Does a band need to play its own material to be good? Mr. Blotto doesn’t think so.

During their cover-heavy set at Otto’s Saturday night, the band took a decent-sized crowd to many different musical eras.

While a room full of drunk hippies and college students aren’t usually going to be hard to please, Mr. Blotto did it with style.

Throughout their hour-long set, the band managed to keep the crowd entertained. Their enthusiastic light man kept the ambiance even as the songs shifted from ballads to rock to funk-style stuff that really got the crowd going.

While Mr. Blotto may like to compare their abilities to some of the greats, they only have the ability to take other peoples’ songs and make them their own.

The art of a cover song rests in a band’s ability to pay respect to an original and inject their own personality. Mr. Blotto did both really well on Saturday.

Another commendable thing about Mr. Blotto is that they have the confidence to cover some songs that music purists don’t think should be recreated.

So, how does a band like Mr. Blotto gain a following like they do? They play shows constantly. The band has been active all over the Illinois touring circuit, and this has gotten them a fan base as eclectic as their choice of songs.

While Mr. Blotto wouldn’t be something to throw on the car stereo, if they ever decided to play house parties, I’d suggest going.