Bio

Originally formed by brothers Paul and Andrew Kott from the ashes of Oakland prog/doom sludge masters Cruevo, and both preceding and coinciding with Paul’s work in Bay Area metal “supergroup” Kalas, High Tone Son of a Bitch (HTSOB) is a “supergroup” unto itself. Since its founding, HTSOB has pulled together members and collaborators from  bands like Noothgrush, Kalas, Hammers of Misfortune, Men of Porn, Melvins, Hawkwind, Acid King, Neurosis, High on Fire, Sleep, Necrot, The Skull, Holy Grove, Phantom Hound, Worshipper and more. When Andrew Kott died unexpectedly in a tragic fall in 2007, HTSOB disbanded – seemingly for good. Paul Kott revived the band – at the urging of his Latin Grammy-winning nephew Juan Herrera (Andrew’s step-son) – in 2019. Paul has been joined by a core group that includes original member Russ Kent (Noothgrush, Alaric) on vocals and original producer Billy Anderson (Melvins, Men of Porn) on bass. Many friends and collaborators have joined this core group to allow Paul’s brother’s inspiration to live on, including Dave Edwardson (Neurosis), Sunny Reinhardt (Saviours, Necrot), Matt Pike (Sleep, High on Fire), Bryce Shelton (Nik Turner’s Hawkwind, Acid King), Rob Wrong (The Skull, Witch Mountain), John Brookhouse (Worshipper), and more. This current touring lineup also includes Luke Laplante (Spacebag, Eye of Nix), Patrick Peterson (Messiah), and Matt Butler (Skinhorse). The psychedelic hard rock and post-doom vision of HTSOB has kept moving forward – all the while remaining uncompromisingly true to the musical roots the brothers established years ago. Critically heralded as a band that “sits atop the pinnacle of not just psychedelic music, but of musicianship across every spectrum” (Metal Observer), High Tone Son of a Bitch transcends not only genre archetype but death itself, to weave an essential portrait of the dualistic nature of our lives.