Artist: Otis Haynes, Album: ...Not If I Smell You First!, Song: Gimme The Keys

Otis Haynes was either a pseudonym for two guys from Sloan or an actual band that featured Chris Murphy and Patrick Pentland from Sloan as guests.  Whoever Otis Haynes was, the fact remains that this song could very easily pass for anything in Sloan's long list of hit songs.  The song is called, Gimme The Keys, and it was featured on a compilation released in 1994 by indie label, Sonic Unyon, from Hamilton, Ontario.  There are a few interesting things about this release.  One, is how this small label that was responsible for breaking bands like Treble Charger and Hayden at one point, had now established a working relationship with bands across Canada like Eric's Trip, hHead (Brendan Canning from Broken Social Scene) and By Divine Right (see blog 2/19/11).  Throw in this one off by some of the members of Sloan and you can see how this label was slowly building some serious musical clout.  The other interesting thing about this compilation and the Otis Haynes track specifically, is the liner note, "Otis Haynes recruits Patrick Pentland and Chris Murphy of Sloan without the consent of the David Geffen Company."  Sloan was signed to Geffen Records at the time and Geffen decided not to promote the release of their second album due to artistic differences.  The album was called, Twice Removed, and it turned out to be another very strong release for the band.  So perhaps this was a subtle f@#k you to their label and a precursor of what was to come.  The band would release their next album on their own label.  Whatever the reason, this track is a beauty yet very difficult to find.  At the time of this blog, there were copies trading on Amazon for $15.  You can hear the song, Gimme The Keys, on You Tube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8xjHtc0-cQ&NR=1).  Thanks for reading and enjoy!