The first thing you need to know is that you’re almost certainly not going to get an endorsement at NAMM. Why? Because every single Artist Relations rep at NAMM is bothered by you. They’re bothered by you asking for an endorsement. They’re bothered by you asking every employee at their booth to point out who you are. They’re bothered by you making them stand there while you fart out a blurb about how you’ve “played 20 shows so an endorsement is the next logical step.”
They’re bothered by you barging in when they’re doing something important, and visibly hurried, so you can give them a physical EPK. Giving someone a physical EPK at NAMM is literally the same thing as saying “here, YOU throw this away.”
Most AR reps at NAMM play an essential role in the actual operation of their booth. Personally, I start planning the Orange booth upwards of 6 months in advance of the show. I fly out early to ensure the set-up goes smoothly. I fly out late so I can make certain the booth is broken down properly. During the show I have artist signings, employees, and media interviews to manage. At night I have dinners with retailers and other industry contacts. Some nights I just go back to our rental house and drink away the tears.
Compound all of the above with the fact there are literally hundreds of A-level rock stars all around me at NAMM, and it only makes sense that I’m not going to prioritize cold-call meetings with complete strangers or the “my 9 year old son is going to be the next big thing” dad-managers. I’d rather spend the limited amount of time I have on the floor of my booth talking to actual rock stars. In fact, I’d rather spend that time talking to Joe Blow from Crazy Wacky Guitar Expo in Butthole, Oregon since the end result might at least be a sale (and I’m EXTREMELY removed from sales at this point in my career).
So how do you actually need to approach trying to get an endorsement at NAMM? It’s easy. If you’re an actual rock star, just walk up and say “I’m a huge f*cking Rockstar and I want to play your amps.” I will then say “works for me, bro,” we’ll hug it out, and shortly thereafter you’ll be endorsed. Don’t be hesitant to tell me who the hell you are. It makes everyone’s lives easier because I don’t have time to figure out who you are, you coy bastard.
If you’re not a rock star, then it’s even easier. JUST DON’T ASK ME FOR AN ENDORSEMENT AT NAMM. Simply walk up to me, hand me your contact information, tell me you like Orange and want my information, and then walk… the hell… away.
Now here’s the tricky part. I call it: “The Waiting.” If you send me an email less than a week after NAMM, I’m deleting it. There are hundreds of emails in my inbox post-NAMM. I have no choice but to prioritize artists I’m already dealing with during that time. Make yourself stand out by waiting to email me after NAMM.
When you do finally email me I would suggest something minimal, yet creative, but not something packed with facts and links and embedded images and stories about your dog and attached PDFs and your past medical history and your grandmother’s old-world soup recipes. I really only want the basics.
You can see what I’m talking about on our Ambassador request website. However, and this part I happen to believe is universal among AR reps, DO mention that we met at NAMM. The fact you were at the show does carry some weight. There are a lot of goobers at NAMM, but those goobers still made the effort to find a way into the show. And naturally any goober – myself included – that loves Orange amps is a goober I can get behind.
Every AR rep has to be a brutal, quick-thinking judge at NAMM. Also, we’re all hung-over. For best results, don’t try to get endorsed at NAMM. Just make your presence known, then sit back and endure “The Waiting”.
https://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/band.jpg18552700Alex Auxierhttps://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Orange-Pics-logo-307px-279x103.pngAlex Auxier2018-02-07 18:14:272020-04-16 20:38:11How To Get An Endorsement At NAMM
As we’re all well aware Orange is known around the world for making kick-ass amps. But that’s not where their abilities end and in recent years they’ve also produced some mean pedals…and they’re all right here for your pleasure.
TWO STROKE
12DB CLEAN BOOST
ACTIVE DUAL-PARAMETRIC EQ
TRANSPARENT BUFFERED BYPASS
Orange’s version of a ‘clean boost’ pedal combines an active dual-parametric EQ and up to 12dB of output boost. The Two Stroke is ideal for fine-tuning your sound or pushing your amp’s front end; subtle tweaks can add an extra dimension to solos, whilst more aggressive use of the pedal’s EQ can sculpt entirely new sounds. The Two Stroke can add an extra channel to your amplifier or re-voice your guitar’s pickups completely. Crank the high mids to jump through the mix, cut the low end to remove the woolliness that normally occurs with traditional boost pedals, or leave the EQ flat to hear more of what you already like.
The Two Stroke is also great for bass and acoustic guitars as a practical tool to remove unwanted ‘honk’ or feedback, making this pedal a valuable addition to any musician’s setup.
FUR COAT
VINTAGE FUZZ
ADJUSTABLE OCTAVE
GENUINE TRUE BYPASS
Loosely based on the vintage Foxx Tone Machine, the Fur Coat Fuzz takes its inspiration from the great fuzz pedals of the 70’s.
The Fur Coat gives you a fully controllable octave fuzz pedal. Separate switches mean you can choose between Fuzz or Octave Fuzz. The controllable Octave up fuzz means you can bring in the fuzz to whatever level you need and the EQ allows you to boost your Treble or Bass.
The Fur Coat is Orange’s only True Bypass pedal. This is because a fuzz is better at the beginning of the chain where it interacts directly with your guitar. Placing the pedal further into your signal chain will give the fuzz a more distorted tone.
KONGPRESSOR
OPTICAL CLASS A COMPRESSION
12DB CLEAN BOOST
TRANSPARENT BUFFERED BYPASS
The Kongpressor is an analogue Class A compression pedal which adds an organic three dimensional quality to any rig. The pedal takes its inspiration from some of the world’s most iconic vintage optical studio units, employing a re-issue of the famous Vactrol VTL5C3 optocoupler that was responsible for the sound heard on countless hit records.
At lower compression levels the Kongpressor’s transparent but somehow fattening. It adds mojo and a glossy sheen to your core tone that you’ll truly miss when it’s bypassed. Even at extreme settings, the tone always remains musical with great feel under the fingers.
With controls for attack and release time, the Kongpressor can be tweaked to fine tune the transients and the bloom. Orange worked hard to make these parameters as forgiving as possible whilst still allowing players full control over the compression response. The pedal also features an active treble control for adding in extra chime and jangle, making the compression even more transparent.
Of course it’s outstanding for crystal clean country pickin’, but the Kongpressor also maintains the bottom end that seems to get lost in many compression pedals. This means it behaves impeccably with overdrive pedals or the lead channel of your amplifier, adding fullness and sustain.
GETAWAY DRIVER
’70S AMP IN A BOX
CAB SIM OUTPUT
INTERNAL BUTTON
While the pedal adds vintage vibe to all amplifiers, the Getaway Driver really excels when used with an amp’s clean channel…even ones with a bright cap. It also makes a great clean boost, with low Gain and high Volume pushing amps over the edge into classic overdrive. The gain structure is produced using single-ended JFET circuitry running in Class A, just like a valve amp. The input buffer, output buffer and Cab Sim are handled using op-amps.
The Getaway Driver features a second output which is a buffered Cab Sim / headphone amp that also works into a PA (via a DI box) or directly into a recording interface. The first output is transparent when bypassed, however, when using the second output, the Cab Sim remains engaged. This means that the Getaway Driver can be used as just a Cab Sim on its own if needed. The voicing and gain structure of this pedal is based on a cranked modded ’70s valve amp. Running at 9 Volts, the pedal will have the character of EL84 valves, whereas 12 Volts will give an EL34 flavour. Use a regulated 9-12V DC centre-negative power supply.
BAX BANGEETAR
WIDE GAIN RANGE
BAXANDALL EQ WITH
FULL PARAMETRIC
MID CONTROLS
CABSIM OUTPUT
As a traditional stompbox the Bax Bangeetar is in a class of its own, boasting a unique and hugely versatile gain structure with extensive EQ controls. Dial in an enormous range of overdriven and distorted tones, delivered with a feel and responsiveness rarely found in pedals. Beyond that, though, this preamp pedal is an invaluable tool, allowing you to tailor your tone to any setup with absolute precision via its parametric mid controls. Find and eliminate problem frequencies in certain guitars and amps, shape broad mid ‘scoops’ or boost anywhere on the mid spectrum to suit any style. Plug straight into the front of an amp as a standalone drive pedal, or plug into the effects return to make the donor amp ‘disappear’! For even more flexibility, the second output takes your sound and passes it through our Cab Sim circuit, recreating the frequency response of a mic’d Orange 4×12” cab, ideal for direct recording or even connecting to a PA.
THE AMP DETONATOR
BUFFERED ISOLATED OUTPUTS
PHASE CORRECTION
COMPACT DESIGN
Featuring two buffered outputs, one with a custom designed isolating transformer, as far as Orange are aware the Amp Detonator is the smallest active, fully functional, buffered ABY pedal on the market. What’s more, it’s the only active ABY switcher that can be powered by a 9V battery. The transformer output has been meticulously engineered to be as transparent as possible, whilst both outputs are buffered with a low noise, linear circuit. Drive any length of cable to your amps with no loss of clarity and switch silently between them. The Amp Detonator also has a push-button polarity switch to correct common phase issues between amplifiers, keeping the tone fat and full. Finally, the tri-colour LED is a handy feature, especially on dark stages, indicating your current switching setting at a glance.
DID YOU KNOW…
All Orange pedals feature an internal charge pump which doubles the operating voltage of the pedals to 18V. They can be powered by 9V battery or standard DC adapter, or for even more output can also run on 12V DC. Running at a higher voltage has the effect of drastically increasing the headroom for super clean compression by the Kongpressor, incredibly low harmonic distortion from the The Amp Detonator and gives the Bax Bangeetar a wider dynamic range and more output, with even greater definition.
Orange is celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2018 and to celebrate we shall be taking a look over the next twelve months at some of our most famous and innovative amplifiers. This week we take a look at the OMEC Digital range.
What is OMEC?
By 1975 Orange had established itself as valve amp company, the company was looking to diversify into a new area of the market. Orange Founder, Cliff Cooper decided to look into the relatively the new computer market and wanted to explore a combination between his amplifiers and computers, Cliff explains the reason for the OMEC name;
OMEC stands for Orange Music Electronic Company. We chose the word ‘electronic’ to suggest digital and transistorised amplifiers, as opposed to the valve amps that had established Orange brand in the early 1970s.
The first amp
They enlisted the help of Peter Hamilton to design the OMEC digital, the brief was to design a ‘computerised amplifier’. The project had challenges due to new nature of the components – often never used in amplifiers before. Microprocessors were just beginning to appear which were expensive and needed to be made in huge quantities to be affordable.
Peter explains the components used:
The only sane way to do this job was with SSI and MSI (small and medium scale integration) logic chips. The choice was between TTL (transistor-transistor logic) which was power-hungry but easy to get hold of and well proven, or a new technology from RCA called COS-MOS, which used hardly any power but also had a habit of self-destructing due to static damage.
COS-MOS was too risky at the time, but that technology led to today’s CMOS microcontrollers, with built-in static protection, low power consumption and millions of transistors on a chip – one of those could handle the whole job for a few dollars.
The result was the OMEC Digital – the world’s first digitally programmable amplifier. It had parameters for volume, bass, mid, treble, reverb, compression, and distortion. These were stored in memory for each of four channels, the numbers could be recalled by selecting a channel either from the front panel or the footswitch.
The OMEC Range
After the original OMEC Digital, a series was designed for both instruments and public address systems but with a more conventional front panel design. 5-band graphic equalisation section was added, which was especially helpful on the PA amplifier.
Cabinets were designed to compliment the amplifiers, for the guitar amplifier there was a sloped front design 2X12 cabinet, for the PA amps, straight 2X12’s and for the bass amp a 1X15 ported cabinet. The cabinets were sealed enclosures with front loaded speakers and open-weave black nyon sourced from Germany.
OMEC Cabinets
The Legacy
The OMEC Digital was a product ahead of its time, the high costs and limitations of the early parts meant the amplifiers struggled to catch on, as Cliff explains:
We spent a lot of time and money developing this revolutionary digital amp, and it still really upsets me to recall how we never really got a chance to market it properly.
Designer Peter adds:
Here was an idea before its time, I’m afraid. It was innovative, but there wasn’t a knob that went up to 11. I doubt that it was financially viable without investing a large amount of money. Months later the Z80 and 6502 microprocessors appeared and spawned the personal computer industry. The rest they say is history.
https://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/OMEC-Digitial-Footswitch-1.jpg19823000Orange Ampshttps://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Orange-Pics-logo-307px-279x103.pngOrange Amps2018-02-02 13:27:082019-11-30 16:51:55The History of Orange – The OMEC Digital
Welcome to our monthly blog post called “Bands We Don’t Endorse But That We Like (we may endorse the band as well)” We may need to change the name!
To be honest, it will probably become bi-monthly over time as we get busy with other stuff. It’s fun to dream though.
Alex Auxier is our International AR Manager. Daniel Darby is our European Artist Rep and Content Creator. Together, along with Neil Mitchell, who has seriously like 5 different jobs including AR, we spend a lot of timing rating and criticizing bands in order to decide which ones will receive endorsements. A lot of those bands are great, but just not in the right place at the right time. This is our opportunity to share some of those bands with other Orange fans. However, we’ll never tell if you if a specific band actually applied for endorsement. That would, quite frankly, be embarrassing.
Daniel’s choices
Serpent Power – Electric Looneyland
Well it wouldn’t be an Orange bands list if there wasn’t something resembling psychedelic! “Electric Looneyland” is the second album from Serpent Power the supergroup duo of Ian Skelly (The Coral) and Paul Molloy (The Zutons,The Coral). The best way to describe it is Spooky rock, lots of fuzz, delay, reverb and harmonies. Check out from the new album the spacey “Black Angel Rider” music vid:
Earthless – Gifted By The Wind
Surprise, another Psychedelic band, but when it’s this good, so what! Earthless are a instrumental psychedelic band from San Diego, this is the first single from their new album “Black Heaven” out on March 16th. This is actually one of the few songs were Isaiah from the band sings, the track takes use through wah guitar, heavy drums and thundering bass lines:
Shame – Concrete
London’s “Shame” are being tipped for great things in 2018 and if their recent debut album is any to go by, then we can expect them to get bigger and bigger. Formed in 2014, “Concrete” is taken off debut album “Songs of Praise”, if you like post-punk this is for you.
Alex’s Choices
Khemmis
I endorsed Khemmis the moment I saw them play Psycho Fest in Las Vegas this past August (full set in video below). Even though they haven’t put out an album since 2016, I’m adding them to this list because they quite frankly shred ass.
Hide your asses, folks, because Khemmis is going to shred them.
I can’t exactly pinpoint their genre (because it’s a mixture of at least 4 genres) but Khemmis could definitely be described as stoner-doom Opeth meets Baroness meets Sleep. Every single song is mastered with the intention of blowing out your speakers. Normally that would piss me off but not in their case. I want their tone to envelop my brain. If that means breaking my speakers, then so be it.
A new album is reportedly coming soon from Khemmis. I’m going to build a custom ass-protector in the meantime.
Rozwell Kid
Again, these guys aren’t new, but since they put out an album in 2017 I’m going to justify putting them on my list.
Every single song Rozwell Kid puts out sounds like Rivers Cuomo’s wet dream about the time he got to play lead guitar for KISS at the Meadowlands. They sound like Weezer if Weezer stopped while they were ahead. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rozwell Kid owns a time machine, because they sound like they went back in time and forced 1994 Rick Ocasek to produce their latest album, Precious Art. But at their core they’re definitely just a punk band with an absurd amount of emotional and musical range.
Basically, they sound like my childhood so I like them….a lot. Just start the album at song 1 and try to stop it before the end.
Here’s a local Atlanta thrash metal band that doesn’t suck. And this is coming from someone who simply doesn’t really like thrash metal (at least not most of the stuff produced in the last 20 years). As a caveat to that last sentence, I do endorse thrash bands. That’s why I said “most of the stuff.”
Death of Kings is just solid though. Their live show is top notch. I watched the whole thing and never once went to the bathroom. That’s basically my new standard as I reach my mid-30’s and usually have the luxury of dipping backstage if a band starts to bore me. If I watch the whole concert, by a band I’ve never seen, then it’s probably because they’ve just become one of my new favorite bands.
Their new album, Kneel Before None, is through the link below. By the way, please don’t email me with a huge list of thrash metal bands.
https://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Headphone-Video-Thumbnail.jpg10801920Orange Ampshttps://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Orange-Pics-logo-307px-279x103.pngOrange Amps2018-01-19 11:05:062019-11-30 16:51:55Bands We Don’t Endorse But That We Like (we may endorse the band as well) – January
Orange is celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2018 and to celebrate we shall be taking a look over the next twelve months at some of our most famous and beloved amplifiers. To start we take a look at the Terror series.
Tiny Terror
The one that started a movement and became an instant classic, the Tiny Terror was a benchmark in amp design. As Orange’s Lead Designer Ade Emsley recounts it all came from a dinner at NAMM:
“The original Tiny Terror idea was conceived in a restaurant at NAMM with one of our sales guys. I just kind of said ‘I’m going to make an amp that fits in to an A4 piece of paper.’ He said ‘no you are not, don’t be silly!’ I said ‘yes I am!’ That was where the idea came up. So I built a prototype. That sales guy turned up a week later and I was like ‘I have done it!’ He was like ‘what?’ I was like ‘that amp that fits into an A4 piece of paper.’ He called me a mad bastard but then I cranked it up and he didn’t think I was so mad after that!”
The idea went from prototype to production, but the core idea of having a portable, giggable amp never faltered. Ade explains:
“The concept of the Tiny Terror was an amp you can carry anywhere. You turn up to play a gig and there are three bands playing. You turn up with your Tiny Terror in its gig bag and your guitar. Before the gig you’ve sorted out the use of a mate’s 4×12 in one of the other bands. Plug in with the volume on ten and the gain on about six and suddenly you’re into 1980’s AC/DC territory.”
The Tiny Terror became an instant classic and is still one of Orange’s most successful amplifiers and started the still prevalent trend of lunchbox amplifiers. In the first year of production 10,000 Tiny Terrors were sold.
Dual Terror
After the success of the Tiny Terror, thoughts turned to a new amplifier to add to the Terror range:
“I thought it would be nice to have two Tiny Terrors in one box, so you could switch between channels. You could have one cranked more than the other like the level for leads, so we did the Dual Terror.”
The Dual Terror is a 30 Watt, two channel, 4 X EL84 Terror head. It has a “Tiny Terror” channel and a “Fat Channel,” which is voiced warmer with more bottom end, gain and crunch.
“People had been asking for something similar to the Tiny Terror but with more power.”
The Dual Terror was also the first Orange amplifier to have the 4-to-2 tube switch to change the output valves of the amplifier.
Dark Terror
“Some people started to ask me for a Terror with an effects loop, which we called the Dark Terror. I had to change the preamp to make it four stages of gain. This was because at lower levels of gain it will drive the power amp when you are not using the effects loop, as any distortion you do after the effects loop will kind of make the effects loop useless. It only works with time-based pedals if the overdrive is made before the effects loop send.”
The amp was the first step into a high gain Terror and came with a shape control.
Jim Root Terror
Orange had never made an artist signature amplifier until we did a Terror for Jim Root of Slipknot. Ade explains the decision behind choosing a Terror
“I had heard he was wanting a signature model that was affordable to his fans; he didn’t want anything super high end. So I thought why don’t we do a Terror and put his Rockerverb channel on it. Instead of going cheap, we can go smaller and get the cost down that way. Then you have something that is affordable, that is all tube, that is built properly, and that sounds really good.”
The Jim Root Terror’s sound was taken from Jim’s Rockerverb MKI he used on tour and in the studio, and it gave fans the tone of Jim Root in a portable and affordable amplifier.
10th Anniversary Terror
The “Shiny Terror” was a limited edition Terror to commemorate 10 years of the original Tiny Terror and mark its discontinuation:
“We wanted to give it a Viking funeral! So we did a small run of stainless steel Tiny Terrors, handwired and built in the U.K. factory.”
It was sold with a matching PPC212 cabinet in British racing green, with Celestion Gold Alnico 10″ speakers. The Terror head and cabinet was only made in a run of 110 amplifiers.
The Future…
With the Tiny Terror being discontinued in 2016, and the rest of the Terror range still going strong, what does the future hold for this amplifier series:
“Moving forward, we will probably do something new at some point. I’m not quite sure what that is going to be…I’ve got a few ideas…maybe something with two channels… we shall see how we go…there might be a few options…”
https://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Terror-Series-Youtube-Thumbnail.jpg10801920Orange Ampshttps://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Orange-Pics-logo-307px-279x103.pngOrange Amps2018-01-12 13:28:122019-11-30 16:51:55The History of Orange – The Terror Series
Peter, thanks a million for taking the time to do this interview, myself and the rest of the Orange crew are big fans of you and your music – could you please introduce yourself to the reader, and tell us a bit about yourself and the music you make?
Good morning Orange Amp freaks! Or is it afternoon, evening? Whenever it is, wherever you are on this rotating rock orbiting the Almighty Sun while we hurtle through space, allow me to introduce myself. I am Peter Hughes, the human and guitar player you may know from such hard rock bands as Sons of Huns and Danava. Other than playing my Orange amplifier at excessive decibels, I enjoy plucking out the Baroque stylings of the one and only J.S. Bach on Classical Guitar, I am an amateur mycologist – or I like fungi, or mushrooms. If you’re really in the dark about the entire Kingdom of organisms, without whom plants couldn’t grow in the first place let alone be decomposed and with whom we share a large amount of DNA, making many species great medicine. I am also a sufferer of Lyme & related tick borne illnesses thanks to a deer tick from my home state of Virginia, this has led me down a trying but ultimately rewarding path toward healing, with composing and performing music being a huge part of my medicine and therapy.
Its been pretty quiet from the Sons of Huns camp lately, whats the lays of the land there? Sons of Huns was my first serious musical endeavour and first experience recording, releasing records and touring. We had a great run and I will always smile back on the memories made with my brothers Shoki Tanabe, Ryan Northrop and Aaron Powell, playing music we loved loud and from the heart. We are now on an indefinite hiatus and though I was admittedly upset when I realised we’d all be moving on, I respect my peers and am proud of the accomplishments they’ve made and families they are building in the time since through nothing other than their own sheer determination and unwavering power of will.
How about Danava, are you guys working on new material? Danava is indeed working on new music! The joy I feel when recording new music in the studio is 2nd only to playing loud at live shows. Tee Pee Records put out a 7″ single of our newest, non-stop righteous ripper, “At Midnight You Die” just over a year ago in October 2016. My rig for this session was my trusted Ebony Gibson SG Standard running into an Ibanez TS808Tube Screamer used when needed to push the tubes into extra overdrive of my much beloved OR-100 amplifier head paired with a single OR-PPC 4X12. We cut the song live in the studio, only adding Greg’s vocals and blazing lead as overdubs. I think that was crucial in capturing the magic performance of this high speed, hard rock track: the four of us in the same room, hitting hard holding nothing back. The melodic Maiden style duel guitar riffs that fly together in harmony through verse, into the chorus and unrelenting bridge until the song ends explosively, is an approach fans can expect to hear more on our next release.
How do you guys work together creatively as a band? Gregory Meleney is the driving force behind Danava and our fearless leader. He has composed the majority of the material from the band’s early days up to present. Greg is a natural musician with a great ear for melody, harmony, and rhythm and his throw away riffs would make most guitarist weep and either give up or go home and practice. The rhythm section consisting of Matt Oliver on drums and bass player Dominic Casciato, who as well as myself have a Classical background, and myself are all of the later constitution and as such have grown as musicians and can now pick up Greg’s ideas quickly, facilitating a faster song writing process. Most great musicians are perfectionists and plagued with self doubts, and I think one way I’ve helped our process is by reinforcing which iteration of a riff is the strongest and in which order makes the most impact. At the end of the day, Greg is also the singer and so he makes decisions on key and register. I should note Danava, Sons of Huns in the past and my solo compositions, utilize a slightly lower reference pitch than the present day standard. A=432 Hz as opposed to A=440Hz, the book The Cosmic Octave offers enlightenment on this seemingly small, but purposeful and incredibly significant alteration.
You mention solo compositions, is that something you’ve ben working on recently and anything we can expect to hear anytime soon? Yes, with a little luck it will be sooner rather than later! I’ve been tracking demo recordings at home going through and adding to my riff library and playing a lot of bass and drums lately to realise the song’s well enough so that as the things are falling into place here with increasing speed, I can have musicians with actual talent on those instruments take my compositions to the level or raw power I hear in my head. As long as we continue to hit it off as we have since meeting rather recently, and she doesn’t hate the demos… I have the low-end rumble and crushing power all lined up and drummers, well the good ones are usually playing in at least three bands but I have feelers out there and my hard drummin band mate in Danava, Matt Oliver, is required to play on at least one song whether or not he has realized it yet. Working title of this project is ” “, keep your eyes peeled and snag a copy and crank it when you see it available! The core makeup is the classic guitar, bass, drums Power Trio instrumentation but as I foresee it as a recording project, I won’t be putting as many limits on myself as far composition in terms of being able to play it live. I am enjoying implementing different timbres and more psychedelic sounds at times and adding multiple layers and harmonies swelling and building to an orchestral sound of numerous guitars.
You’ve been using Orange for quite some time now, what’s your current setup and history with the brand? I have! I long lusted for an Orange amp and finally picked up a Rockerverb 50 combo of my own in the summer of 2007. I had just graduated a proud alumnus of Willamette University with a Bachelor of Music degree in Classical Guitar Performance and moved up to Portland, Oregon to pursue music. I used the RV50 combo for several years and acquired an Orange PPC4X12 to add to my rig. This Orange 50 watt amplifier running 6X12 speakers paired with an SG was the backbone of my sound during the earlier days of Sons of Huns. I was elated and honored when I became an Orange Ambassador in the winter of 2013! I celebrated this achievement with the acquisition of an OR100 amplifier and another PPC4X12 cab, so I could run my thundering new amplifier head through a proper 8X12 stack of sonic & striking Orange beauty. Orange amplifiers are the foundation of my sound on stage and in the studio. I do use some low wattage secret weapon tube combo amps in the studio for overdubs and at home for lower volume but full tube saturation recording. That being said, I think those amps will be decommissioned if/when I snag one of your OR15 amplifier heads that I have had a keen eye on. I’ve never been a shoe-gazing pedal pusher, preferring to plug my guitar into a superior tube amplifier with beautiful and plentiful gain on tap, such as you fine folks at Orange craft. I use a few other pedals recording at home, the few that clock in the most hours being an MXR MicroAmp, boosting those little low wattage tube combos, an MXR Phase 90 for the swirls, and a JHS Pulp n’ Peel compressor. In Sons of Huns I used a CryBaby Wah-Wah into my OR-100 amplifier head and a stack of PPC4X12s and currently in Danava I play a few guitars, my trusty Ebony Gibson SG Standard, a 70s Guild S-100, and most recently a 1963 Gretsch Corvette that is absolutely sexiest guitar I’ve played to date, into an Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer to push the front end of my OR-100 when I get to play the fancy bits!
I gotta ask, what’s the story behind the sweet photo of yourself and your stacks of Orange in the desert? This photo was taken by Tyler Cox of Light Science Productions in the desert of Show Low, Arizona while Sons of Huns was on a two week break in between touring around the States with our German brothers Kadavar, and then all over again with Doom legends Saint Vitus. It is not a staged shot, we brought out a generator and fired up our amps, and although we only had Tyler taking photos and video, our road-hand Nat, and the vast expanse of the Arizona desert as an audience, we played high volume versions of several songs, most notably the freshly composed “Powerless to the Succubus”. This track can be found on the A-side of the 7″ Kiss the Goat collaboration with local Portland Gigantic Brewery, which coincided with the bottling and distribution of their Kiss the Goat black dopplebock beer. I also have to say thanks to the Orange Amps Instagram feed for psychically knowing when to post this pic on a day when I needed a little reassurance the most.
So all you geetar-fiddlers out there that haven’t experienced the bliss of plugging into an Orange, grab one quick let ‘er rip!
Thank-you Ella for the interest and interview, and thank you Orange for allowing me to do my damnedest to make a contribution to keep Rock & Roll alive!
A few shout outs to the people helping out Sons of Huns along the way; I have to give a shout out to Devin Gallagher Founder of High Scores and Records who released the first Sons of Huns self-titled EP and Toby Tanabe for the stunning artwork, Kelly “Gator” Gately of Powerblaster Records for releasing the “Leaving Your Body” 7″ record and Adam Burke of Nightjar Illustration for his otherworldly album art and Matthew Thomas Ross for directing our one and only music video for the title track, Daniel Hall RidingEasy Records who released our first L/P on vinyl “Banishment Ritual” (again Adam Burke coming through with the fantastic gatefold album artwork) as well as the following album “While Sleeping Stay Awake”, Gigantic Brewing for the collaboration and release of the “Kiss the Goat” 7″ record and corresponding brewing & bottling of their knock-you-on-yer-ass dark beer, Pat Kearns for recording and mixing the majority of your discography at his Portland studio PermaPress (R.I.P.) as well as being a true friend and mentor -Love You Pat, Toshi Kasai for his skillful hand at the console in his studio Sound of Sirens in LA and for bringing the seed within me to fruit to ‘Double That Shit!’, the loving and caring STUMP sisters and DC himself for their hospitality and support, and I got say thank you and send my love to my man Wino for coming through and singing with me on the SOH track ‘An Evil Unseen’ from the “While Sleeping Stay Awake” L/P. I’d also like to give a hug and kiss and huge thanks to our dear families, friends, and fans that supported us through the years and came out to shows, bought records or t-shirts and those who continue to support our music & mercy via Bandcamp. What more can I say? Me and the boys have the Sons of Huns triangle tattooed upon our sickly human flesh.
https://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Peter-Hughes-OR100-PPC412-CR3.jpg13331333Ella Stormarkhttps://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Orange-Pics-logo-307px-279x103.pngElla Stormark2018-01-09 19:00:192018-12-18 13:13:28Interview: Danava & Sons of Huns’ Peter Hughes
Oh look! Another “best of 2017” list. Awesome! And its several days late? Even better.
Wait, this is a list made by a bunch of dorks who work at a guitar amp company? I bet their tastes are SUPER great. That must be why they work at an amp company instead of managing bands or doing A&R for a major record label.
I’m sure everyone is going to read this list in depth and with lots of attention to detail.
Why It Was Rad: Pretty amazing gig, Clutch played a full Orange back-line and just nailed it. At the end of the night, Neil joined Mastodon for a song – which you can see here (forward to 30 minutes in)
Alex Auxier (International Artist Relations Manager – USA)
Why It Was Rad: Mastodon playing one of the biggest theaters in their hometown? Yes please. The energy was insane. Speaking to the band afterwards it was clear they thought it was one of the best performances they’d ever put on. Afterwards Jesse Hughes from EODM played a few songs at an unofficial aftershow. All in all it was a hell of a night!
Venue: Durty Nelly’s Pub – The Fest 16, Gainesville, GA
Why It Was Rad: I was eager to catch these guys after I heard their new album on Bird Attack Records that was produced by Trevor Reilly (A Wilhelm Scream) and they sure didn’t dissapoint this fan of melodic skatepunk with heavy riffage. Allout Helter brought the pain with plenty of noodly guitar harmonies and cool palm mutes, (guitarists using a Rockerverb and a Tiny Terror) all over cut time drums that any appreciation of the genre should dig.
Why It Was Rad: This was the first time I’d ever seen Metallica live despite having been a fan for the better part of 25 years. I had high expectations but they absolutely smashed it, 2 hours of chest shatteringly loud awesomeness!
Image courtesy of Metal Injection
Dan Darby (European Artist Relations and Marketing)
Why It Was Rad: Three insanely super-talented dudes from other bands that are just having the best time in the world shredding riffs, smashing drums, and melting faces. Sometimes you see a band that inspires you to go home and pick up your instrument to practice more, well this band is so freakin’ good that it makes me want to never touch an instrument again. Bonus points for them using an Orange Bass Terror.
Ella Stormark (Content Creation/Artist Relations – UK)
Why It Was Rad: 2017’s been a fantastic year for gigs, but the band that had my gut wrenched in excitement the most was Radio Moscow. I was lucky enough to tag along on tour with them in August and had my brain melt every night for a week. Still, the highlight was a few months later when they headlined Desertfest Antwerp in October. To see them on such a big scale and have them blow absolutely everyone’s mind was just spectacular. Give their song ‘Dreams’ a go and you’ll get my drift, it’s like a 21st century Jimi Hendrix Experience. Earthless straight from the airport after 18 hours of travel was also pretty god damn incredible, and the thought of the two bands having joined forces in Alpine Fuzz Society is just beyond me.
Orange celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2018, our founder and CEO Cliff Cooper shares his thoughts on this milestone:
Few would have thought, including myself, that half a century ago, Orange would have risen to the dizzy heights it has in the global music arena today. From those very humble beginnings in 1968, my love of music and sound assisted me in my vision of producing amplifiers and speakers that were quality built, reliable and with a sound truly pleasing to the ear. This vision was then and always will be, my goal in life. Musicians are far more demanding these days and not satisfied with just singular loud distortion. Of course, the world today is much more interconnected than it was 50 years ago and we continually strive to service the need to produce the finest working tools for the apprentice through to the master musician.
Orange has always been and always will be an innovative company, but if innovation means gimmicks without improving the quality of sound, then we will not incorporate them into our designs. Our team’s willingness to listen to feedback generated from our global dealer network is of great importance and benefit, allowing us to continually adapt to the needs of the musician.
I feel so proud of our achievements since we started in 1968 and I, with Orange, will always do our utmost to provide the very best tools to assist that wonderful desire to listen and appreciate music, with a sound that is as close to perfect as possible. Finally, on such a significant landmark as our 50th Anniversary, it would not be complete, without a full appreciation of the efforts of all those past and present, who have worked so hard and contributed so much to the success of Orange. To them and all our supporters, I truly thank you. As always, I wish you every good wish in your special world of music.
https://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Cliff-sitting-down.jpg499533Charliehttps://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Orange-Pics-logo-307px-279x103.pngCharlie2018-01-05 14:44:562018-02-23 21:46:47Voice of the World for 50 Years
After reading so many well wishes and comments, our Founder & CEO Cliff requested us to grant even more wishes by allowing us to select additional smaller sized gear – increasing the budget to do so. So this ‘up to $10k’ is actually closer to $17k. So this is officially the biggest #wishgranted giveaway we’ve ever done.
We’ve granted 60 wishes – across social media and email. If you entered over email check your inbox (and your spam), or if you entered over Facebook check your inbox there (including your spam). We’ve posted to your Facebook wall when possible.
What did we give away?
Rocker 15, 4 Stroke 300, Crush Bass 25, Getaway Driver, Jim Root Terror, Rocker 32, O Edition Headphones, Crush Pro 120, Kongpressor, OBC212, Micro Dark, Dark Terror & Bax Bangeetars.
We’ll be sending gear to fans in: Chile, China, Canada, England, Mexico, Russia, USA, Norway, Japan, Bulgaria, Australia, Israel, Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, Scotland, Finland, Portugal.
With over 300 aspiring acts hoping to be the lucky winners of this year’s Firestone Battle of the Bands, it was narrowed down to the top three who made it to the finals at newly built BIMM Birmingham. A quick recap to remind us all about the finalists; we had Welsh pop-rock band Fire Fences who despite their age had already played a sold out show at LA’s legendary The Viper Room and have one of their tracks picked for the new NASCAR Heat II video game, rapper EL-Emcee who’s been making countless tracks from his bedroom back in Ipswich and the heaviest band of the lot, Bristol’s Nuns of the Tundra.
As we arrive to the freshly painted BIMM, all the acts are patiently waiting for sound check, dress rehearsals and their time to shine – streamed live for the world to watch. I mingle around and chat to the bands to see how they’re feeling, and how they’ve been preparing for the finals.
We’ve been working on ways to make the songs more interesting, and changed one of them around to give it a massive and dramatic ending. We also played a gig last night, almost like a rehearsal gig where we asked everyone for feedback on what they liked, but also what needed to be improved and could be done better. We’ll be playing two quite different songs as well to show versatility. We’ve been working towards the final, but we’re also in the process of writing new material and speaking to different producers, so whether we win or not we’ll still venture back into the studio.
I’m very excited to play, really looking forward to it. I was expecting it to be a lot more nerve wrecking, and had it been last year I know it would have been, but I’m feeling quite relaxed. When I first entered the competition I didn’t really think that much of it. I gave it a go not expecting to hear back as it’s ‘Battle of the Bands’, and I’m not a band, so it did catch me by surprise when I all of a sudden got an email saying I’d made it through! It’s pretty mad to be honest. Obviously with me being a rapper competing against two guitar-based bands, I’ll be bringing a different vibe to the competition, and I hope that will work to my advantage. I’ve just been doing my regular thing leading up to the finals – I’ve been making music seriously for about four years now, and I’d say another eight before that just doing bits of pieces of lyrics and poetry, and I’ve got a tight group I work with who produces beats for me, although I’m looking at trying to do that myself.
We’re feeling excited about tonight, and even if we don’t make it to the top this is just another exciting thing to add onto the list of amazing stuff we’ve had happen to us. A few years back, we were lucky enough to record over in the States and play a sold out show at The Viper Room in LA. At the time we were under 21 and not old enough to drink or even be inside the venue, so we were literally stood outside on the sidewalk with our instruments until someone came and told us it was time to play. We set up, and when the curtains opened it was absolutely packed. It was incredible, and we feel like we’ve learnt a lot from that experience. We really love playing live, and we feel like that is our strength. We will try to treat tonight just as any other gig; go on, play, and have fun. It’s nice to be part of a final where all the bands are so different and great in their own way. The feedback we got after entering the competition was so great as well. You could tell that they had really taken their time to actually listen to and almost analyse our music, which made us feel even better about making it through as we were recognised for exactly what we were.
Eventually it’s time for dress rehearsals and a quick run through of everything that’s about to happen. Abbie McCarthy from BBC Radio 1 is the host for the evening and starts out interviewing the judges which includes Orange’s European A&R rep Daniel Darby. A video of each band that was used during the public votes is showed before their performance, and they all get two songs each before they’re over in the hot seat with Abbie to share their thoughts on their performance and the competition. Shortly after, family and friends start to arrive adding some extra tension and excitement to it all, and the countdown till we go live begins.
6pm sharp it all kicks off, and first out is Nuns of the Tundra, the heaviest act of the night. They start out with the bass-based ‘Dead in the Desert’, followed by ‘Minds’s Eye’ which they’ve re-worked for the evening and given a dramatic ending. Second man out is EL-Emcee who appears to be the natural entertainer, interacting with the camera and audience while showing off his incredible songwriting skills. Last but not least, is Welsh Fire Fences, who by the looks of it are probably the youngest of the lot. They start off loud and proud then mellows it down for the second song, both described as ‘anthems’ by Abbie McCarthy.
With all acts being so good at what they do, they judges are left with a tough decision to make. Minutes which must feel like months for the contestants pass by, and they can finally announce that this year’s winner of Firestone Battle of the Bands is Fire Fences!
While basking in the new found glory of their victory, we had a brief chat with the 2 runners up, Nuns of the Tundra who still were high in spirits and ready to take on some new recording, and EL-Emcee, who said he’ll keep writing and get producing, and perform wherever and whenever he can. When we finally managed to get a little piece of Fire Fences who were the centre of everyone’s attention, they couldn’t be happier about the outcome and head to the studio to record new music. We’ll be staying in touch with the winners, so watch this space for updates to see where they venture off to next.
https://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Firestone-Battle-of-the-Bands-133.jpg17283000Ella Stormarkhttps://orangeamps.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Orange-Pics-logo-307px-279x103.pngElla Stormark2017-12-20 15:40:282017-12-21 23:00:21Battle of the Bands: And the winner is…
The one that started a movement and became an instant classic, the Tiny Terror was a benchmark in amp design. As Orange’s Lead Designer Ade Emsley recounts it all came from a dinner at NAMM:
