Just like the bright shining constellation of stars in the heavens that bares his name, Orion Simprini is a bright shining heavenly star on the New York music scene. The charismatic Simprini is the front man for a new wave band straight out of New York that shares his unique name The Orion Experience. I had the pleasure of sitting down to talk to Orion at the White Rabbit a funky laid back lounge on Houston Street right in the heart of the good old Lower East Side in NYC. While film clips of famous people such as Madonna and world leaders such as Bill Clinton played on the clean white walls, we talked about everything from were the Orion Experience fits in the NY music scene, indie cred and how playing on stage can be like having an orgasm during sex.
AG: Describe the sound of the Orion Experience?
OS: The sound of the Orion Experience is high energy, dancey pop rock. And it takes a lot of influences from stuff that you may have heard before… people have compared us to the B-52’s and also the New Pornographers is another comparison we get all the time. Also I feel like there is a little ABBA in there…then I think there is something completely new about it as well. So there is a lot of retro elements but I feel like that it is a fresh modern sound that has been unexplored as of late.
AG: Explain for everyone who is reading this, what you mean when you say “unexplored”?
OS: I think that we are very different from a lot of other New York bands. There does not seem to be a lot of New York bands that are doing what we do. I’m sure that there are bands similar, but when you come and see The Orion Experience it’s a high energy party atmosphere that just doesn’t seem to be in vogue right now in New York or in indie music so much.
AG: It seems to be about being depressed and jaded and looking down at your shoes a lot.
OS: (laughs) We don’t play mandolin…..
AG: (laughs) How do you see the Orion Experience fitting into the New York music scene?
OS: To me New York is like a big black landscape and the Orion Experience is this rainbow in the corner. I think we fit in quite nicely in the New York music scene. This city is so drawn to night life and people really like to party here and the Orion Experience offers a soundtrack to a Saturday night in New York.
AG: Well you do! I was lucky enough to see one of the Orion Experience shows at the Annex on the Lower East Side in New York City. And I have to say it was a really good time, it was a nice change of pace from that “trust fund, ivy league graduate, looking down at your shoes, jaded and depressed indie rock”, that seems to be coming out of Brooklyn and the Lower East Side in abundance these days.
OS: Yeah well. I would even ask you what you thought of that, cause I know that when we’re on stage we just go nuts! We totally try to put out as much energy as we can…but it’s hard for me to say what it looks like from the other side. But I know when I see an audience reaction, I feel like they are giving back that same high positive energy.
AG: Right, well as we’ve talked about there are some current indie acts who act as if it’s a big chore to get out there and play for an audience. To me the Orion Experience live …is a party but an intelligent and fun party that everyone is invited too!
OS: Yeah!
AG: I felt like I was back in the 80’s..but it was very smart!
OS: Back in the 80’s… that’s a great thing! It’s like if you saw a Culture Club show back in the day, while it’s not the exact same thing as an Orion Experience show… it has those elements and it knows what it is and it’s there to make you smile and have a good time. I feel like the perfect Orion Experience show would be you go there you dance your ass off and you would see a really cute person and you would go make out in the bathroom somewhere and you would go home and laugh the whole way home.
AG: I got that vibe that I was at the Pyramid (a legendary New York night club, where Andy Warhol and Debbie Harry hung out back in the 80’s and Nirvana played on of their first shows at the Pyramid) circa 1985 watching a really cool band…but yet it was very now and modern!
OS: Right! When I sit down to write a song I’m always trying to write a song that I would wanna hear at a rock show. And just from my earliest days stuff like Culture Club, Duran Duran and Michael Jackson ..those are the kinds of things that really started me down the musical path and I try to emulate that.
AG: Besides being smart and fun the Orion Experience is very sexy too!
OS: Well for me there is a feeling of excitement and energy in my brain when I’m on stage that is closely related to sexual energy…..
AG: Is that feeling you get on stage akin to having an orgasm during sex?
OS: Definitely… it really is! It’s funny cause the French have a saying “La Petite Morte” for an orgasm, it means “the little death”. For me it’s strange it’s like I blackout when I get on stage I remember getting up there and I remember a few things on stage. And when I get off stage I don’t remember much about the show cause I’m in such a heighten sense of awareness that I don’t really remember being on stage much and it’s kinda like that little death.
AG: That sexual energy comes across strongly, in your performance and also your songs. You have songs like “Obsessed with You”. My question to you is how much of your songwriting is influenced by sex?
OS: Eighty percent of my songs are about frustration or longing for someone. Those are the kind of things that I really need to express. When I really love someone or are obsessed with someone and they aren’t giving me what I need back…I have to write about it.
AG: Isn’t that what half of rock and roll is? Half of the greatest rock love songs of all time are that!
OS: Absolutely! And it’s also really great to write songs about someone who has a cool name…
AG: (laughs) Like Orion!
OS: Right (laughs) I love songs that have people’s names in them!
AG: I notice that you guys play a lot not only in NYC but also LA. And I know we’ve talked about the difference between the NYC scenes and the LA scenes and the differences between the audiences. You’ve said you find NY audiences to be a little smarter and LA audiences to be a little more outrageous.
OS: I would say that in LA that are much more prone to really like you right off the bat. Where as NY audiences you really have to win them over, they aren’t so quick to be like “oh that was great”! What I feel like in New York you get some real genuine feed back. And the LA audiences that we’ve had have been really great they are very respective to New York bands.
AG: How would you see the Orion Experience fitting into everywhere that isn’t LA and New York….basically how would you see the Orion Experience fitting into the mainstream?
OS: I don’t think there has ever been a more mainstream band then the Orion Experience. With the right kind of exposure we’d be Z-100’s (well known NY top 40 radio station) biggest band. I think it’s better then stuff like Fall Out Boy and it’s smarter then Fall Out Boy but it’s just stupid enough for everyone to get it. And it’s got messages in it that are so mainstream, that I feel like if the stars align we’d be as mainstream as they come!
AG: And you’ll still have that indie cred!
OS: I really don’t care about indie cred. I’ve been playing in rock bands since before I could get into bars! And if you don’t think I have indie cred….I’ve paid my dues and then some! It doesn’t matter to me if people think I don’t have indie cred, I would rather reach as many people as I can, over just ten people that know about us and so I have indie cred! (laughs) You take a guy like Jack White from the White Stripes, he is a great example of someone who took indie music and brought it into the mainstream….everyone likes the White Stripes! And I’ve heard him say in interviews I want to make a career out of music and I don’t want stay obscure forever.
AG: I heard that you are you guys are going into the studio soon.
OS: Yes we are recording four new songs which could become our second album. I’m very excited!
AG: Well besides going into the studio soon, what does this year 2008 hold for the Orion Experience?
OS: I hope this is the year that we reach the masses. One of the things we’re trying to do some touring on a larger scale we are going to go to the UK which is going to be great! We’re going to try and get a much bigger presence and in blogs such as yours. This is the year that we really need to find our audience and I think this is the year that it’s going to happen. We’re always looking for ways to circum navigate the music industry and besides press and concerts we’re trying to get our music on television shows. I think this is the year we’re going to hit that next level of exposure, although I’m not sure how that is going to happen. Right now what we’re focused on is continuing to put out music and really focusing on becoming the biggest band that we can be in New York City right now. And making a name and reputation that people such as yourself are picking up on and that is an encouraging sign.
The Orion Experience will be sharing the bill with NY rock icon Jesse Malin at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City on April 26th. To find out about more upcoming Orion Experience shows and to hear their music, you can check out the band’s myspace page at:
http://www.myspace.com/theorionexperience
Or you can go to their website at:
http://www.theorionexperience.com/
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