High Tone Son of a Bitch (often abbreviated HTSOB) is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California, formed in the early 2000s by brothers Paul and Andrew Kott. The group blends stoner and desert rock, psychedelic hard rock, and doom metal, and have been associated with the Bay Area underground heavy music scene.
History High Tone Son of a Bitch formed in the early 2000s in the Bay Area, with the Kott brothers emerging from the earlier band Cruevo. Their debut EP Better You Than Me was released in 2003 and featured guest synthesizer from Dave Edwardson of Neurosis. A second EP, Velocipede, was recorded in 2004 but was not released at that time. In 2007, Andrew Kott died following a fall, and the band went on hiatus for more than a decade. During the hiatus, Paul Kott played in the Bay Area group Kalas with Matt Pike.
In 2018 Juan Herrera—Paul Kott's nephew and Andrew Kott's stepson, and recipient of a Latin Grammy nomination—encouraged Paul to restart HTSOB. The band returned by issuing Velocipede digitally and releasing the comeback EP Death of a New Day / Eye in the Sky in 2019. The EP received positive coverage from outlets including Ghost Cult Magazine and Revolver. In 2020 the band released Lifecycles: EPs of HTSOB with Tee Pee Records, which compiled remastered versions of Better You Than Me, Velocipede, Death of a New Day / Eye in the Sky, and the newly issued Wicked Threads!. The release was previewed by Invisible Oranges.
In 2022, HTSOB partnered with Ripple Music to release Live at the Hallowed Halls, a live-in-studio album recorded in Portland. The record was noted by multiple outlets; for example, Tinnitist called it "a thrilling live in the studio... instant classic". The album features guest appearances from several prominent heavy rock artists performing with the band on live in the studio. In 2025, the band contributed a cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Ruiner" to Magnetic Eye Records' The Downward Spiral (Redux), covered in outlets such as The Razor's Edge.
Collaborations and guests HTSOB has collaborated with a range of musicians from other underground heavy acts.
Matt Pike – guest guitar on Wicked Threads! and guest guitar and vocals on Live at the Hallowed Halls. Dave Edwardson – synthesizer on Better You Than Me and Death of a New Day / Eye in the Sky. Rob Wrong – guest guitar on Live at the Hallowed Halls. Andrea Vidal – guest vocals on Live at the Hallowed Halls. Sonny Reinhardt – guitar on Death of a New Day / Eye in the Sky. John Brookhouse – collaborator on Wicked Threads!. Jake Navarra – collaborator on Live at the Hallowed Halls.
Members
Founding members Paul Kott – guitar Andrew Kott – guitar Ron Nichols – bass Andee Connors – drums Scott Wagner – vocals
Current core lineup Russ Kent – vocals Paul Kott – guitar Patrick Peterson – guitar Billy Anderson – bass Matt Butler – drums Leslie Allred – keyboards, synthesizers
Former members Johann Zamorra – drums Chris Corona – guitar Joe Fucko – bass Bryce Shelton – keyboards Pamela Ausejo – guitar, vocals Eric Rancourt – drums
Discography
EPs and albums Year Title Type Label(s) 2003 Better You Than Me EP Shifty, Throne, Unknown Controller 2004 (released 2018) Velocipede EP Unknown Controller 2019 Death of a New Day / Eye in the Sky EP Unknown Controller 2020 Wicked Threads! EP Unknown Controller 2020 Lifecycles: EPs of HTSOB Compilation Tee Pee, Svart, Unknown Controller 2022 Live at the Hallowed Halls Live album Ripple Music
Compilation appearances "Ruiner" on The Downward Spiral (Redux) (Magnetic Eye, 2025).
References