Hellcat Records' latest signing is the half American/half
British Hollywood based act Orange. Although still in their teens, Orange
(consisting of lead vocalist/bassist Joe Denman and guitarist Jack Berglund
make up the UK contingent, while guitarist/vocalist Mike Valentine and
drummer Zak Glosserman form the American half) have generated quite
a bit of a buzz within the pop-punk scene with the release of their
debut album 'Welcome To The World Of… Orange'.
I caught up with vocalist/bassist and principal songwriter
Joe Denman for a quick question and answer session to find out just
what Orange are all about?
How did the deal come about with Hellcat Records?
"Well my friend, well a friend of all of us actually,
night club guru Bryan Raban is really good friends with Tim Armstrong,
and he played our super demo to Armstrong. The first thing he said after
listening to it was 'Holy shit! Don't give this demo to anyone else.
I'm going to sign 'em!' And so he did!"
Was there any other label (or labels for that matter) that expressed
interest in signing the band?
"A lot of majors expressed a lot of interest in us,
like Epic, EMI, Geffen and another independent label in Side One Dummy
Records. But we thought that it's way to soon to go with a major. What
they demand these days is simply outrageous and you're just a number
to them you know. 'Oh, 23 is selling quite well this year. Maybe I'll
tell my assistant to tell their assistants assistant Good job!' That
seems to be how they work over there. Whereas with Hellcat Records,
to them, we are Orange, their new babies of rock 'n' roll!"
What does it mean to the band to be signed to Hellcat Records as
opposed to any other label on the scene?
"Well, it's… fabulous! Hellcat Records is the
best and most respected label in the whole f**king world, and that's
how it should be. After being with them for almost a year now, I really
do genuinely love them. Everyone that works there is amazing. They're
such great, positive people. Just like me! (Laughs) A lot of people
say 'Oh they (Orange) didn't work for it and his (Denman) accent is
fake'. Well f**k them! They don't know me and they know nothing about
us. We f**king worked for it I'll tell you. There's been no friends
or any social events for four years, now that's dedication. While our
friends were out at parties having sex and doing drugs, we were in the
studio making music. Hellcat Records don't give away record deals in
cereal boxes to just anyone. You have to earn it."
What's the reaction been like towards your debut album
'Welcome To The World Of… Orange'?
"Absolutely amazing! My god! We have seriously been very blessed
with great reviews! The review on iTunes is f**king kick-ass! Everything
is really positive with this record. We got the greatest fans and a
lot of people I don't even know come us to us and to say 'Hey, I love
your album!' Now that's an amazing feeling."
There's an obvious Green Day, Sex Pistols and Rancid
vibe that can be heard in the band's sound. What are some of the band's
other influences?
"Well our influences are widely different. We range from everything
from Weezer to Thin Lizzy. I enjoy the more rocking tunes of the modern
pop scene like Green Day, Sum 41, Blink 182, Weezer and Rancid. I've
just lately really gotten into more classic punk like the Ramones and
Sham 69. I have always been into the British punk music though. Valentine
is totally into the British pop scene with bands like Blur, Suede, Oasis
and anything with Graham Coxon in it. Berglund digs the 70's tunes of
Think Lizzy, The Jam, T-Rex and David Bowie. As for Glosserman, well
he likes everything! Give him the shittiest demo ever and he'll tell
it's the new Beatles!"
Is the album artwork a tribute of sorts to Jamie Reid's
work (the artist responsible for the cover artwork to Sex Pistols' 'Never
Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols'?
"Yes, it definitely is. We knew what we wanted the artwork to look
like. We wanted something that grabs your attention. Something you can't
help but look at, and all you want to do is pick it up. Then you buy
it! Rock! I have some of Jaime Reid's artwork in my room actually. I
have an original 'Pretty Vacant' promotional poster. My dad was a punk
in his day, so I got it from him."
What do you hope to achieve with the release of your
debut?
"World domination comes later. Right now, we want
to build a hardcore fan base, fans for life you know. That's a big advantage
of Hellcat Records too. It's not too big and not too small to get your
record out there. We want to get our names out there and become recognisable
to rock 'n' roll fans."
Who came up with, and where did the name Orange actually come from?
"It's the name of the very first song I ever wrote, and the first
one we ever played. We had a lot of other names like Nameless, The Late
70's Blues Explosion and our favourite, West Si-ee-d!"
I believe that you've already started writing for your
second album?
"Yes! All done and ready to put in the oven for the making of a
punk rock classic!"
Are you looking towards a quick follow up to your debut?
"We're planning on recording it so we can have it
out for next summer. So yes, watch your back kids, Orange is just around
the corner!"
Can we anticipate a slight change of sound and direction
from the band with a sophomore effort?
"Yes, I've just finished writing the third album
now! And f**k me; you're going to be pleasantly surprised. It's totally
Orange sounding, but you can hear that the songs are way more advanced
now. The second album is way better than the first and the first just
came out a few days ago!"
Are there plans to tour following the release of the
album?
"Hopefully by Christmas time, we might have a tour
lined up. We're still trying to get a f**king booking agent. Everyone
so far has been too scared to take us on because we're not eighteen
yet. Grow some fucking balls and believe in the music!"
Why not credit the uncredited bonus tracks (the acoustic version
of 'Affirmation Song' and 'Metal Mofo')?
"We thought it would be funny that way. If you just
kept the CD on, this ridiculous heavy metal song comes roaring into
your ears! Its actually number five on the most downloaded songs on
iTunes right now for our album. That's a true story."
Orange isn't afraid to use a little help from family either. How
do you manage to convince both Kim and Rose from the Denman family to
become involved in Orange?
"My sister, Rose, is an amazing artist and you'll probably hear
a lot about her in years to come. She's super talented and even goes
to a boarding school in England for art. She did a doodle one day of
a bunny giving you the middle finger and we thought that would be a
great logo. Every band should have a logo, so when you see it, you think
'Hey! That's Orange, and they rock!' And my mum makes our clothes! We
tell her what we want and she makes it! She's a very accomplished fashion
designer so I see no problem at all in having a little help from our
friends!"
What does the future hold for Orange?
"Hotel production, Hollywood, Broadway, sex videos,
you know, the usual. But seriously, we are here forever. And you will
never-not see a new Orange album on the shelf. Every year we will release
something, bigger, better and faster than the last. We never stop and
we never will. Orange is here to stay. This life is all we got, love
it, live it, rock! That goes for you too! Rock on."
I would like to thank Joe Denman for his generous time,
and Dave Jiannis at Epitaph Records for making the interview possible.
For more information on Orange, check out - http://www.orange-band.com
© Justin Donnelly - justindonnelly@ozemail.com.au
