THE ORANGE
Line Up:
Ben Karis [vox, guitar]
Dan Sorensen [drums]
Frank Moscowitz [guitar]
Bob Buckley [bass]
Some of the most memorable moments in rock’n'roll have happened by accident. Two kids are just fooling around with a 4-track, a couple of instruments and a few unconventional ideas and before they know it they’ve created the next big sound. In 1998, guitarist Ben Karis and drummer Dan Sorensen were just two college students who wanted to make some music. The two recorded their guitar and drum duo [a la White Stripes, but way ahead of the game] for entry into a music contest. By some fortuitous chance, their homemade recording found its way into the hands of then recording engineer at Saints and Sinner Studios in upstate New York, Frank Moscowitz. Moscowitz was immediately impressed and contacted the duo. He began to sit in on band practice and within a few weeks he was slinging a guitar alongside Karis and Sorensen. The trio played together until February of 2000 when Moscowitz’s former band mate, Bob Buckley, joined in on bass. With their lineup complete, the Orange was ready to take over.
The foursome’s distinctive song structures and dynamic harmonies made them an innovative force in a stale music scene, and audiences took note. The Orange burst onto the American indie rock scene playing gigs across the nation and sharing the stage with the likes of Elliot Smith, Mara, the Promise Ring, Cave-In and Coheed and Cambria. Their first and only studio recording, Big Space Mission e.p. was release in May of 2001. The recording’s opening track, “Filibuster”, cracked the coveted CMJ Top 200 and became a college radio anthem.
The Orange initially disbanded in 2002 to pursue other musical projects. Karis enjoyed success with Jupiter Sunrise while Buckley continues to play bass for the Kamikaze Hearts. Recently, The Orange have reunited and have plans to release a new record in 2015.