New Music Thursday: The Orion Experience

Hollywire: How long have you officially been a band and who was the driving force behind putting the group together?
The Orion Experience: The Orion Experience formed in 2005. I had just seen the movie Dig with my girlfriend and I decided to start a band similar to the Dandy Warhols. The group started with me and Linda and we started writing songs together and soon after we had formed a band.

HW: Do you feel like you have to make a transition over to the West Coast or are
you staying NY based?  Which coast do you think responds better to your music?
TOE: For the immediate future the band is going to stay in New York. We try to make it out to the west coast as often as possible and we'll probably be going out there again late summer. It's hard to say which coast is nicer. West coast people seem to be more accepting right from the get go but New York people have to be won over.  Once they are, they're loyal fans.

HW: When I first heard you guys I was blown away because it was one of the most refreshing sounds I've heard in a really long time.  You can definitely hear certain influences in there but mostly it's a really original style.  So how do you feel your music truly stands apart from any other group?
TOE: I think that the personalities of the band members are what sets us apart from other groups. We all have very different influences but when we play together as a band our main objective is to bring a positive, energetic experience to our audience (an Orion Experience...if you know what I mean).

HW: Looking at someone like Lady Gaga, would you say that fashion has a
significant impact on musical artists' success in the music industry right now?  How would you define your individual and/or collective style(s)?
TOE: Yes I would say that fashion has a lot to do with an artist's success. Let me rephrase that. An artist's personal style has a lot to do with their success. I have read interviews with Lady Gaga where she says that the moment she wakes up she is Lady Gaga and I think that's cool. I would describe The Orion Experience's collective style as futuristic go-go dancers.

HW: You guys were recognized a while ago by the almighty gossip blogger Perez
Hilton, who has been known to launch relatively unknown artists into the public eye.  What was your reaction when Perez wrote about The Orion Experience and what was the after effect of the exposure?  Did your fan base increase significantly or was there any negative effect at all?
TOE: It was really cool to be written about by Perez, mostly because he had only nice things to say about us. It was really great because we got a huge amount of exposure over night. In one day we had 30,000 plays on our myspace page and we were being emailed from people all over the world. As far as launching our career, it was a nice thing for our resume but I wouldn't say it was life changing. I had the chance to meet Perez and he was very nice, and I hope that he writes about us again.

HW: I have literally played Cosmicandy and The Orion Experience EP into the
ground, can we expect any new music any time soon so that I can then play those songs into the ground as well?
TOE: You are so sweet. Yes, you are in luck. We are in the process of recording our second record, which should be done by the end of the summer. There's a lot of great songs coming up, including a Ramones style rock song sung in Japanese and a disco epic called New York City Girl.

HW: Linda, how does it feel to be the only girl in a group of boys?  Personally
I lived with 9 boys in a house at one point, so I know the feeling, but do you like being with the boys all the time or do you ever feel like you really wished there was some more estrogen floating around?
TOE: I don't mind so much being around boys all the time although I'm probably not the most feminine member of the band (that would be Reef). I actually don't like to be thought of as the girl in the band, I'm just one part of the group. That's how I look at it.

HW: What do you want people to feel when they listen to your music?  What
message are you trying to send?  And who is your target audience?
TOE: It is my mission in life to make people feel joy when they listen to my music. That's my message. Joy and happiness. The best thing about T.O.E. is that we seem to reach a whole spectrum of people. Friends have told me that their four year olds dance to Obsessed With You and other friends have told me that our band is the only one that they and their parents can enjoy together. So anybody who likes our music is our target audience. Is that vague enough for you?

HW: Where do you guys like to hang out when you come to LA? (so that any Orion Experience fans reading this can go there and wait until one day you guys finally show up)
TOE: I like to hang out at The Dresden, Jumbo's Clown Room or Zankou Chicken. But the coolest thing about L.A.  is that there are so many cool hidden spots that every time I go there I find a new favorite place.

HW: Lastly, did you know that the acronym for your band is T.O.E.?  I think you
should definitely consider introducing yourself at your shows as TOE....or
you could call Orion Experience fans: TOE-Hoes...Yeah? No? Just an idea....
TOE: Of course we knew it was called T.O.E.! That was the first thing we noticed. We will call people TOE-Hoes but mostly it will only be you. hahaha!