Orchid
Jayson Green (front) and Jeffrey Salane (back) performing in Bloomington, Indiana in 2000.
Jayson Green (front) and Jeffrey Salane (back) performing in Bloomington, Indiana in 2000.
Background information
OriginAmherst, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres
Years active1997–2002, 2023-present
Labels
  • Ebullition
  • Clean Plate
Past members
  • Jayson Green
  • Will Killingsworth
  • Jeff Salane
  • Brad Wallace
  • Geoff Garlock

Orchid is an American screamo and hardcore punk band from Amherst, Massachusetts. Originally active from 1997 until 2002, they released several EPs and splits as well as three studio albums. The band consists of lead vocalist Jayson Green, drummer Jeffrey Salane, guitarist Will Killingsworth, and bassist Geoff Garlock. Orchid announced a reunion in December 2023.

Orchid released their first album, Chaos Is Me, in 1999 followed by their second album, Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow! in 2000. Their third studio album, Gatefold, was released in July 2002. Later in the same year, in September, Orchid released a compilation of both their first and second albums on CD, containing all 21 tracks from both. However, after the release of both of these albums, the band split up. In 2005, a compilation album titled Totality was released posthumously. It comprised 24 tracks, featuring out-of-press and hard-to-find B-side and split EP materials that were previously only available on vinyl.[2] On December 5, 2023, the band announced their first shows in over 20 years.[3]

History

The band was formed while Jayson Green, Will Killingsworth, and Brad Wallace were studying at Hampshire College, and Jeff Salane was attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst in early 1998. They played their final show in their original run on July 9, 2002.[4]

Jayson Green later formed a hardcore punk supergroup named Violent Bullshit, with members of Black Army Jacket and the Fiery Furnaces.[5] Jayson Green, Will Killingsworth, and Geoff Garlock currently play together in the band Ritual Mess.[6]

In December 2023, Orchid announced a reunion and tour in 2024.[7]

Style and legacy

Orchid's musical style, which primarily has been described as hardcore punk and screamo, is highly dissonant, fast, and chaotic.[8][2] It combines the melodic and poetic approach of post-hardcore[9] and emo[10] with the extremity of powerviolence (a fusion sometimes termed emoviolence) and grindcore.[10] Italian site "Emotional Breakdown" gave a positive review of Orchid's compilation album Totality, saying: "[Orchid] are the concentrated essence of the most poignant music you can imagine: the vocal cords that are pulled until they tear, the music sounds dark and desperate. They possess all these characteristics as the undisputed masters they have taught many proselytes, in all of their cynical splendor."[11]

Orchid is considered a prominent and quintessential band in screamo.[2] Lars Gotrich, when writing for NPR music, credited Orchid alongside bands Pg 99, Circle Takes the Square and Majority Rule as being prominent influences on emotional post-hardcore.[9]

Canadian post-hardcore band Silverstein covered "Destination: Blood" on their album Short Songs.[12] A tribute album, Epilogue of a Car Crash!, was released in 2013 on Dog Knights Productions.[13] Piet Onthel covered "Weekend At The Fire Academy" on their demo in 2018.[14] Letters of Marque covered "Lights Out" on a compilation titled Spring Roots & Lullabies, a charity compilation released in 2023.[15]

Members

Final line-up

  • Jayson Green – vocals, keyboards, percussion (1997–2002)
  • Will Killingsworth – guitar, keyboards (1997–2002)
  • Jeffrey Salane – drums, percussion (1997–2002)
  • Geoff Garlock – bass (1999–2002)

Past members

  • Brad Wallace – bass (1997–1999)

Timeline

Discography

Albums

Compilations

  • Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow! + Chaos Is Me (Ebullition, September 10, 2002)
  • Totality (Clean Plate, CD January 15, 2005, Vinyl 2014)

Singles & EPs

  • We Hate You Demo (Self-Released, 1997)
  • Split with Pig Destroyer (Amendment, 1997)
  • Orchid 7" (Hand Held Heart, 1998)
  • Split with Encyclopedia Of American Traitors (Witching Hour Records, 1998)
  • Split with Combat Wounded Veteran (Clean Plate, 2000)
  • Split with The Red Scare (Hand Held Heart, 2000)
  • Split with Jeromes Dream (Witching Hour Records, 2000)

Compilation appearances

  • "Weekend at the Fire Academy" on Songs Of The Dead (1998, Ape Records)
  • "September 18th, 1993" featured on Falafel Grind (1999, Obscene Productions)
  • "How Far It's Gone" featured on Better Luck Next Time (1999, Witching Hour Records)
  • "Flip The Tape" featured on Tribute To Fort Thunder (US Pop Life Vol.12) (2001, Contact Records)

References

  1. ↑ Stewart, Ethan (May 25, 2021). "FROM HARDCORE TO HARAJUKU: THE ORIGINS OF SCENE SUBCULTURE". PopMatters. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Anchors (December 27, 2005). "Punknews.org Orchid – Totality". Punknews.org. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  3. ↑ Sacher, Andrew (December 5, 2023). "Orchid announce first shows in over 20 years!". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Orchid – Last Show Ever (Full Set) 7/9/02: Cambridge, MA". Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021 – via YouTube.
  5. ↑ Ryan Duffy (August 8, 2008). "NEW YORK – VBS IS VIOLENT BULLSHIT". Vice Magazine. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  6. ↑ Zachary Lipez (August 31, 2014). "Listen to a New Track by Orchid Spinoff, Ritual Mess". Vice Magazine. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Orchid announce first shows in over 20 years!". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Orchid". NTS. Retrieved August 29, 2018.
  9. 1 2 Gotich, Lars (August 17, 2011). "pg. 99: A Document Revisited". NPR. Retrieved December 30, 2011. [...]there's a renewed interest in the emotional post-hardcore that bands like pg. 99, Orchid, Circle Takes the Square and Majority Rule pioneered, mostly by an audience that was far too young to hear it the first time around.
  10. 1 2 Greg, Pratt (September 22, 2010). "Altered States, Grindcore Special part 2". Terrorizer. United Kingdom: Miranda Yardley (181): 43. Another interesting sub-subgenre was this strange crossover of first-generation emo and grind. Bands like Reversal of Man or Orchid may not have stood the test of time, but it was a pretty cool sound at the time and one that was pretty uniquely American
  11. ↑ "Emotional Breakdown – Recension/Orchid – Totality" (in Italian). Emotional Breakdown. Archived from the original on January 7, 2008. Retrieved October 20, 2009. Italian: "[Orchid] trovate concentrata tutta l'essenza della musica più straziante che possiate immaginare: corde vocali tirato allo spasimo fino a strapparsi, suoni cupi e disperati. Ovvero tutte quelle caratteristiche che loro, da maestri indiscussi, hanno insegnato a tanti proseliti e che qui troviamo in tutto il loro cinico splendore."
  12. ↑ Paul, Aubin (December 1, 2011). "Silverstein album features Rise Against, Propagandhi, Anti-Flag, Swellers members". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
  13. ↑ "DK034: Epilogue of a Car Crash...a Tribute to Orchid 12" LP, by Dog Knights Productions - Various Artists". Dog Knights Productions. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  14. ↑ "(demo)lanitaksupo(mulo), by Piet Onthel". no funeral records. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
  15. ↑ "spring roots & lullabies, by BSDJ". BSDJ. Retrieved December 11, 2023.
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