What holds a band together? For many, it’s a shared history, a van, and a record deal. For Chris Otepka and Steve Mitchell of The Heligoats, it’s all of that and something more—a sprawling, interconnected creative entity they lovingly refer to as a “systemic fungal slime mold.”
Following a recent, insightful interview on WREK Atlanta’s “North Avenue Lounge,” we got a rare look inside the wonderfully complex world of The Heligoats, a band that redefines what it means to be a collaborative project. Fresh off a staggering, self-booked tour of 30 shows in 32 days, the duo painted a picture of life as a modern indie band: one part relentless work ethic, one part creative chaos.
The Never-Ending Tour
The road is the lifeblood of The Heligoats. Armed with a van loaned to them by their label, they traversed the country, building their tour around festival invitations and contacts nurtured over years of playing. This particular journey had a unique twist: it began as a full band and morphed into a duo mid-stream after their rhythm section flew home to their day jobs. Far from being a setback, Chris and Steve described the stripped-down format as a new opportunity—a chance to get “squirrelly” and experimental with their setlists, proving their songs are robust enough to thrive in any configuration.
A “Fungal Slime Mold” of a Band
If you try to draw a simple family tree for The Heligoats, you’ll quickly run out of paper. Chris Otepka, the band’s core, explained the winding history: The Heligoats project gave birth to the band Troubled Hubble. When that ended, Chris revived The Heligoats, eventually absorbing the Chicago band Hungry Mountain (featuring Steve Mitchell) as his full backing band.
The result is a fluid collective where members and even songs cross-pollinate. The Heligoats play Hungry Mountain songs, fans of one band become fans of the other, and the lines are beautifully blurred. This communal spirit is the engine of their creativity.
Crafting Back to the Ache
This collaborative spirit flows directly into their songwriting and recording process. Their latest album, Back to the Ache, serves as a perfect case study. The title itself is a clever pun on Paul McCartney’s Back to the Egg, born from the Midwestern pronunciation of “egg” and the recurring lyrical theme of an “ache.”
The album was pieced together across the country. Basic tracks were laid down in Chicago before Chris traveled to Portland to record vocals with the legendary Larry Crane (of Tape Op Magazine). The final touches were then applied back in Chicago. Chris admits a record is never truly “finished”; instead, it’s “abandoned” when the moment feels right, a testament to the organic, never-perfect nature of their art.
The stories behind the songs are just as eclectic:
- “Tofutti” wasn’t inspired by the vegan dessert, but by a character named Tofutti Klein from the 80s Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn film, Overboard.
- “Drai Zich” pulls its title from a Yiddish phrase meaning “keep moving”—a fitting mantra for a band constantly in motion.
- “Dancing to the Blues” is a crossover track that began life as a Hungry Mountain song.
This process—pulling inspiration from classic cinema, Yiddish phrases, and their own intertwined musical history—is The Heligoats in a nutshell. They are, as they put it, “musically omnivorous,” listening to everything from indie rock to Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, letting every note influence their unique sound.
In a world of polished branding and rigid lineups, The Heligoats are a breath of fresh, creatively messy air. They are a testament to the power of collaboration, the grind of the road, and the beauty of letting a project grow in unexpected directions. They are not just a band; they are a network, a community, a living, breathing musical organism. And with Back to the Ache, they’ve given us the perfect soundtrack to their beautiful mess.
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