One Prayer One Sin began as HREM (Human Resource Exploitation Manual), the brainchild of Johnny Scuotto. I met Johnny in 2013 and we talked a length about what we were into and began creating together in the beginning of 2014. At that time we had no name and no songs. The project started with ARP synthesizers, tape echo units, metal pieces for percussion, and some improvised lyrics. Very quickly as the project took form Johnny and I added players. Johnny brought in the animalistic Ed Bordonado on drums while I recruited Nikki Agostino on tenor sax and Steven Welbourne on electric violin and synthesizer. I shifted over to playing bass and tape echo. The band was informally set with Johnny as lead vocals and auxiliary percussionist.
After working in my rehearsal space in Bushwick, several times a week for the better part of a year we built our sound and had a few songs to record under the temporary moniker O/I. On the recording day in Jaie Gon’s studio we faced insecurity issues and had trouble getting anything done. A theme that would continually grow worse as there became differences in opinion on the band’s management. Johnny wanted to fire Ed and change the band’s name. We still had not played a single show.
Johnny and I had been into doing cut-ups and while playing around with some refrigerator magnets at Jaie’s studio came up with the new band name, One Prayer One Sin. We needed a powerful drummer to fill Ed’s shoes and so Johnny recruited Rich Hutchins (Live Skull, The Art Gray Noizz Quintet) and the band’s final and official line-up was set.
Later we added to backing vocalists, Emma DeCorsey and Thistle Jemison, for our live shows and an additional bassist, Pete Vogl, during the time my wife and I were having our first child.
We played a number of sold-out and very successful shows, opening for Martin Rev, James Chance, Shilpa Ray, Cut Worms, and others. We started to build a lot of interest and were doing well, but behind the scenes the band was a disaster.
Ultimately the band dissolved into chaos as Johnny Scuotto found himself unable to handle the pressure due to the attention the band was garnering and ended up facing some mental health issues. He later ended up moving back in with his mom in Staten Island.