Orchid (screamo band)

Orchid is an American screamo band from Amherst, Massachusetts. Originally active from 1997 until 2002, they released several EPs and splits as well as three studio albums. The band consists of lead vocalist Jayson Green, drummer Jeffrey Salane, guitarist Will Killingsworth, guitarist Brad Wallace and bassist Geoff Garlock.

Orchid released three full-length albums during their initial run and played their final show on the same day as the release of their final album. The band reunited for a tour in 2024, their first shows in 22 years.

History

The band was formed while Jayson Green, Will Killingsworth, and Brad Wallace were studying at Hampshire College, and Jeff Salane was attending the University of Massachusetts Amherst in early 1998.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Orchid released three albums: Chaos Is Me in 1999, Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow in 2000 and Gatefold in 2002. The band played their final show of their original run on July 9, 2002, the release date of Gatefold.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

In 2005, a compilation album titled Totality was released posthumously. It comprised 24 tracks, featuring out-of-press and hard-to-find B-side and split EP materials that were previously only available on vinyl.<ref name="Totality Review" />

Jayson Green later formed a hardcore punk supergroup named Violent Bullshit, with members of Black Army Jacket and the Fiery Furnaces.<ref name="VBS IS VIOLENTBULL SHIT">Template:Cite web</ref> Jayson Green, Will Killingsworth, and Geoff Garlock currently play together in the band Ritual Mess.<ref name="Listen to a New Track by Orchid Spinoff, Ritual Mess">Template:Cite web</ref>

Green provided vocals on "Pow Pow", the lead single to LCD Soundsystem's 2010 album This Is Happening.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The band received numerous offers to reunite, the most lucrative coming from Roadburn Festival in the Netherlands, but Green did not tell his bandmates as the band had been uninterested in coming back. After an interview with Machine Music<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Green, Killingsworth and Wallace, the band began the process of reuniting.<ref name=":0" /> In December 2023, Orchid announced a reunion and tour in 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The band's first show in 22 years took place on May 5, 2024, at The Drake in Amherst, Massachusetts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> For their reunion shows, original bassist Brad Wallace rejoined the band as an additional guitarist.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>

Style

Orchid's musical style (which primarily has been described as hardcore punk and screamo) is highly dissonant, fast, and chaotic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Totality Review" /> It combines the melodic and poetic approach of post-hardcore<ref name="NPR 1" /> and emo<ref name=terrorizer>Template:Cite journal</ref> with the extremity of powerviolence (a fusion sometimes termed emoviolence) and grindcore.<ref name=terrorizer /> Italian site "Emotional Breakdown" gave a positive review of Orchid's compilation album Totality, saying: "[Orchid] are the concentrated essence of the most poignant music you can imagine: the vocal cords that are pulled until they tear, the music sounds dark and desperate. They possess all these characteristics as the undisputed masters they have taught many proselytes, in all of their cynical splendor."<ref name="Italian totality">Template:Cite web</ref>

Legacy

Orchid is regarded as a prominent and quintessential band in screamo.<ref name="Totality Review">Template:Cite web</ref> Lars Gotrich of NPR music credited Orchid (alongside bands Pg 99, Circle Takes the Square and Majority Rule) as being prominent influences on emotional post-hardcore.<ref name="NPR 1">Template:Cite web</ref> Green said, "we just called ourselves a hardcore band."<ref name=":0" />

Canadian post-hardcore band Silverstein covered "Destination: Blood" on their album Short Songs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A tribute album, Epilogue of a Car Crash!, was released in 2013 on Dog Knights Productions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Piet Onthel covered "Weekend At The Fire Academy" on their demo in 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Letters of Marque covered "Lights Out" on Spring Roots & Lullabies, a charity compilation for Trans Lifeline released in 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Members

• Jayson Green – vocals, keyboards, percussion (1997–2002, 2024–present)
• Will Killingsworth – guitar, keyboards (1997–2002, 2024–present)
• Jeffrey Salane – drums, percussion (1997–2002, 2024–present)
• Brad Wallace – bass (1997–1999), guitar (2024–present)
• Geoff Garlock – bass (1999–2002, 2024–present)

Timeline

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id:vocals  value:red        legend:Vocals
id:guitar  value:green      legend:Guitars
id:bass    value:blue       legend:Bass
id:key     value:purple     legend:Keyboards
id:drums   value:orange     legend:Drums
id:percus  value:claret     legend:Percussion
id:album   value:black      legend:Studio_album
id:bars    value:gray(0.95)

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layer:back
color:album
at:06/29/1999
at:12/04/2000
at:07/09/2002

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bar:Jayson text:"Jayson Green"
bar:Will   text:"Will Killingsworth"
bar:Brad   text:"Brad Wallace"
bar:Geoff  text:"Geoff Garlock
bar:Jeff   text:"Jeffrey Salane"

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width:11
bar:Jayson from:start      till:07/09/2002        color:vocals
bar:Jayson from:start      till:07/09/2002        color:key width:3
bar:Jayson from:start      till:07/09/2002        color:percus width:7
bar:Will   from:start      till:07/09/2002        color:guitar
bar:Will   from:start      till:07/09/2002        color:key width:3
bar:Brad   from:start      till:08/01/1999        color:bass
bar:Geoff  from:08/01/1999 till:07/09/2002        color:bass
bar:Jeff   from:start      till:07/09/2002        color:drums
bar:Jeff   from:start      till:07/09/2002        color:percus width:3
bar:Jayson from:12/05/2023      till:end        color:vocals
bar:Will   from:12/05/2023      till:end        color:guitar
bar:Brad   from:12/05/2023      till:end        color:guitar
bar:Geoff  from:12/05/2023      till:end        color:bass
bar:Jeff   from:12/05/2023      till:end        color:drums

</timeline>

Discography

Albums

• Chaos Is Me (Ebullition, June 21, 1999)
• Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow! (Ebullition, December 4, 2000)
• Gatefold (Ebullition, July 9, 2002)

Compilations

• Dance Tonight! Revolution Tomorrow! + Chaos Is Me (Ebullition, September 10, 2002)
• Totality (Clean Plate, CD January 15, 2005, Vinyl 2014)

Singles & EPs

• We Hate You Demo (Self-Released, 1997)
• Split with Pig Destroyer (Amendment, 1997)
• Orchid 7" (Hand Held Heart, 1998)
• Split with Encyclopedia Of American Traitors (Witching Hour Records, 1998)
• Split with Combat Wounded Veteran (Clean Plate, 2000)
• Split with The Red Scare (Hand Held Heart, 2000)
• Split with Jeromes Dream (Witching Hour Records, 2000)

Compilation appearances

• "Weekend at the Fire Academy" on Songs Of The Dead (1998, Ape Records)
• "September 18th, 1993" featured on Falafel Grind (1999, Obscene Productions)
• "How Far It's Gone" featured on Better Luck Next Time (1999, Witching Hour Records)
• "Flip The Tape" featured on Tribute To Fort Thunder (US Pop Life Vol.12) (2001, Contact Records)

External links

• Ebullition Records
• Clean Plate Records
• Template:Allmusic
• Template:Discogs artist