Orchestraville

Nice interview with Chris in today’s Dispatch.

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/weekender/stories/2010/09/16/local-limelight.html

Local Limelight | Orchestraville
Thursday, September 16, 2010 02:54 AM

Time had a way of eroding the well-intentioned plans of the men of Orchestraville — which this weekend will release its third full-length album, Poison Berries.

The product gathered dust for almost six years.

“All of the members were eventually focusing on other things,” said singer-guitarist Chris Forbes, 40. “Dave now lives in Colorado. Parker Paul got sick of baby-sitting me and went on to have two children of his own.”

With the two other members playing full time in the Columbus chamber-folk outfit the Black Swans, ambitions faded.

A now-or-never attitude has the 20-year ensemble back on track, said Forbes, whose quartet on Saturday will feature a fifth member – previous guitarist Matt Duckworth.

Q How did the band find its name?

A We were Hazel for a brief period, only to be told by Sub Pop Records that they filed for copyright of the name.

Feeling lost and alone in a cold, heartless world, we were forced to pluck our new name from an obscure, and somewhat frightening, 1946 children’s record, Rusty in Orchestraville.

Q Would you explain the various incarnations?

A After the death of our dear friend and amazing guitarist Brendan McKay in 1997, we did play briefly as a trio.

We added guitarist Matt Duckworth and continued as a quartet once again. Matt did leave a few years after but not before recording our sophomore full-length album and an EP called Invent the Machine.

Matt was then replaced by songwriter-keyboardist Parker Paul.

Q How has the sound evolved?

A The most radical change was probably the switch to a single guitar, with keyboards added.

The songwriting became much more lush and retro-sounding, with less of the quirky elements we were originally known for.

Q What quote about the group do you like most?

A Chris DeVille of Columbus Alive! said, “( Invent the Machine) plays like a friendly complement to Jim O’Rourke’s literate, misanthropic guitar pop and a close cousin to the most polite and wistful corners of Yo La Tengo’s catalog.”

With nice, pedantic reviews like that, at least you know he listened.

Q Why should someone see an Orchestraville show?

A It is guaranteed to sound like nothing they have heard before.

- Kevin Joy

An excellent review that, if we may say so, puts us in great company. “… it would seem that Orchestraville have pulled a Mommyheads.”

http://flotzam.com/post/Album-Review-Orchestraville-Poison-Berries.aspx

http://theotherpaper.com/articles/2010/09/16/music/doc4c912fc25054a836367321.txt

Another posthumous release

Who would have thought we’d hear not one, but two releases from the defunct Columbus band Orchestraville in 2010?

In March, the avant-pop act released Invent the Machine, an EP of unreleased music that was recorded in 2001. And now, some more unreleased music.

Poison Berries was originally planned for release on Anyway Records, but in 2004 band members moved away, had babies, etc. Life got in the way, as it tends to do. Acrimonious creative differences or a meddlesome Yoko make for better breakup legends, but in reality, new jobs and pregnant bellies are a band’s likely death knell.

If Invent the Machine was more “avant” than “pop” (as I claimed it was), Poison Berries is the reverse. The record, getting a posthumous digital/vinyl release on Old 3C Records, emphasizes tight songwriting and more-typical song structures.

Singer and principal songwriter Chris Forbes (also guitarist for the Black Swans) sets the tone, as usual, with his steady, slightly nasal vocals, which continue to remind me of the Weakerthans and Luna.

Press releases mention George Harrison as a reference point, and that’s not far off—especially in the album’s pair of Beatles-esque songs, the title track and “Thank You Mr. Washington.” “Lift Me Up” adds a bit of a Doors feel via Parker Paul’s organ flourishes. But I’m most taken with the more naked numbers—the stripped-down, acoustic-heavy “You Wanna Be Like That” and Big Star-like album standout “Phil Ochs Flag.”

On repeated listens, Poison Berries doesn’t always hold my interest through to the end. The dynamic range is pretty steady, Forbes rarely leaves his comfortable range, and the tasteful production can be a bit too white-bread, leaving little room for grit.

But while those complaints keep Poison Berries out of my “excellent” category, it has a strong foothold in the “very good” group.

Orchestraville will play an album-release reunion show at 10 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 18) at the Rumba Cafe, 2507 Summit St. The Alwood Sisters are also on the bill.

- Joel Oliphint

MP3 Download and Limited Edition Vinyl available at our Bandcamp store.

http://orchestraville.bandcamp.com/album/poison-berries