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You recently released your latest album ‘Defy’, what can you tell us about it?
This album is all about the live energy. After we’d released two singles, we embarked on a multinational tour where we really reconnected with the fans and the energy that our past material brought to the live show. We recorded with Howard Benson at his studio in Woodland Hills, CA. In the studio, I used my PRS basses, and a variety of different pedals and amps.

Was there anyone in particular that got you into music at a young age?
Growing up in Vacaville, seeing Papa Roach play and rise to international stardom definitely inspired me to pursue music as a vehicle to see the world beyond my hometown. From there, I was listening to anything fast, loud, heavy, or emotive. Any combination of those was perfect for my taste.

What’s your history and experience with Orange? Do you remember the first time you ever laid eyes on one of our amps?
I remember seeing so many bands using Orange guitar amps in the early 2000’s. Such a unique look and sound when compared to the JCM’s, Mesa’s and 5150’s of the time. Then my guitarist in my local band at the time used an Orange when we were in the studio cutting a demo and it just sounded amazing! I wish I could remember the model, I cant say for sure but I want to say it was a Rockerverb…

What’s your current set up? You mention having a Bass Crush 50 practice amp, how’s your experience with that, and is there any other amps you’d like to give a go?
I’m currently using a small TC Electronic RH750, but would love to use either the Bass Terror, or the Four Stroke live. I have the Crush Bass 50 for practice and it sounds incredible which peaked my interest into further trying out Orange. I’d love to give the OB1 series a whirl too, but the Bass Terror and Four Stroke have come highly recommended.

Every Christmas we have a competition called ‘Wish Granted’, where we give away thousands of pounds worth of gear to Orange fans all over the world – if you were to enter, what would you wish for?
Oh man! Definitely a bass terror & a small cab, and a four stroke head! I’d be golden!

Hi, my name is Will, i’m the bassist of Puppy, I’m here at Desertfest 2018.

When I started playing bass, I was a guitarist, probably like most bassists! I was a guitarist and then nobody wanted pick up the bass, so I was like I will do it. It’s been a journey trying to find the right combination of a good rukus, kind of rumbling low end but something you can pick out the melody. I don’t just want sub, something that really bites through, that’s what I look for.

I always looked up to bassists who really stood out, I love Cliff Burton, I loved the way he played the bass like a guitar. That approach not just being the rhythm section and a lot of three pieces were always my favourite bassists because they had a third of the job to carry. You couldn’t be a wallflower bassist in a three piece. Al from Sleep, for me a massive influence, I play a Rickenbacker as well pretty much, Cliff and Al pretty much my two favourite bassists of all time.

My interest in Orange came really young actually, before I was in any bands, I used to love Oasis when I was a kid. I remember seeing them playing and they had an all Orange backline, obviously they were huge. Black Sabbath as well on some German performance I remember seeing they had an all Orange backline and I thought this is the coolest thing I had ever seen.  Then I learned a bit more about the history of the company and I got the Orange book, I was reading about the shop they used to have on Carnaby Street. I just thought the whole thing was so cool. The old logo, the tree growing off the world, the voice of the world! I thought it would make a great tattoo, so I got it there. That’s it man, i’m somewhat of a loyalist to the brand and i was super stoked to be asked to use their equipment. I would be using it anyway, they have got a fan for life in me!

First stack was an Orange, AD200, two 4×10’s and I was super proud to have that on stage. We would play the tiniest venues and I would never go anywhere without a full stack! Even if it meant piling it into a cab and pissing off a cab driver. It feels amazing to be asked to use their equipment, as I spent so long drooling over their equipment and looking at pictures of musicians I adored. Prince and Al from Sleep, all these people I thought were super cool, using their gear. I obviously I just wanted to be like them, that’s why I was using the gear in the first place. So it feels great to be actually an ambassador for the brand, it feels awesome.

 

Hi I’m Theo from Wolf Alice and I’m sat at Orange HQ, playing through my favourite bass head the AD200 and trying out some cool pedals.

The first time i properly got to know an Orange head or really understood what it was, was our tour manager the infamous Dave Danger, took us away. It was like our first tour round the UK and I needed to borrow an amp and his friend Skipper lent me this head and the two cubes, with the sub and tweeters and stuff. I had been used to just showing up at the venues and playing whatever stuff, with knobs falling off. I just fell in love with it and I really liked playing it. I remember having it in my flat at the time and pissing everyone off because I had this huge stack and I would just noodle away which isn’t a very social way of playing the bass.

So my rig as it stands at the moment is pretty basic, its very low end heavy, all the low 200 stuff that hits you in the chest, is the stuff we are trying to achieve. So its this, with bass rolled up to about three quarters up, the mids scooped to a little bit below half way and the treble is tweaked a bit.

Its quite hard to put a finger on why I have always used this head and Orange as a brand. I think a lot of the sounds I am trying to get are quite like fuzzy and driven and stuff like that. What this gives you is a great base to build your effects on top of that. It always cuts through, its chunky, its got that really smooth base to layer you effects on.

Its a big music players honour to see Jimmy Page up there, it goes from Jimmy Page through to Laurie from Slaves, so I have my two biggest inspirations in the world! Its a very British thing as well which I think i’m proud of, its like a staple brand, people recognise that symbol everywhere. Growing up and looking at other peoples gear and stuff, to sharing a roster and be recognised by the company is a real honour for me.

Grandma’s Ashes, can we get a bit of background on the band?
Myriam:
I first met with Eva on the internet and joined her punk-rock/noise band and we played with different drummers before we eventually decided we wanted to play heavier music. We started over and found Edith online. We jammed, and her math-rock influences took us in a more progressive direction. That’s how we ended up mixing heavy riffs, progressive parts and powerful melodies. We’ve been playing together for three years now.

Are most of your songs a result of jamming, or do you work from structured ideas?
Myriam:
One of us will usually come up with with a riff or melody that suits a particular emotion, then we’ll jam it around and end up with different parts that we’ll put together.
Eva: I write a lot of voice melodies when I’m at home, and often come to rehearsal with voice lines and simple bass lines, then Myriam will find something to do with it, bring heavy riffs before Edith comes with her complex rhythmics.

Are there any artists in particular that have inspired you two as players, or someone that encouraged you to pick up your instruments to begin with?
Myriam:
My dad plays guitar and taught me the basics of blues with Muddy Waters and Buddy Guy when I was 9. However, it wasn’t until discovered Led Zeppelin at the age of 13 I became obsessed with the guitar. I’d say Jimmy Page, Eddie Van Halen and Matt Bellamy were my early inspirations as a teenager. I later discovered QOTSA and Frank Zappa, which inspired the tones I use with the band and the modal scales I sometimes use when I improvise.
Eva: My father was my first inspiration, he’s a multi-instrumentalist and was playing in different bands within different genres when I was growing up up, jazz, rock, punk and blues. I was surrounded by instruments as a child and he’d teach me. When I was 11, I discovered The Stranglers and was instantly very interested by the incredible J.J Burnel’s heavy, slamming but fat bass sound! I started playing bass right after that. After that I discovered Flea, and Chris Squier from Yes, both with more complicated bass lines. That paired with my growing love for funk, I started to work on my sound because I wanted to achieve a mix between two iconic styles, the incisive and punk one, and the groovy, melodic tone of my prog rock idols.

You’re releasing your first EP ‘The Fates’ in January, what can you tell us about it?Myriam: We recorded ‘The Fates’ a year ago at “Ferber”, a famous French recording studio where Zappa and Black Sabbath used to come in the 70s. We decided to record everything live with no overdubs in order to try and catch the energy of our live performances. We worked with producer Mario Caladato Jr. (The Mars Volta, Beastie Boys etc) who helped us find a balance between the aerial atmospheres of the vocals and the heavier parts.
Eva: By recording it live we managed to capture the synergy we feel between the three of us while jamming. We wanted it to be as fluid as possible, and highlight the emotional involvement in each song when played live. We named it “The Fates” after the three Moirai in Greek mythology, known as the sisters who determine the origin of the world and human beings. One is giving life, by spinning the wool, one unwinding the thread and the last one cutting it, bringing death. We loved that very symbolical allegory of our roles in the band.

What’s your history and experience with Orange?
Myriam: My first ever encounter was whenI was looking for a tube amp that could be aggressive and round at the same time, and a friend of mine let me try their TH30, the sound was both crispy and round. I’m also really into the desert rock scene, and when I saw Sleep live with Matt Pike’s wall of Rockerverbs I thought that it was the deepest guitar sound ever!
Eva: I noticed Orange Amps at festivals and I very intrigued by the colourful design, and when Myriam bought one I immediately loved its power!

Myriam, I know you play the Dual Terror, why did you go for that one and what’s your thoughts on it?
Myriam:
It’s the first amp I ever bought with my very first paycheck : I needed a two channel amp because we have some ethereal parts in our music where a nice clean sound is necessary. The tiny channel of the DT has that slamming clean tone. I mainly use the fat channel with the typical Orange crunch sound and add fuzz or overdrive to it. I also went for the Dual Terror because of its practicality. It doesn’t weigh that much and is also switchable from 30w to 15w, which is really useful in the studio or in rehearsal to push the tubes without sounding too loud.

How does your dream Orange riggs / stacks look like?
Myriam:
I like to play with a dry/wet setup, so my dream Orange stack would be the Orange Rockerverb 50 MKIII paired with a PPC 412. Because it has an FX loop and two separate channels, it would allow me to have cleaner modulation effects such as phaser, delays etc. than I have currently on the DT. The other amp would be a Tiny terror on a PPC 212. I like it with a crunchy sound and a really light slap delay. It also works well with fuzzs and overdrives because of its narrow frequency response.
Eva: I’d like to split my sound on two cabs, and looking for the best one to fit with my Sunn O))) Concert Bass, so I would say an OBC410, or OBC212 and OBC115 paired with a Terror Bass. I secretly dream of a AD200B, but unfortunately it’s a little heavy to bring home after rehearsal on the Parisian subway…

If you could tour with any band or artist, who would it be, and why?
Monolord! We discovered them with their last album, No Comfort. Their riffs are so heavy, it’s truly a slap in the face listening to them play live. We’d like to tour with them because we are comfortable in the stoner rock scene generally, and people look really psyched at their gigs.

Photo by: Pedro Hernandéz / @picfromthepit

Our followers and fans will already be familiar with you through your previous work in Deep Purple, Trapeze, California Breed (the list goes on and on…) and solo career, but they might not all know The Dead Daisies, can we get a bit of an introduction of the band?
Glenn: The Dead Daisies are a musical collective, a family if you will. I’ve been aware of the band for a long time, we had been on a similar circuit around Europe. I was contacted by their management in 2019 in regard to getting together with the guys in NYC to have a little “jam session”. We clicked right away. Of course, I had toured with Doug Aldrich (guitarist in The Dead Daisies) previously as he was a member of my touring band in 2016 – so that was already set it stone. David Lowy is a solid guitarist and Deen Castronovo is a fantastic drummer with lots of flare. It was a natural progression to write together and go into the studio to record.

You just released your single “Bustle and Flow”, what can you tell us about it?
Glenn:
We were recording at La Fabrique studios in the south of France, Dec 2019. The studio is an old Chateau set in a beautiful part of the countryside. We had recorded the music and I had most of the lyrics written. The setting of the studio was very inspiring, I could not fail to be influenced whilst living and working there. Find it here.

This year has been quite a bumpy road for most people, how have you adjusted to the ‘new normal’, and how do you stay creative and inspired during tough times?
Glenn:
I have tried to maintain my own daily routines and rituals as much as possible. I meditate when I wake up, I like to walk, drink lots of water and read a lot. So personally, I have been able to stay creative within my own inner sanctuary.

Of course, in an Orange interview we gotta do some gear talk! You’ve been using Orange for quite some time, what’s your history and experience with our amps?
Glenn:
I was using the AD200 heads live and, in the studio, but for the last 18 months I’ve been using the Terror Bass heads. They really sound amazing. I run 2 at the same time via the Orange ‘Amp Detonator’ pedal. I don’t use any distortion pedals, I use the gain structure of the amps, this allows me to get a far more natural crunch..

You’ve been in the game for a long time, and you’ve influenced a lot of people and musicians along the way. Was there anyone in specific who’s style of playing, way of writing or performing that inspired, of keeps inspiring you as an artist?
Glenn:
I think like many people of my generation, The Beatles were a big influence in my youth. Their song writing is still hard to beat all these years later. As for bass playing, my roots are very much set in the early Motown recordings, James Jameson really was the benchmark for groove playing. Of course, more local to home we had guys like Andy Fraser who was an incredibly soulful bassist, he knew when to leave a space or two. I also read a lot of books and one of my favourite authors at the moment is Eckhart Tolle. I always have 1 or 2 of his books with me when travelling.

What would your advice be to aspiring musicians who’s just getting into playing?
Glenn:
My advice would be to love what you’re doing, enjoy every moment and don’t take anything for granted. You need to dedicate your time to learning your craft and being the best, you can be. Walk through the fear.

In 2009, during “The Great Recession,” I found myself at a crossroads. I’d been at Orange for two years and was, for the first time, worried about my job. We were experiencing the worst downturn in the economy my generation had ever witnessed. Job safety was a huge concern. Orange had been absolutely crushing it until that point yet I found myself unsure about the future.

In response, I created Orange’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It was my way of saying “I won’t go silently into the night.” In fact, I essentially created a new position for myself: Social Media Manager. More than a decade later and we have an entire team serving this role. I’m incredibly proud of what we have accomplished.

Enter 2020: the worst year ever. If this year was a fart it would be the kind that only happens on a blind date and you’re sitting on a white chair and it seeps through your pants and you can’t decide if you should get up and go to the bathroom because if you do you won’t be able to come back because the chair will be shit-stained and your date will post about it to their TikTok and no one will ever love you again.

2020 is garbage. So how do we make the best of it? Some of us have taken up a new hobby. Others have focused on making their big “pivot” to another line of work. But a small number of people, certainly the ones who are rife with self-absorption, have gone the way of livestreaming interviews. I count myself among this group.

Here’s a sampling of my favorite “Artist Relations Corner” interviews thus far. Yes, that’s the name I chose. It was a mistake but now the SEO has gone too far for me to change it. Now I get to live this shame forever. Enjoy, and for all of the Artist Relations Corners click here!

Episode #1: An introduction to who I am, what an AR Manager does, and commentary about the original “funny” Orange video, which featured Troy Sanders of Mastodon starring opposite a dog.

Episode #5: An interview with VMAN of Slipknot featuring his tech, Darren Sanders (yep, the brother of Troy from Mastodon and Kyle from HELL YEAH)

Episode #6: Thomas Jager of Monolord. There’s nothing better than talking stoner doom with a sarcastic Swede!

Episode #7: Rekti Yoewono of THE SIGIT and Mooner. This episode helped me discover a whole world of psychedelic rock from Indonesia that I never knew existed. Also, it features live jams!

Episode #9: Kellindo Parker is the guitarist for Janelle Monae and an accomplished solo artist. That’s not all though. He also has rad stories about Prince.

Episode #15: I interviewed legendary producer and engineer, the man who is considered “the 5th Ramone,” Mr. Eddie Stasium. His stories are incredible.

Episode #16: Brian Diaz is a mildly famous guitar tech…and one of my favorite people in the industry. He’s worked with Fall Out Boy, Primus, and Guns N Roses (to name a few). This episode is dear to me mainly because of how much we make each other laugh while being total buttholes to each other.

What are some of your earliest memories involving music?
Rekti:
My earliest memory would be listening to Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’, I would have been around 3 or 4 years old. I vividly remember the feeling I got when pressing the ‘play’ button on my mom’s tape deck, as I waited for the laughter on the intro of the song, before running to her cause I got scared. My mom also had this 70s British Rock compilation that had the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Zeppelin, etc, and I also remember listening to that over and over.

My mother’s side of the family has always been into music, listening to records and exchanging mixtapes. Most of them played music at some point of their lives too. One of them, my late uncle, left school in the 60s to become a professional musician, and his band, The Rollies are considered legendary nowadays which is pretty cool. I also remember being at my grandma’s house in the 90s and listening to a local punk band, and my uncle saying if I liked that sorta music, I should check out The Stooges.

That’s so cool your entire family influenced you and your taste in music, and how it was such a natural part of your upbringing. Did they encourage your playing as well?
Rekti:
I think my grandma always had an acoustic guitar, but I didn’t notice or maybe just didn’t realise what kinda shapes and sounds it could produce, and what really triggered it for me was at the age of 11 or 12 when I saw Lenny Kravitz play ‘Are you gonna go my way’ on a flying V, with the sound reminding me of my mum’s Brit Rock compilation from when I was a kid. By this point, I was sold, and I wanted an electric guitar just like his one. I went to a guitar shop with my Dad not long after. They didn’t have any Flying V’s but did have this wonderful Gibson SG, which was of course very expensive. My conservative father told me to learn the basics first, and got me started out with a locally made acoustic guitar, which ended up shaping my way of playing as I learnt both Led Zeppelin and Bad Religion on that guitar. So I’m always kind of cautious with my right hand and developed a sense of dynamic in my picking. But sometimes I strum a little too hard, and often break strings because of that too.

When I was 17 I finally got my first electric guitar, I hustled and saved up money by selling t-shirts. By the time I’d saved up enough, the recession hit and the price sky rocketed and I could only afford an Epiphone Les Paul, which I later swapped for an Epiphany SG. In 2009 at 27, The Sigit started to make money from playing gigs, and I finally got a Gibson SG, Stull haven’t got that 60s Flying V though, haha.

As a polite heads up from the interviewer, yours truly Ella Stormark – if you don’t know The Sigit, or haven’t seen any of their live stuff – check out this video, it’s so awesome.

As a guitarist, is there anyone you would say has influenced you more than others?
Rekti:
Probably Jimmy Page because of his vast palette of sounds. It could be due to his guitar and what he managed to do with it, but stll, not many Les Paul players could reproduce what Page has done. The same goes for Eric Clapton, for that matter. I dunno man, maybe it’s just the way 50s/60s made gear sounded. I haven’t got the chance to find out first hand. But I always love that kind of sound.

You clearly have a love for for older music, what were the mutual influences you bonded over when forming The Sigit?
Rekti:
It started out with our mutual interest in Brit Pop, which was very much in style back then. We were all at the same high school, and sometimes we’d skip school to go to record stores or street vendors looking for new and exciting brit pop bands, and often end up finding older brit rock music like Roxy Music, T-Rex, Genesis, Black Sabbath etc. Then we’d hang out at our bass player’s house and try to learn those song using his dad’s gear, and perform them at a school festival once a year. He also had mixer and tape deck so occasionally we’d try to record some songs we made on the spot. We’d experiment with ping-pong tracking and overdubs, very crude and garagy. When we graduated, we started getting computers for collage assignements and started learning DAW, composing songs and making demos which we handed to friends or local magazines.

What’s your personal history and experience with Orange?
Rekti:
My first encounter with Orange was either through Oasis or Jimmy Page, maybe around junior high. No one around me nor any musician in my area had one though, so I was pretty curious about this mysteriously named and brightly coloured guitar amp.By the time we got to recording our debut album I’d hang around the studio and watch other bands record.

Some bands had their own amps, and was kind enough to let me try them to help decide what works for me and what doesn’t. Most of the ones I liked were vintage amps. However, although they sounded great, most of them were old and unstable and not cheap nor easy to repair, which made me hesitant to get myself any old equipment. That said, I was also impressed by an AD140 I tried, and how versatile it was, and the guy who owned it told me that he got it new from a shop in Jakarta. I went to the shop and they had a Rockerverb whose sound I loved, and it was as versatile as the AD140. The drive sounded great, and it was very responsive to my picking – and the colour! I was already sold when I saw Noel Gallagher’s Orange way back, it was very eye catching and you noticed it instantly. I thought it would be great to have this on stage too, so after successfully giving it a go I decided to go for Rockerverb 100.

What are the key things you look for in a guitar amp?
Rekti:
I like overdrive, to be able to control the amount of drive with my hand using knobs on the guitar or through my right hand picking, and how hard I strum the string. I also want to be able to tame the presence, I want it to slap my ear, not poke it. The bottom end also needs to be tight, and I want to feel the sound hitting from behind when the amps are placed at my back on stage. I’ve had my Rockerverb since 2009, and I still use that same amp to this day. I pair it with the angled PPC412 (PPC412AD), which is a perfect match to me.

What are you currently listening to?
Rekti:
I usually listen to records which limits me to what I have, but as for new stuffs the last video I saw on youtube was Idles – Grounds and Once & Future Band – Problem Addict.

Omer Haviv

Can we get a quick introduction of The Great Machine?
Omer:
Myself and Aviran are brothers, and Aviran and our drummer Michael met while working together at a pizza place. They started playing together, and after 2 months I joined them and The Great Machine was born. We’re based in Tel Aviv, the scene isn’t big but we do have our following here and we do love playing shows in Israel.

Did yourself and Aviran come from a musical home growing up?
Omer: We did, yeah. We grew up with our mum listening to Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, The Doors and more.They were all part of our early influences, as well as Nirvana, Offspring, Metallica and Body Count.

You guys put on some pretty crazy shows! How would you describe a Great Machine gig?
Mind blowing
Ground shaking
Going all the way
Love spreading
Heart opening
No borders
A Trip

What’s been the highlights of the band so far?
Omer:
Opening for Ozzy Osbourne in Israel, playing Desertfest London & Berlin and Rock Palast in Germany and touring with All Them Witches.

Aviran Haviv

What’s your history and experience with Orange Amps?
Omer: I first heard of Orange when I was young, but it was too expensive for me. I’ve since played Orange on tour, and more recently in the studio where I used a Thunderverb 50 and of of the Crush amps. When we play live I play a JCM800 full stack and Thunderverb 50 half stack, the dream is 3 full stacks on stage

What do you look for in an amp?
Omer: It has to be strong with a lot of output, simple / vol / treble / mid / bass / gain. Not too dark, not to bright, and reliable for touring.

You have been an Orange player for a long time now, can you tell us a bit about your history and experience with the company?

オレンジのプレーヤーになって長いのですが、わが社との出会いと経歴を簡単に教えて貰えますか?
Wata: Boris has been active since 1992.We have been touring through USA, Europe, Asia, Oceania and various places. When we first started, we were influenced by the 1960-70 psychedelic and hard rock music. Often, we watched the artists we adored; many were using Orange gear. I was struck with the cute looks and the fat, warm sound. When I got to be interested in Orange amps, the original vintages were already expensive(as they are now). When OR120 was reissued in the early 1990s in Japan, I was able to purchase a half stack. I have been obsessed with Orange sound ever since. I keep collecting various vintage heads, cabinets, and current lineups

Borisは1992年から活動しています。日本だけでなく、アメリカ、ヨーロッパ、アジア、オセアニアなど、様々な国をまわっています。結成当初は1960~1970年代サイケやヘヴィロックを良く聴いていました。そのあこがれのミュージシャンの映像を観るとOrangeを使っている人がいっぱいいて、見た目のかわいさと、太く暖かいサウンドに惹かれました。私がOrange Ampに興味を持った当時、既にオリジナルのヴィンテージはとても高価(今はもっとですね)でしたが、1990年代半ばにちょうど日本国内でもOR120のリイシューが発売になり、ハーフスタックを購入しました。そこからOrangeサウンドの虜になって、以後ヴィンテージのヘッドやキャビネット、現行品までを色々手に入れています。

You’ve been playing both the OR120 and the Rockerverb 100 paired with the PPC412 – what do you look for in an amp, and what do you like about these two?

OR120とRockerverb 100PPC412に繋いで使用していますがアンプに求めていることは何でしょうか?又、この2つのどこが気に入っていますか?
Wata:
Very rich mids and lows, powerfulness, simple operation, cool looks of a full stack. It is easy for me  to create non-distortion sound with OR120 or Rockerverb 100. Also these amps work well with my Les Paul and the fuss pedal that use. We have just released a new album “NO” on July 3. The world has unexpectedly changed to the extreme. We recorded this album wishing that it will comfort all the listeners. There are many fast―tempo tracks. Orange cabinets played a very important role in the recording studio. The Orange cabs were able to maintain the core tonality with different amp heads

中低域の豊かさ、パワー感、シンプルな操作性。フルスタックでの見た目の格好良さ。OR120やRockerverb 100は歪まない音作りがしやすいのと、私が使っているレスポールやFUZZペダルとも相性が良いです。ちょうど7/3に”NO”という新しいアルバムをリリースしたところです。こんな世界の状況になってしまって、エクストリームだけど、聴く人を癒すような作品になってくれたら良いなと思いながら作りました。テンポの速い曲が多いですが、レコーディングではOrangeキャビネットがとても重要になりました。色々なヘッドを使っても音の芯をしっかり残してくれます。

How would you describe the Boris writing and creating process?

Borisの作曲・創作のプロセスをどう説明しますか?
Wata:
Basically, a song starts when we get inspired from jamming around and improvising. We record simultaneously when we are having jam sessions. The pieces are then put together and edited to become a song. The instruments, pedals, Orange amps and cabinets all play significant roles. The expression of the song gets the member more excited and lead us to the direction it ought to be. We also strive to input our experience from the touring,  the faces from audience that we saw from the stage, and the feeling we had then.

基本的にはJamやインプロビゼーションを出発点にして作曲は始まります。いつもスタジオではジャムセッションと同時進行でレコーディングが行なわれ、それらが編集され曲になっていきます。楽器、ペダル、もちろんOrangeのアンプやキャビネットも楽曲を生み出すのに重要です。音の表情に導かれてメンバーの気持ちも高揚しますし、楽曲の向かうべき先を定められます。また、ツアーに出て吸収したこと、ステージから見えるオーディエンスの顔、フィーリングが作曲のインプットになって曲作りに繋がっています。

How have you as a band been dealing with the lack of live music in recent times, and what do you think about bands going digital in terms of live streams etc?

ライブが出来ない現状をどのように対応していますか?又、ライブストリームのようなデジタル志向をバンドとして考えていますか?
Wata:
Being able to touch the bodies of audience with huge sound is extremely important to our shows. You cannot feel the music with your body through live streams. We may consider releasing a video product after editing the live footages from the past. But I am skeptical about live streaming. From the stage we cannot make eye contacts with the audience. I can understand that the current (pandemic) situation is forcing many artists to go online and take more actions. But we are worried it will possibly end up destroying valuable culture of live music. So we are looking at it very carefully.

私たちのショウでは大音量でオーディエンスの身体に触れることがとても大事な要素です。 体全体で感じてもらうこと。ライブストリームではそれが不可能です。過去のライブ映像を編集して「映像作品」として公開することは前向きになれますが、ライブストリーミングに関しては懐疑的です。ステージからオーディエンスと目が合わない事にも問題があります。こういった状況だからアクションを起こさなければならないのも理解していますが、その行動が大切な文化を破壊することにもなりかねません。とても慎重に考えています。

Wata’s gear:
Rockerverb 100 MK III
PPC412

Welcome to the Orange family, ladies! You’ve been around the Manchester scene for a while now, can we get a bit of background on the band for those new to you?
WITCH FEVER:
We’re Witch Fever, a doom punk band from Manchester. We met during uni and have been a band for four years, with a line up change after the first year, and it’s been the four of us, Amy on vocals, Alisha on guitar, Alex on bass and Annabelle on drums ever since. When we started we knew we wanted to be heavy, and wanted to create music that empowered us and other people. We all have a very varied music taste which comes together to make the Witch Fever sound. Here’s some of the stuff we’re currently listening to:

Amy – Show Me The Body, Amyl and the Sniffers, Surfbort, Angel Olsen, Ho99o9
Alex – Boy Harsher, Slowdive, Protomartyr, Savages
Alisha – Nirvana, Grimes, PJ Harvey, Warpaint, Hole
Annabelle – Velvet Underground, Violent Femmes, The Plastic People of the Universe, Moses Boyd, Peaches, Sonic Youth 

One of our musical highlights so far was headlining House of Vans in London for Venn Records, particularly because V Man, the bassist for Slipknot, was there! We also played Manchester International Festival on a stage in front of the town hall which felt very special. Last year Alan Mcgee of Creation Records produced our singles Bezerk(h)er and The Hallow which was brilliant and something we’ll never forget.

Obviously the whole music industry’s come to a bit of a stand still lately with gigs, touring and practicing together off the table, how have you been keeping creative and connected?
WITCH FEVER:
We’ve been recording demos to send over to Gomez (Orgone Studios) who we’re going into the studio with in July to record an EP, so we’ve mostly been focusing on writing new music. Outside of music we’ve been reading a lot, making art, cooking and Alex has played lots of Animal Crossing.

Exciting times with new music ahead, and that’s awesome you’re recording with Gomez! How did that all come about?
WITCH FEVER:
We were connected with Gomez through a label we’re working with at the moment (yet to be announced…) so we’re very excited for whats to come! We’re recording an EP for now, but there’s talks about an album afterwards.

Of course, we gotta ask some Orange! What’s your history and experience with our amps?
Amy:
My first memory of Orange comes from when I was a child, my Dad’s been in bands since I was young and plays bass through an Orange amp to this day. It always stuck in my head because of the colour, being the brightest thing in my parents bedroom. As a teenager I also developed a love for Cancer Bats and Slipknot, so there’s that association too!