The Naughty Octopus debut EP, now entitled “Lost & Found” is finally complete! It’s been a long, seemingly endless process at times but it feels so good to know that in just a month or so at most, the EP will be available everywhere for your listening pleasure. Personally I didn’t even realize until recently that this unfinished project was really weighing on me. When I first conceived Naughty Octopus around 2010 or so, my idea was that I would create something with my best friend(s) that would be simple yet powerful. Born out of and contrary to the mutual struggle and pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in the performing arts, Naughty Octopus would be a fun way for us to share our immense and at times burdensome passion for music with the world, all the while living the high life. Freedom, travel and boundless creation with our favorite people on earth was what we were striving for.

About seven years later, my goals for Naughty Octopus have essentially remained the same – that’s why I decided to give the EP a title (it was originally supposed to be self-titled). The timeline has certainly not worked out exactly as I originally imagined it, but the vision is still absolutely clear; hence the name “Lost & Found”. The other major change within Naughty Octopus is of course the people – the only remaining original remember is yours truly. The six other original members are amazing artists who continue to play music all over the world. They will always be part of the Naughty family and are an essential part of the genetic makeup of the beast that is Naughty Octopus.

I hope to be one of the vessels through which the music and culture of Naughty Octopus can flow – I don’t wish to have control, but rather be present to witness the growth and development of Naughty Octopus as if it were a child. It’s more than music, it’s more than an image and it’s more than a brand, yet it is all of those things and then some. As all children dream and imagine their destiny, so does Naughty Octopus – and in those dreams Naughty Octopus is larger than itself. It is you, it is me. It represents all of the the bliss, innocence and sincerity of a child with a dream to save the world.

Posted on March 30th, 2017 by Sam Ward.