Otits Media, from left, Geoff Haase, Connor Helser, Todd Hepler and Abbie Hepler.

“We all love music so much, it’s fun to be a part of something creative,” says Geoff Haase, frontman for Warsaw-based band Otitis Media.

The group – currently comprised of Haase on lead vocals and guitar, Connor Helser on drums, Todd Hepler on bass and Abbie Hepler on keys and backing vocals – have experienced something of a meteoric rise since founding in 2013. “It all started from us wanting to make some music and have some fun,” says Haase.

Haase has played in bands since he was 13. Back in the summer of 2013, he was in between projects, tinkering with some original songs and working at Spike’s Beach Grill in Warsaw. A band who was set to play at Spike’s suddenly canceled, and the restaurant’s management asked Haase if he’d like to fill the bill.

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“We had three hours to fill and 10 days to prepare,” Haase recalls. He called on Helser, who didn’t even own a drum set at the time, to back him up. The show went over well, so Haase and Helser continued to practice together and pick up gigs when they could.

Todd, originally a six string noodler, worked with Helser and was invited to sit in on a practice. With Haase already taking care of guitar duties, he picked up the bass and found it suited him.

Abbie, Todd’s wife, was subsequently brought on board, despite limited musical experience. “I played a little acoustic guitar when I was 13,” she says. “Geoff’s really patient with me. He’s just got that ear.”

Otitis Media played its first show as a quartet on Halloween of 2013. Since then, the band’s been keeping very busy.

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“We can play three hours of original music,” notes Haase. “That’s been a big selling point. A lot of the songs we play, I’ve been working on for 12 years.”

And thanks to a variety influences, Otitis Media’s set list is quite diverse, ranging from metal (“Boofus McKoy”) to indie rock (“Slow Mo”) to chilled out jams (“Go Home”). “We don’t have a genre, per se,” Haase says.

Haase sites acts like Built to Spill, My Morning Jacket and Queens of the Stone Age as his primary influences. “I got a lot of punk roots,” says Helser. “Right now I’m into a lot of Australian bands. Misfits would be another one of my favorites.”

“I like the heavier stuff,” Todd, a fan of Primus, Depeche Mode and NoFx, says. Abbie likes poppier acts like No Doubt. “It’s fun to sing to,” she says.

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And though the band exudes a bit of a slacker vibe, the group is quite industrious. “We went $2,000 in debt to play our first show,” says Haase. Using only gig money, the group has covered $12,000 in purchases at Sweetwater Sound.

Otitis Media also recorded an EP with Robert Lugo (The Dead Records, Robert Harrison) at DBB Records. It’s currently being mixed and mastered. However, it just scratches the surface of the band’s catalog.

“We recorded seven songs,” Haase says. “We have 47 songs now.”

The official release date of the EP is still up in the air, but fret not. In the meantime, the band plays at The Downtown (the band extends a special thank you to The Downtown for hosting them early in its career and JB Furniture for letting the band use its van) and other local venues almost every weekend. Otits Media also has demos of many of its songs on its soundcloud, and be sure to follow them on Facebook.