Deep in the world of
Third Man Record’s Vault lays a world filled with people brought together by
one commonality: Jack White. Just that. However, the Vault is not a dark place.
I have met brilliant musicians and artists alike there. I don’t remember what
drew me into my acquaintanceship with Ryan, but I’m glad it happened.
If you haven’t heard them, and I’m not
surprised if you haven’t, I would highly recommend listening to some of Orange
No. 9’s digs. Ryan was nice enough to email me the tracks off of their new, and
debut EP, Straight to VHS! I was not
disappointed! Why would I be? Free music? Terrific, soulful rock? The full EP
can be found on their website, orangeno9music.com.
Like Hell I’d be. Each track has the power
to rock the charts, I swear. With each track, you can feel the musicianship
that lies among the three members. Tod Elgnis lets his vocals soar on the
tracks. Accompanied by his own excellent guitar work, there is nothing but
memorable riffs and soul-felt words. Cheyenne Moore on drums. As a part time
drummer (Ha!) my ears instantly honed in on his expert beats. Perfect timing,
each stroke fits beautifully into the songs, giving the signature sound of the
alternative/punk movement. I’m jealous. I had to put on headphones to get to
Ryan’s work. Computer speakers, huh? Well that was a bad idea, because now I
love what I’m hearing even more.
Ryan’s bass drives it home. I’m sold. Quick,
fitting, it slides along, holding onto the guitar perfectly. Rock and roll!
Ryan is the glue that holds Elgnis and Moore’s work together, creating a
spectacular performance. Fuck it; this is where it’s at. Let’s get on with the
show!
Q. So will this be your first publication?
A. First one in print. We’ve been featured
on websites, but nothing like extensive like this.
Q. What do you do when you aren’t leading
the life of a glamorous rockstar?
A. I drink a lot of Redbull. A lot. (Please keep in mind
that about 90% of the time I am playing music. other than that I'm drinking
Redbull)
Q. I like Monster. So what is it like to be the only girl in a band… I
don’t
know anything about that.
A. At times
I'll admit it's a little weird. Guys can be gross and obnoxious. But overall
it's kind of fun. A lot of people see me when I'm getting on stage and don't
necessarily expect me to deliver the same performance as the guys will. But if
there's one thing my band mates and I are known for it's our performance. A lot
of people are impressed when they see a girl bassist rocking just as hard as
the guys. I'm also pretty lucky, I'm in a band with two really awesome, funny
guys, they don't leave me out or try to make me uncomfortable. We're all good
friends.
Q. How long
have you been together for?
A. Orange
No.9 has been around since about May of 2012. I joined in during the summer of
2013. Prior to my joining Tod's girlfriend was filling in at shows playing bass
while they were looking for a bass player. They ended up finding me when my
previous band was playing a show with them in Poughkeepsie.
Q. Where did
you guys come up with the name Orange No. 9? And about Straight to VHS!?
A. Tod had
this science teacher in high school who was a musician. He always wrote down
ideas for song and band names. So one day he was holding up flash cards to his
son and one of them had a "9" on it. Instead of saying 9 his son said
"orange" so he wrote it down as "Orange No.9"
So while the
band was going under the name Obey (taken from the John Carpenter film They
Live) Tod found that name on his teachers list. Initially he intended to use it
as a song name, but liked it so much he changed the name of the band.
Back when VHS
was still a thing they used to release sequels to movies and things as
"straight to VHS releases" where they'd skip the movie theater and go
right to a VHS release. It also has relevance in the world of Orange No.9
because Tod's girlfriend’s father used to film the band’s shows on a camera
that recorded straight to VHS!
Q. I Love
They Live. Can you give me a rundown of your band’s influences?
A. As a band,
we’re really influenced by The Foo Fighters, Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins,
Queens of the Stone Age, and The Doors. We all really love 90's alternative
music and all grew up on classic rock like Zeppelin.
Q. Rock and
Roll. What personal influences do you have?
A. Personally
I draw influence from bassists such as Matt Freeman (Rancid) Jack Lawrence (The
Racontuers) and bands such as The White Stripes, The Ramones, Nirvana, and The
Misfits. Punk music is really what inspired me to be in bands more than
anything. I love how it's all about emotion and power and passion and I think
Orange No.9 really conveys those same elements and messages through our
performances.
Q. Can you
tell me about your Pretty Lady… Your Bass?
A. I play a
blue Gibson Thunderbird which I was inspired to get because Kim Gordon of Sonic
Youth plays one. I saw one in the music store when I was 14 or 15 and
recognized it as what she used. I started playing one and fell in love with it.
I finally got one of my own about a year ago. Best thing I ever bought. I put
it through a Trace Elliot combo amp and always set up wireless (because 1- I
often jump off stage and 2- I'm a real fucking klutz and trip over my own feet
and don't need wires to trip on) I used to use bass pedals but have started to
stray away from them, they're not as necessary for the style we play. The amp I
play through is interesting I guess. It's a vintage combo bass amp by Trace
Elliot. I always get comments and questions about it because it's not one you
see every day.
Q. I want to
know about your musical journey.
A. I started playing guitar when I was about
10 years old. I picked up bass from that a few years later. I quickly found I
was better at picking up bass than I was guitar. My first real band was when I
was 14 years old. It was a punk band (that by the way wasn't very good). When I was 16 I started
a band called Strike the Umpire which was the first band of mine that played
shows pretty regularly. It also became my first recording studio experience
which taught me a lot about the making of music. Strike the Umpire eventually
lead me to Orange No.9, which has taken me to gigs as far as 4 hours away, to a
famous recording studio in NY, and put me on iTunes. I got to open for and meet
two of my heroes (Michale Graves of the Misfits and CJ Ramone of the Ramones)
and had my music played on a radio station I've been listening to for years.
I'm very excited to see where it's going to take me next. That’s us with CJ
Ramone.
Q. If you could play any venue, what would
it be?
A. I really wanna play Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
There's no such thing as a bad seat in Barclays. Even the nosebleeds are great
seats. Plus I saw Green Day there and Nirvana get inducted to the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame there, so it's got some good memories attached to it. That was fucking
incredible. I got to see Joan Jett and Kim Gordon play with NIRVANA! In 2014!
That's like a dream come true! Hahah, there were so many other great artists
too, like Cat Stevens for example, who just took NY off his first US tour in
like 30 years or something. It was amazing to see so many musicians who I
admire in one show- and let me just remind you that NIRVANA was one of them.
Hahahahaa- when The White Stripes get inducted (they're not eligible for
another 10 years) I don't care where the ceremony is, I'm fucking going. Even
if I have to drive across the country.
Q. I’ll see you there! What has been your
favourite venue you’ve played to date?
A. Probably The Room in Brookfield,
Connecticut. It's a really good example of how great people make great
businesses. I go to a lot of shows where the people are so concerned with
making a profit they forget about the music. The owner, Vern, used to be a
touring musician and he really does his best to help us where he can, taking
the time to actually make sure we sound really good, offering advice where he
can and making us feel really welcome. And we've met some really incredible
bands through our time there. We've probably played there 4 or 5 times already
and we only just discovered the place in June!
Q. Currently there is a petition out and a
movement to save The Room by inviting the Foo Fighters to play a show. Can you
give me some insight into that?
A. Since the room is an all ages venue, it's
really hard to make a profit. Vern isn't too concerned with it but he's getting
to the point where they can hardly break even. So we started a movement to get
the Foo Fighters to come to the room and hopefully save the venue from closing.
We're making noise. We've gotten the attention of several music publications
and radio stations including Real Punk Radio in NYC and the online music
publication Consequence of Sound. Hopefully Dave Grohl really is the nicest guy
in rock and will come help us save one of my favorite places.
Q. Imagine if you could open for them! What
has been your favourite concert that you've attended?
A. If we opened for the Foo Fighters I think
my drummer would just cry. Chy’s the biggest Dave Grohl fan I've ever met.
Since joining Orange I've seen the documentary on the band like 10 times.
Oooooh that's such a hard choice. I'd have
to say either Jack White or Senses Fail. Jack White is one of my all-time
favorite musicians. His music is so real and the performance spontaneous. I
love it. It makes me want to create more. Senses Fail was really really genuine
though. You'll never find a more accepting crowd at any concert and you know
it's a band who genuinely WANTS to be there performing for you.
So if you want to help out The Room by
having none other than the Foo Fighters come play, you can sign the petition at
Change.org. Here is what to look for:
https://www.change.org/p/the-foo-fighters-play-at-the-room. Go for it, it
doesn’t bite. What have you done today? Stay tuned for more from Ryan, and be
sure to check out the EP, you won’t be disappointed!
Thank you so much to Ryan
for helping me out with this interview! I give you a million THANK YOUS!
–Cheyenne Kline, Editor; Ryan Megahey, O#9
