Otto is the name of the band, but the man has been vital to Lexington music for decades

After 15 years, Slo-Fi came to the realization that other bands shared its name. So, with an album set for release that been worked on for almost as long as the Lexington rock troupe had been together, something new was in order.

The chosen moniker? Otto.

It was simple, direct and easy to remember. Shoot, it was even a palindrome. But most notably, it referenced the band’s frontman, Otto Helmuth, a figurehead member of the Lexington rock ‘n’ roll community for close to three decades.

“When we got closer to the release of this album, there were at lest two other Slo-Fi bands that had a fairly decent presence out there,” Helmuth said from the second floor of his garage-turned-home recording studio in Lexington. “We had to think of a different name. Our friends were like, ‘Call it ‘Otto.’ And that was it. But, apparently, someone from Metallica’s son has a band named Otto, so maybe for the next record it will be something else.”

Helmuth’s contributions to Lexington’s music scene can hardly be summed up in a single name. From an extended run during the 1990s with the power trio The Blueberries to a slightly altered trio lineup with Slo-Fi to extensive work as a producer and recording engineer whose client list runs from notables like The Apples in Stereo to daughter Daisy Helmuth and her band People Planet (which will open Otto’s record release performance at The Burl on Saturday), he has remained a steadfast musical presence in Lexington. All of that doesn’t even factor in Helmuth’s day-job duties as a carpenter.

“Otto is a guy who has been central to what has been going on here for a long time, whether it’s through performing or writing or collaborating,” said Chris Sullivan who recruited Helmuth for moonlighting work in his Western Movies band. The two have known each other since attending Belmont University in Nashville.

“We were roommates at Belmont in 1987,” Sullivan said. “Then we started a band (Serious George) that played at CBGBs and all over the place when we were, like, 19. We go way back.”

It was with The Blueberries — which included bassist and current Otto member Chad Ward, Helmuth’s friend since the third grade — that Helmuth established a lasting local profile. The band cut four albums and performed relentlessly through the decade, often in clubs with then unknown touring bands like Whiskeytown (which included an equally unheard Ryan Adams), The Afghan Whigs and The Old 97s as opening acts.

“These guys were bringing their (record) label people to the shows,” Helmuth said. “Do you know what they did with Whiskeytown? They grabbed Ryan Adams and cut across the stage and went right out the back. They didn’t listen to us. Not one bit.”

Slo-Fi altered the lineup slightly with veteran Lexington drummer Tim Welch in for Blueberries mainstay Andy Mason. The band’s first gig was opening a 2003 show at the long defunct Dame for the Tom Tom Club, the dance/funk tribe fronted by Talking Heads alums Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth.

“Tina Weymouth came downstairs after the show and said, ‘I really liked that Velvet Underground song you did.’ We didn’t play one, but I just thought, ‘That’s so awesome.’”

“If Neil Young and R.E.M. were in a band together, that might sound like what Otto does,” Welch added. “He’s always stayed true to that, too. He’s a perfectionist but is very open to collaboration. Otto will come in with a song and the rest of the band will help arrange it. He puts all of our names on it, but it really comes from him.”

The transition from Slo-Fi to Otto — and with it, the addition of second guitarist and harmony vocalist Josh Wright — will be cemented this weekend with the release of the band’s self-titled debut record. The album was a long time coming with initial sessions dating back to 2005. A second recording of newer songs is well underway with a brisker turn around goal — specifically, a release date of next spring.

“I don’t know if it’s just the album coming up and getting excited about that or working up the newer songs and tracking them, but there’s a real energy to what we’re doing. Plus our shows have been better attended lately, so that feels good. We’ve also played many times for two and three people, but once you start feeling it and getting in front of people to play… it’s fun, man. It’s an addiction.

“I mean, it’s not my job. It’s something I do that I love.”

IF YOU GO

Otto

Opening: Johnny Conqueroo, People Planet

When: 9 p.m. Sept. 29

Where: The Burl, 375 Thompson Road

Admission: $8

Online: theburlky.com .

This story was originally published September 25, 2018 at 4:05 PM.