Ohtis

Ohtis is an American country rock band from Normal, Illinois. Their debut album Curve of Earth was released in 2019.

Singer-songwriter Sam Swinson formed the band with Adam Pressley while in high school; they were later joined by multi-instrumentalist Nate Hahn. Despite initial popularity in and around Normal, Illinois, and several do-it-yourself releases, Swinson's heroin addiction and recovery caused the band to disintegrate. The band were subsequently mostly inactive from 2009 to 2016.

The beautifully dark country-Americana and lyrical onslaught of 'Runnin' is a fitting introduction to songwriter Sam Swinson's autobiographical journey through indoctrination and addiction; an endlessly inviting confession from his past battles with substance abuse, and the religious demons lingering from his upbringing in a fundamentalist evangelical cult.

Ohtis originally formed when Swinson and co-founder Adam Pressley were at high school in Normal, Illinois. They self-released their first material on small run CD-Rs while still teenagers. Their partnership has defined Ohtis, accompanied by a revolving cast of musicians, including re-joining member Nate Hahn.

By 2009, Swinson's addiction became life-threatening. Pressley and Hahn had to distance themselves and the band dissolved. They kept in touch whilst living in different parts of the country, swapping ideas and songs online, never planning to release them, in equal parts because of their traumatic falling-out, and Sam's ongoing addiction to heroin. Redemption eventually came in the form of sobriety for Swinson. After making 9th step amends to both of his re-joining bandmates, they brought Ohtis back to life; unfazed by the 2000 miles that now separate them geographically, with Pressley and Hahn in Detroit and Chicago and Swinson in Los Angeles.

The first verse of 'Runnin' was written for Adam by Sam while he was in rehab in 2011. It foreshadows a reunion of the band, and it signals a reincarnation of Sam.