otis gibbs

This is my roommate, Malcolm. He showed up on our front porch 13 years ago today. He introduced himself and explained that he needed a place to crash, so he was moving in. He made a pretty compelling argument, so I took this photo (for security purposes) and let him inside. He’s been my buddy ever since.

When he first showed up, he was too skinny and it was obvious he’d had a rough start to life. When Amy and I fed him, he’d gobble it down as fast as he could. It seemed like he thought someone was gonna take it from him, so he ate quickly. We fed him quite a few times a day for a month or so in hopes of putting some weight on him. Then one day out of the blue, he stopped eating, left his bowl half full, layed down and took a nap. Amy and I immediately realized it was the first time in his life that he got “enough” food. It might sound weird, but we got all sentimental over it. We still get choked up and sentimental whenever we mention the first time Malcolm got enough to eat.

Malcolm sits on my lap every morning while I drink my coffee and he loves to sleep under the blankets when it gets cold at night. He’s a good roommate and I’m glad I snapped this photo when he showed up on my porch.

Happy Halloween, Mr. Malcolm.

You can purchase The Trust Of Crows on vinyl from the store section of this website.

https://otisgibbs.bigcartel.com

First off, lets pretend that we don’t see all of that dust covering my dashboard. I didn’t notice it until it was too late. I rarely do.

Anyhow, I was listening to Outlaw Country yesterday on Siriusxm when one of my songs came on the radio. It’s from my new record, The Trust Of Crows and it’s always great to hear yourself being broadcasted out over the airwaves. I’m told there are over 50 stations in the USA spinning songs from the new record right now, so thanks to those stations and everyone involved.

We have just a couple of days left for the presale. You can pick up some vinyl, a CD or one of my paintings at this link. https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/the-trust-of-crows/x/17363880#/

I’m gonna be honest with ya. We used Indiegogo about 5 years ago and everything went smoothly, but it’s been a complete pain in the ass this time around. I’ve had a lot of complaints from folks saying they’re having trouble getting the site to load. If you’re having trouble, I’m sorry, but please keep trying. This will be our last time using their service. Lets try to finish up strong and then we’ll move everything to my website from here on out. Live and learn.

I’ll be playing a few shows at the end of this month. If you’re anywhere near Indianapolis, Louisville or Cincinnati, lets get together and have some fun. There’s something beautiful about being in a room full of people and sharing a moment together. Something real and tangible and most importantly, something fun. I’m gonna be there and I’m gonna have fun. I hope y’all will join me.

Thanks for giving a damn,
-Otis

I heard a loud commotion somewhere outside the house. When I looked out the window, I saw a big semi truck parked out front and someone unloading two large skids of boxes onto the street.

Those boxes contained my new record, The Trust Of Crows.

Amy and I carried way too many boxes up a couple of sets of stairs and piled them wherever we could in the house. Half of them are in our dining room and the other half are in our living room.

I’m not gonna lie, it felt pretty nice to hold the record in my hands. There’s a lot that goes into getting a record out into the world and when you have to do 99% of the work yourself, it feels pretty dang good to see it become a reality. I sat back in the rocking chair and patted myself on the back for about ten minutes and then I got back to work.

We’re gonna start shipping these out to those of you who’ve bought these starting late next week. It’s just me and Amy mailing it from our living room to yours, so it’ll be a slow process. Thanks ahead of time for your patience.

Here’s a link to buy The Trust Of Crows. You can pick up my vinyl, CDs or one of my paintings there. This is the only place you can buy the record or CD for the next 10 days or so. When this presale ends, we’ll start selling through my website.

https://igg.me/at/otis-gibbs

Thanks for giving a damn,

-Otis

The Trust Of Crows is available at this link until the presale ends on October 12th. After that, it will be available at the store on this website.

https://igg.me/at/otis-gibbs

I made a bit of a pilgrimage this week in Chicago. If you’re a John Prine fan looking for something to lift your spirits, this is for you. -Otis

Hey Friends, today is the official release day for my new album, The Trust Of Crows. Feel free to stream it, if you’re into that sort of thing. As long as you’re listening and having a good time, we’re cool.

If you’re one of those strange people who believes in supporting indie artists by buying records, CDs, paintings and stuff, this is your lucky day.

Buy stuff at this link! https://igg.me/at/otis-gibbs

Thanks for giving a damn,

-Otis

Hey friends,

The pre-sale for my new album, The Trust Of Crows, just went live. Watch the video and click through to browse through my vinyl, CDs and paintings.

It’ll be worth it, I promise.

Thanks for giving a damn,

-Otis

Ditchweed is my latest single and I’m hoping you’ll help me spread it around.

This video was filmed by my buddy, Todd Fox and I edited it into the masterpiece that you see before you today. I have no doubts we’re gonna receive all of the trophies for this one. They might even award me the Superbowl trophy and cancel the season. Either way, it’s gonna change the way we think about cinema going forward.

Ditchweed is from my upcoming album, The Trust Of Crows and it was recorded at Columbia Studio A in Nashville. I know you’re sitting there saying to yourself, isn’t that where Bob Dylan made Blonde on Blonde and Nashville Skyline? Well, as a matter of fact, it is. The studio has been closed to the public for decades, but we were given permission to record my new album there. Not a bad deal, if you ask me.

The Trust Of Crows will be released on September 19th, but you can stream Ditchweed and a few other songs right now at this link.

https://open.spotify.com/artist/28ArvZS9yIxIPnPCDD5IXD?si=aefqWcDtTW26wiNNxx5P9A

This is a completely grass roots/DIY effort and I need your help to spread the word.

Thanks for giving a damn,

-Otis

For my Chicago friends…

I’m playing at SPACE in Evanston on September 17th and the presale starts today. It’s a seated show and you can get the best tables if you buy your tickets right now.

The presale code is: Trust

https://www.ticketweb.com/event/otis-gibbs-space-tickets/13898424

It’s been a while and I’m looking forward to being with y’all. Bring a friend and we’ll make it a special night.

— Otis Tour Dates —

9/17/25 -Chicago, IL -SPACE in Evanston

10/25/25 -Indianapolis, IN -HI-FI

10/26/25 -Louisville, KY -Zanzabar

10/30/25 -Cincinnati, OH -Ludlow Garage

11/9/25 -Nashville, TN -3rd and Lindsley

11/14/25 -Houston, TX -Continental Club Big Top

Photo by Todd Fox

I’m proud to be part of this one!

Amy Lashley’s new record, Flatland Blossoms is officially released today. You can and should pick up a vinyl record, a CD or a download right now. If you give the first song a listen, I think you’ll be hooked and you’ll want more.

Facts are stubborn things.

Writing and recording music is one of the best things in the world and we’re grateful that we still get to do it. The downside is, it always seems to take forever to get the finished thing out into the world.

My musician friends know exactly what I’m talking about.

I’m pretty dang excited to finally get to share the whole album with folks. People will be discovering this record in the years to come. You’ll be able to tell these folks that you bought it as soon as it came out.

Thanks for helping make this record possible.

https://amylashley.bandcamp.com/album/flatland-blossoms-2

Here are some credits:

Thomm Jutz -guitar

Otis Gibbs -guitar

Dave Jacques -bass

Lynn Williams -drums

Finn Goodwin-Bain -organ

Produced by Otis Gibbs and Thomm Jutz.

Mastered by Alex McCollough.

This snapshot was taken at a beautiful old diner in Chicopee, Massachusetts.

Imagine me sitting there quietly while I try to figure out what Louisville, Nashville and Houston have in common. This is one of life’s great questions that’s baffled folk singers throughout the ages.

Louisville gave us Muhammad Ali. I’ve heard stories of Ali visiting the Club Del Morocco in Nashville and watching a young and unknown Jimi Hendrix playing in the house band. Ali fought four times at the Astrodome and Houston is where he first declared himself a conscientious objector.

Ok, not a bad start, but what else do they have in common.

Townes Van Zandt lived in Houston and recorded his greatest album at The Old Quarter. He was part of the wave of great songwriters that moved from Houston to Nashville. He later lived in Louisville. I had a late night conversataion about 25 years ago at Air Devils in Louisville with a guy who let Townes live with him for a bit, but that’s another story.

Now we’re rolling.

My favorite actor is Harry Dean Stanton. A large portion of Paris, Texas was filmed in and around Houston. Harry Dean Stanton became friends with The Call and they did a tour with him as his backing band. That tour played for a very small, but lucky crowd at Uncle Pleasants in Louisville. I wish I could have been there for it. I’ve seen quite a few screenings of Harry Dean’s movies at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville. That’s a bit flimsy on the Nashville connection, but it’s the best I have at the moment.

I’ve been known to sit quietly for hours contemplating such things. It’s good for the blood pressure, it’s cheap entertainment and it reminds me of the things I enjoy.

Having said all of that, the most important connection between Louisville, Nashville and Houston?

I’ll be playing in all three cities and the pre-sale starts today. If you’re anywhere near these cities, please come out and say hey.

10/26 Louisville, KY – Zanzabar (Full Band)

11/9 Nashville, TN – 3rd & Lindsley w/ Thomm Jutz (Full Band)

11/14 Houston, TX – Continental Club Houston’s Big Top

Presale code is, TRUST. https://laylo.com/otisgibbs/afEUR3