When he’s not performing on stage, Scott Holiday has taken on the responsibility of DJ duties on the Rival Sons tour bus, where the Orange Box plays an important part. Here, Scott shares one of his earliest musical heroes as well as a recent musical discovery, as well as a playlist he has created for our listening pleasure.
“The Box has been dubbed the “Lunchable” by everyone on the bus. They know when I break out the Lunchable, shit’s about to get real..” – Scott Holiday
Was there a band or artist that influenced you as a player or to get into music in the first place? Scott: David Gilmour / Pink Floyd
Can you share a new band or artist you have recently discovered? Scott: Dina Ögon
I make playlists all the time. I come from the era of the “mix tape”…and then “burning cd’s”… And now, it’s “Playlist”. This particular one was created while touring Europe. Its soul purpose was to use on the bus for something the crew calls “roadie friday”. I think it’s self explanatory. After playing so much rock n roll, I find it necessary to dive into other genres on days off-or time home. At home, for me it’s a lot of jazz. For Roadie Friday, it’s heavy on the funk and soul. But plenty other stuff snuck into this playlist. These are all mostly artists that have profoundly influenced me as a player and what I consider to be greatness in the genres. Masters. This playlist will absolutely lift your spirits and keeps the party going. Solid hour and 40min of musical love.
https://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Scott-Holiday-Rival-Sons-and-the-Orange-Box-scaled.jpeg25602048Ella Stormarkhttps://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Orange-Pics-logo-307px-279x103.pngElla Stormark2024-01-26 00:01:002024-03-26 11:43:16The Orange Box: On the road with Scott Holiday & Rival Sons
We are Chris Kemp, Chris Farrar and Matt Stembrowicz
How did you meet?
Chris K actually joined a hardcore band that Chris F & Matt were already in to do vocals. That band ran its course and from it Acid Throne was born.
Why are you called Acid Throne?
We basically wanted a band name that encapsulates the type of music we play but also something that wasn’t already taken by loads of others. So after approximately 10,000 whatsapp messages, we landed on Acid Throne.
How/when did the band start?
We officially started late August of 2021 and started writing heavy riffs straight away!
Where are you based?
We’re from Norwich, UK
How would you describe the music you produce?
Heavy and miserable with groove!
What inspires Acid Throne?
What’s your favourite band?
There are so many from each of us. I suppose our top bands would be Monolord, Dark Throne, Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats and Thou.
Is there a reason music is important to you?
Music is a cathartic outlet for all of us. Something that keeps us sane, whether that’s spinning a record at home, getting together in our practice space or playing shows. Music has helped each of us in so many ways.
Do you take inspiration from things other than music?
Musically and lyrically, our Debut album ‘KINGDOM’S DEATH’ is inspired by the overwhelming feelings of anger and despair that result from living in the 21st century.
Is there something you’re trying to achieve or convey in your music?
We never set out to convey any sort of rhetoric or achieve anything but make heavy music that we relate to. It’s just definitely an added bonus if other people are into it!
What Orange gear is important to Acid Throne?
What Orange gear do you have?
Chris K has Dual Dark 50w as his main amp, a Supercrush 100h as his back up and an Orange crush series 4×12 and Matt has a Rockerverb 50w MKII and a Fur Coat distortion pedal.
Why do you like it?
Because it’s generally awesome, there’s no other tone like it!
How do you use it?
Chris uses his Dual Dark as his main source of distortion. His main guitar sound is just channel A dimed, with the bass rolled back a touch. And he uses channel B as his ‘clean tone’! Matt runs his Rockerverb on the clean channel as the clean headroom of the amp is perfect for using pedals with, mainly his Orange Fur Coat. Matt went for the MKII as it has the mid controls on it.
What was your first orange amp and when did you start using it?
Chris’s first tube amp, in an old band of his, was the Tiny Terror. Since then, it’s been a search for tone! We started using the Supercrush heads in Acid Throne as the clean headroom is an amazing pedal platform. But hard to come by tube amps are what we desire, so when Chris found the Dual Dark, there was no looking back!
Future Orange amps?
Is there Orange gear that you know you want in the future?
Are we allowed to say full backline?? four 4×12’s and an 8×10 please!
Is there existing Orange gear that you want to try?
Definitely an 8×10 for Matt’s bass sound!
Are you saving up for a specific Orange product
Next on the list is definitely a PPC4x12 – in black.
What does Orange mean to you?
When did you first see or hear Orange amps?
First time actually realising a band was using an Orange amp might have been TSOL back in the late 90s/early 00’s! But looking back now on the bands we all heard growing up, SO many used Orange (we’re big fans of ‘The Mac’)!
When you see Orange on a stage how do you feel?
I love seeing other bands using similar gear! It makes you curious as to how the get THEIR sound from the gear we all share.
Do you associate the brand with anything?
Loud, heavy music. And heritage!
Is there a reason that made you want to play Orange in particular?
Sleep & Boris. Is that a good enough reason?
Are there other bands you saw playing Orange that inspired you to try Orange gear?
Along with the above, there are so many bands that use Orange and bands that inspire us. Be that Monolord or our friends Old Horn Tooth & Red Eyed Cult!
Is there something positive you associate Orange with?
Actual talent. The Orange roster is stacked with killer killer artists.
What do you like most about Orange as a brand?
It’s aesthetically pleasing, it sounds great and it should never change.
What’s the most memorable Acid Throne moment?
So far, our band highlight is probably that time (August 2022) we played the Jaeger Stage at Bloodstock Festival. Which was our ninth show, ever! We owe Simon Hall and the Bloodstock crew a lot for giving us that opportunity and platform.
What’s on the horizon for Acid Throne?
Are you touring now?
We have just had a 9 day run with the Cancer Bats alter ego BAT SABBATH, a handful of shows coming up and we’re planning a small run in May too!
When’s your next gig?
That’d be February 3rd at Helgi’s Bar in Hackney, then we have March 18th in Norwich with Conan then DESERTFEST!
Where do you want to be in the future?
We just wanna play shows, record album 2 and have fun… all with the help of Orange amps!
Are there projects the band is working on now or want to do in the future?
At the moment, we’re just focusing on spreading the word of Acid Throne, and trying to play as many shows as we can and get ‘KINGDOM’S DEATH’ into as many ears as possible! Oh and writing album number 2!
Orange Jams is a series of live sessions hosted by Orange & Jam in the Van which features Orange ambassadors from across the globe. This session features Orange Brent Cobb & band live from Jam in the Van’s LA headquarters.
Thank you for tuning into our Brent Cobb Orange Jams session, we hope you loved it just as much as we do. Check out the rest of our Orange Jams sessions here, and visit Jam in the Van’s website and socials for more music and comedy.
https://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Brent-Cobb-Orange-Jams.jpg10801920Ella Stormarkhttps://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Orange-Pics-logo-307px-279x103.pngElla Stormark2024-01-10 04:20:012024-01-29 19:06:50Brent Cobb – Orange Jams with Jam in the Van
We’re regularly asked about our endorsements and what we look for in qualifying artists. Although there’s no right answer to this question, we’re going to run through a few key points that are taken into account when looking at applications, as this can be a confusing concept. In a perfect world, being an awesome guitarist/bassist would be enough, but it’s unfortunately more complicated than that when you take the business perspective into consideration. So, before you spend hours crafting your ambassador application, please give the following a read for some Orange A&R inside info:
Are you an established band or artist? As much as we’d love to support aspiring musicians on their road to stardom, that is unfortunately not something we can do via endorsements. While we don’t expect you to have a long year career behind you, we need to see evidence that you/your band are serious about what you do and have built something that exists outside your rehearsal space. Ambitions are great, but we can’t consider a band based on their ambitions and plans if there’s little happening in the present.
Have you released any music? You have to have released some actual music. If your reaction to that is “hell yeah I just released my debut single last month” or “not a problem I released an entire album in 2013”, the chances are that that’s not enough. We need to see that you’re actively working, writing and creating, and one song or an old album followed by silence isn’t going to cut it.
Are you touring and playing shows? Playing to a full house at your local pub on the third Friday of every month is great, but have you ever tried non-local shows, touring overseas and expanding your audience beyond your family and friends? No? Then we recommend you do that for a bit and re-visit this idea at a later date.
Are you signed, working with a manager, PR rep or agent? We have so much respect for DIY artists, so kudos to all bands and artists doing everything themselves—and don’t let this one put you off. It’s not a must, but evidence that a label has shown interest and is willing to spend time (and maybe even money) on you, or that you’ve got someone onboard to help out with the admin side of things might also be an indication that this is something you’re serious about taking to the next level, and not just a hobby.
Are you promoting yourself? Being an artist in the digital age is hard: you’re expected to master your instrument, kill it at marketing, social media, photography, copy-writing and content creation, and create something of an image or social approach. We totally understand that this isn’t for everyone. Hell, social media can be the devil at times, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s something we unfortunately have to take into account as it plays a vital role in the modern industry. If you’re not a touring/gigging artist but have a huge social media following or online presence, we still might be able to work together, as at the end of the day, our goal is to have our amps be played in front of as many people as possible. That might be on a festival stage, but it could also be in a viral TikTok video. The industry is changing, along with its requirements.
Can you actually play? This one brings us back to point 1—as much as we’d love to offer our support to every Orange-playing artist out there (and would actively encourage aspiring ones to pick up an instrument via Orange Learn), being able to actually play is a must. If you’ve just picked up the bass or guitar and have been playing for a couple of weeks, you’re still a while away from industry endorsement. But, if you keep at it, you might be the pride and joy of our roster in the future. We’d be so lucky! That being said, although technical abilities and virtuoso vibes are definitely our cup of tea, they’re not a necessity. If you can’t play along to Rush’s La Villa Strangiato, we won’t hold that against you; different types of music require different abilities, and you need to play well enough to master your music.
Are you here with a genuine wish to work together and a hope to be a part of our global artist roster, or just hoping for freebies or discounted gear? Artist pricing is one of the awesome perks of being an Orange ambassador, even more so in this current financial climate with the ever-increasing cost of living. But if the main selling point in your application is wanting a free Rockerverb, which you “promise to promote the hell out of” to your social following of 112 people, that’s not gonna work—we are looking for artists with whom to build mutually beneficial relationships. So, instead of focusing on all the amps you want to add to your collection and trying to convince us these should be yours for free, focus on working hard, and getting yourself or your band to a place where we’d be proud and honoured to have you representing Orange.
Now that we’ve laid this all out here, you should hopefully have a clearer image of what we’re after, and if you or your band might qualify. If you think you do, then awesome. To send in your application, please visit our ambassador page here.
You might feel tempted to resubmit your application three times a week for the foreseeable future and follow up by phone to make sure we’ve seen it, and as much as we love the excitement, we can assure you that’s not necessary. Ambassador applications are reviewed regularly, and successful applicants are contacted. Due to a high number of applications, we are unfortunately unable to respond to them all, but we sincerely appreciate each and every one, and want to thank you for your support.
We were recently contacted by interior designer Evelyn May Knight who wanted to share the final project she did before receiving her degree, her dream client & concept: Orange HQ.
Despite not personally being a musician, Evelyn was still captured by the bold aesthetic of Orange when first seeing one played on stage, and after doing some digging about the company’s history, also intrigued by the company’s history and heritage, which is what led her to pick the Orange head office as her dream client and final project.
The Orange Amplification festive tradition of granting Christmas Wishes launches today. For the 2023 giveaway, expect the biggest and best prize range ever and it’s free to enter!
For many years it has been the custom to place an orange in Christmas stockings because they were considered a rare treat and the juicy segments could easily be shared. So in keeping with tradition, Orange Amps would like to share its products with their many followers and put an Orange in the bottom of Christmas stockings across the globe.
Anyone can make a wish, however big or small, by commenting with their preferred Orange product on any Wish Granted themed post on any Orange Amps social media platforms –Instagram, Facebook, orYouTube – using the hashtag #orangewishgranted. You can also enter the competition via the form on the Orange Amps website.
Entrants can state their wishes on any #orangewishgranted post starting on the 15th November 2023. Entries close at 8.00am GMT on the 23rd December 2023. Winners will be announced daily from the 12th to 23rd December onhttps://orangeamps.com/.
Orange Amps will grant more than hundredChristmas Wishes with a prize value in excess of $25000. Up for grabs are amplifiers, guitars, speaker cabinets, pedals, merchandise, headphones and new for 2023 the Orange BOX’s. All shipping and customs charges will be covered by the company.
‘To me Christmas is a time of giving and sharing,’ said Cliff Cooper, CEO and founder of Orange Amplification, ‘I have fond memories of finding an orange at the bottom of my Christmas stocking.’
“Does the Orange OR30 feel good?” Spoiler alert: The answer is yes. We asked our friends over at Jam in the Van to demo and give us their thoughts on the OR30 and this is the result. It feels good, sounds good, and looks good.
https://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jam-in-the-Van-OR30-demo-thumbnail.png12772255Ella Stormarkhttps://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Orange-Pics-logo-307px-279x103.pngElla Stormark2023-11-02 23:45:002023-10-09 15:32:44Orange OR30 demo by Jam in the Van
As you’ve made your way to our website and blog, chances are your interest in Orange is above average and that you might already be familiar with some of the company’s history, but you may have missed that we did a series of drum kits in the 70s.
Orange drums were made in France by Jacques Capelle from around 1971 – 1976. He was a lovely guy, and became a good friend of Cliff Cooper. The earliest kits had the Capelle badging, but it didn’t take long before they were replaced with “Orange London” badges, although every drum kit was made in France.
Jacques made beautiful drum kits in his small facility in France, but his manufacturing techniques were labour intensive and very costly to produce. so Orange stopped importing them around 1976 as they were no longer competitive with the mass production of Premier, Ludwig and the introduction of Pearl, Tama and Yamaha etc in the mid 70s. These kits are very rare, and achieve very high sale prices when people are lucky enough to come across them.
While touring their long awaited 2022 album “Chimes at Midnight”, Sivert Høyem, Frode Jacobsen and Cato Salsa of Madrugada sat down with us to talk about the legacy of the band, the experience of recording at LA’s iconic Sunset Sound studio, and their history with Orange.
The Salvation Army’s iconic Strawberry Field attraction in Liverpool has dedicated its new bandstand to its benefactor, music icon and founder of Orange amps, Cliff Cooper, in a ceremony to officially mark its opening attended by commissioner Anthony Cotterill, Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army.
Strawberry Field’s eye-catching bandstand is a striking new addition to the south Liverpool visitor attraction, shaped as a giant bass drum inspired by The Beatles’ iconic album cover, ‘Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’, and referencing The Salvation Army and its marching bands. The bandstand’s floor is covered by a circular mosaic inspired by the ‘Imagine’ mosaic in Central Park’s Strawberry Fields in New York, with its interior walls decorated by a large mural by renowned pop artist, James Wilkinson, depicting the legacy and importance of The Salvation Army’s work, John Lennon and the legendary song, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever.’
The Strawberry Field Bandstand was built thanks to the generosity of Cliff Cooper, CEO and founder of Orange Amps, who is an honorary patron of Strawberry Field. Cliff founded Orange Amps in 1968, and its range of bright orange guitar amps marked a revolution in guitar amplifier design and sound technology, endorsed by music legends such as Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, Led Zeppelin and Iron Maiden.
At the dedication on September 2, Cliff was joined by The Salvation Army’s Territorial Commander, Commissioner Anthony Cotterill, and the Liverpool Walton Salvation Army Band for a special celebration. The Liverpool Walton band have a long history of playing at Strawberry Field and used to perform at The Salvation Army children’s home garden parties in the days when John Lennon visited the grounds.
Major Kathleen Versfeld, Mission Director at Strawberry Field, said:
“Thanks to Cliff and his generous donation, live music in the Strawberry Field gardens – the place where John Lennon once sought sanctuary and experienced one of his earliest musical moments hearing The Salvation Army band play – has been taken to a whole new level, on a bandstand that is like no other in the world. This is a new platform for emerging talent to shine and established artists to support our good work, building on both the legacy of John Lennon and The Salvation Army at this special place.”
Cliff Cooper, CEO of Orange Amps and honorary patron of the Strawberry Field, said:
“As a patron, I thought of ideas of how I could help, and how building a bandstand would bring music back to Strawberry Field – the place where John had some of his first musical experiences. It took three years to build and already the bandstand is bringing much joy to visitors of all ages.”
“I look forward to seeing the continuance of John Lennon’s legacy, promoting peace and love in the world, an ethos which also reflects the selfless dedication of The Salvation Army, whose people devote their lives to helping others who are in need and less fortunate than ourselves.”
Commissioner Anthony Cotterill, Territorial Commander of The Salvation Army in the UK and Ireland, said:
“Many people will think of a Salvation Army dedication service as a way to give thanks to God for the birth of a new baby. This dedication is about giving thanks to God for the generosity of our Strawberry Field patron, Cliff Cooper, who gave birth to the idea of the bandstand, and has managed the project to create what is now a unique visitor attraction.”
“We ask that God blesses all who have contributed to the Bandstand, the visitors old and new who will enjoy this new addition to Strawberry Field, and our staff who tirelessly work to help young people with significant barriers to employment to find and stay in work.”
Strawberry Field is a visitor attraction in Liverpool, located at the iconic site immortalised by John Lennon in The Beatles’ hit, ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’. Telling the story of The Salvation Army’s children home which opened here in 1936 and the connection to John Lennon’s childhood, as well as the writing and recording of the iconic song, the attraction is home to an interactive visitor exhibition which includes the actual ‘Imagine piano’, the original red gates, and the peaceful gardens where John played, climbed trees and dreamed as a child.
