Orgy (band)
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist Orgy is an American industrial rock band formed in 1997, from Los Angeles, California.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography">Template:Cite book</ref> The band is best known for their cover version of the New Order song "Blue Monday", and their original song "Stitches", both from their 1998 album Candyass. In 2000, they released their second album, Vapor Transmission, with "Fiction (Dreams in Digital)", "Opticon", and "Eva" as singles.
History
Early years (1997)
Orgy was formed in 1997 by vocalist Jay Gordon and guitarists Amir Derakh and Ryan Shuck. Bassist Paige Haley and drummer Bobby Hewitt soon completed the line-up. Derakh had previously gained some fame in the 1980s metal band Rough Cutt, and Hewitt was a former member of Electric Love Hogs. Gordon played bass in Deadsy due to the lack of a bass player, on their unreleased self-titled album, splitting roles with his friend and the lead singer, Elijah Blue Allman. He then left Deadsy, to form Orgy. Gordon and Derakh were also experienced producers, having produced Coal Chamber's self-titled album.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/>
In 1997, Jonathan Davis, who performed with Shuck in Sexart, signed Orgy as the first act on Korn's label, Elementree Records,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> which at the time had distribution with Reprise Records.
Candyass and Vapor Transmission (1998–2001)
In 1998, Orgy released their debut album, Candyass, the name inspired by a drag queen they had met.Template:Citation needed The album sold almost two million copies<ref name="yamaha">Template:Cite web</ref> and produced two singles: a cover of the New Order song "Blue Monday", and "Stitches". Both charted on Total Request Live. The song "Revival" featured Jonathan Davis.
Orgy made their live debut at EdgeFest, an annual radio show in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1998. They also appeared on the Family Values Tour with Korn, Limp Bizkit, Ice Cube, Incubus, and Rammstein. They were featured on the live compilation album of the tour, released in 1999. Other tours with Love and Rockets and Sugar Ray followed.
Their second album, the science fiction-themed Vapor Transmission, was released in 2000, with "Fiction (Dreams in Digital)" and "Opticon" as singles.
Side work and Punk Statik Paranoia (2001–2005)
In 2001, Orgy released the song "Faces" for the soundtrack of the film Zoolander.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The band was a musical guest in the television series Charmed, performing "Opticon" in the episode "Sin Francisco".<ref name="yamaha" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2003, a snippet of their song "Ashamed" was featured in the movie Freaky Friday. The band's guitarist, Amir Derakuh, had a cameo in the film as well.
In late 2003, guitarists Shuck and Derakh formed a side project, Julien-K, as an outlet for electronic material they had come up with during the writing process for Orgy.<ref name="yamaha" /> Jay Gordon also remixed the Linkin Park track "Points of Authority" for their album Reanimation, where it was renamed "Pts.of.Athrty".
After touring in support of Vapor Transmission, Orgy began working on a new album and a live DVD in mid to late 2002,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but both of these were pushed back to mid 2003. Eventually, the band left Reprise Records and Elementree, taking the band's already recorded material with them. Explaining the split from the label in an interview to PopGurls.com:
"We just couldn't get it together with them to get the record going and they weren't dropping us. So we finally managed to get let out of our contract and got the stuff that we had already recorded." -Amir Derakh <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Jay Gordon and his father, Lou, would start their own independent record label, D1 Music, and the label finally released the band's third album, Punk Statik Paranoia, in February 2004. In August of the following year, a live DVD, Trans Global Spectacle, was released.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Following touring in support of Punk Statik Paranoia, the band went on hiatus in late 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Hiatus (2005–2012)
When asked for an Orgy update in late July 2008, Shuck informed fans that Orgy's return is still underway but their priority is getting the much delayed Julien-K album released. During a video interview at the NAMM Show in 2009, Derakh mentioned a 2010 Orgy reunion.
Shuck and Derakh released their first album as Julien-K, titled Death to Analog, in March 2009. In the same year, they also released an album with Chester Bennington of Linkin Park under the name Dead by Sunrise.
On October 25, 2010, Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh stated on the Julien-K blog: "As of Oct. 26th we will no longer be part of Orgy. Jay will continue making music without the original members."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On October 30, 2010, Jay Gordon released a statement via his official Facebook profile stating that he still owns the Orgy name and wants to continue forth creating new material for the band.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Gordon wrote that all previous members of the band were too busy with numerous side projects to continue with the original band. "Everyone has been so busy with their different projects I figured this was the only way for me to continue on with the name. I started this band, and I don't want to let it fall to the wayside completely."
On November 7, 2011, Blabbermouth.net published a news story detailing the bitter feud between Gordon and guitarists Shuck and Derakh, that had spiraled out of control after Gordon revealed his plans to assemble a band of musicians and begin touring under the name Orgy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Return with new lineup (2012–present)
On February 3, 2012, it was announced that Orgy would embark on a five-week run titled the Bad Blood Tour. Gordon was the only original member of Orgy appearing on this tour.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On August 4, 2012, Orgy linked to a 30-second demo of a new song, "Grime of the Century", via their Twitter and Facebook page. The song "Grime of the Century" was later made available on iTunes and the new Orgy website.
In 2013, Orgy embarked on the Wide Awake and Dead Tour with Vampires Everywhere! and Davey Suicide.
Orgy launched a crowdfunding campaign in August 2013 via Indiegogo.com with a $100,000 goal. Two months later, at the conclusion of the campaign, the band had only raised $8,739, falling 92% short of their goal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
On February 23, 2014, the band announced through their official website that the new single "Wide Awake and Dead" will be available through iTunes and Amazon on March 18, 2014. The "Wide Awake and Dead" video was filmed on April 22.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 2015, they released their first collection of new music in 11 years, an EP titled Talk Sick. Originally, it was to be followed with another EP titled Entropy,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> but Gordon later told Westword Magazine the band would instead release it as a full-length album,<ref name="Westword">Template:Cite web</ref> that has yet to materialize.
The band performed at the 2023 edition of the Sick New World festival; their appearance drew criticism as the band appeared to heavily use playback instead of a live performance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Musical style
The band's sound has been described as industrial rock,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> alternative metal,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> nu metal,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="RM Empty">Template:Cite web</ref> industrial metal,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> electronic rock,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> gothic rock,<ref name="RM Empty" /> and hard rock.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to New Noise Magazine, Orgy is not an industrial or nu metal band, but rather part of a short lived movement in rock music which the magazine called "Undercore", a synthesis of glam, goth and synth-rock with science fiction.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> They have described their music as "death pop".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Band members
Current members
- Jay Gordon – lead vocals Template:Small
- Nic Speck – bass, backing vocals Template:Small
- Carlton Bost – lead guitar, backing vocals Template:Small
- Tommy "the Villain" Rockoff – drums Template:Small
- Ty Oliver – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Template:Small
Former members
- Ryan Shuck – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Template:Small
- Amir Derakh – lead guitar, keyboards Template:Small
- Bobby Hewitt – drums Template:Small
- Paige Haley – bass Template:Small
- Ashburn Miller – rhythm guitar, keyboards Template:Small
- Jamie Miller – drums Template:Small
- Bobby Amaro – drums Template:Small
- Creighton Emrick – rhythm guitar Template:Small
- Ilia Yordanov – rhythm guitar, backing vocals Template:Small
- Márton Veress – drums Template:Small
Former touring musicians
- Raanen Bozzio – drums Template:Small
- Ryan Browne – drums Template:Small
Timeline
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</timeline>
Related projects
- Julien-K – an electronic rock group founded by Derakh and Shuck in 2003. Their album Death to Analog was released on March 10, 2009.
- Dead by Sunrise – a band founded by Linkin Park's Chester Bennington, Amir Derakh, and Ryan Shuck
- Hellflower – a band founded by a longtime friend and Director of Activities Church, including Haley
- kill-o-watt – Gordon's dubstep side project
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US <ref name="US-albums">Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
US
Heat. <ref name="US-albums" /> |
US Ind. <ref name="US-Independent-albums">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | |||||
| Candyass |
|
32 | 1 | — | US: 1,163,898+<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| |
| Vapor Transmission |
|
16 | — | — | US: 319,759+<ref name=":0" /> |
| |
| Punk Statik Paranoia |
|
— | — | 11 | US: 150,000+<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
EPs
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Talk Sick<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US <ref name="US-singles">Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
US Alt. <ref name="US-Alternative-singles">Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
US Dance <ref name="US-Dance-singles">Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
US Main. Rock <ref name="US-Mainstream-Rock-singles">Template:Cite magazine</ref> |
AUS <ref name="AUS-singles">Template:Cite web</ref> |
CAN <ref name="CAN-singles">Template:Cite web</ref> |
GER <ref name="GER-singles">Template:Cite web</ref> |
NZ <ref name="NZ">Template:Cite web</ref> | |||||
| "Stitches" | 1998 | — | 18 | — | 38 | — | — | — | — | Candyass | ||
| "Blue Monday" | 56 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 36 | 5 | 83 | 30 | ||||
| "Eva"<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> | 2001 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Vapor Transmission | ||
| "Faces"<ref name=":1">Template:Cite AV media notes</ref> | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Zoolander soundtrack | |||
| "Vague"<ref name="FMQB-Modern-Rock-Airplay-Archive">Template:Cite web</ref> | 2004 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Punk Statik Paranoia | ||
| "Grime of the Century"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 2012 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Template:Non-album single | ||
| "Wide Awake and Dead"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Talk Sick | ||
| "Army to Your Party" Template:Small<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Template:Non-album single | ||
| "Spells" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Talk Sick | ||
| "Karma Kastles" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | rowspan='4' Template:Non-album single | ||
| "Shady AF" Template:Small |
2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Empty" |
2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Ghost" Template:Small |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Nails" Template:Small |
2025 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hollywood Mortician | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
Promotional singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US <ref name="US-singles" /> |
US Alt. <ref name="US-Alternative-singles" /> |
US Dance <ref name="US-Dance-singles" /> |
US Main. Rock <ref name="US-Mainstream-Rock-singles" /> |
AUS <ref name="AUS-singles" /> |
CAN <ref name="CAN-singles" /> |
GER <ref name="GER-singles" /> |
NZ <ref name="NZ" /> | |||||
| "Fiction (Dreams in Digital)" | 2000 | — | 6 | — | 38 | — | — | — | — | Vapor Transmission | ||
| "Opticon" | —Template:Ref label | 26 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Suckerface" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||
| "The Obvious"<ref name="FMQB-Modern-Rock-Airplay-Archive" /> | 2003 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Punk Statik Paranoia | ||
| "Pure"<ref name="FMQB-Modern-Rock-Airplay-Archive" /> | 2005 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
Music videos
| Year | Song | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Blue Monday" | Gregory Dark |
| 1999 | "Stitches" | Rocky Morton |
| 2000 | "Fiction (Dreams in Digital)" | Nic Mathieu |
| 2001 | "Opticon"<ref>Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> | |
| 2004 | "Vague"<ref>Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> | |
| 2012 | "Grime of the Century"<ref>Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> | |
| 2014 | "Wide Awake and Dead"<ref>Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> | BenMarc |
| 2020 | "Spells"<ref name="auto">Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> | Mykyta Samusiev |
Notes
- A Template:Note "Opticon" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 56 on the Hot Singles Sales chart.<ref name="US-singles-sales">Template:Cite magazine</ref>
References
Template:Reflist Template:Cite book
External links
- Orgy (band)
- 1997 establishments in California
- American alternative metal musical groups
- American electronic rock musical groups
- American gothic rock groups
- American industrial metal musical groups
- American industrial rock musical groups
- Musical quintets from California
- Nu metal musical groups from California
- Julien-K
- Musical groups established in 1997
- Musical groups from Los Angeles
- Reprise Records artists