchy acoustic recordings mixed with Hip-Hop and Mississippi Hill Country style studio production.
Rather than have these recordings released under his legal name, he wanted to use Ott's Trashpile because "that's what people call this place—probably have for 80 years." (referring to the workshop he inherited from his father)
Ott gave his full approval upon hearing the final mixes and has high hopes to "gain some fame on the computer."