Orgy (band)

Orgy
Orgy performing in 2015
Orgy performing in 2015
Background information
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active1997–2005, 2010–present
Labels
Spinoffs
MembersJay Gordon
Nic Speck
Carlton Bost
Márton Veress
Ilia Yordanov
Past membersRyan Shuck
Amir Derakh
Paige Haley
Bobby Hewitt
Jamie Miller
Ashburn Miller
Bobby Amaro
Creighton Emrick
Websiteorgymusic.com

Orgy is an American industrial rock band formed in 1997, from Los Angeles, California.[1] They have described their music as "death pop".[2] The band is best known for their cover version of the New Order song "Blue Monday", and the song "Stitches", both from their 1998 album Candyass. Then they released their second album, Vapor Transmission, which was released in 2000, with "Fiction (Dreams in Digital)" and "Opticon" as singles.

History

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Early years (1997)

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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-tilted 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.[1]

In 1997, Jonathan Davis, who performed with Shuck in Sexart, signed Orgy as the first act on Korn's label, Elementree Records,[3] which at the time had distribution with Reprise Records.

Candyass and Vapor Transmission (1998–2001)

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In 1998, Orgy released their debut album, Candyass, the name inspired by a drag queen they had met.[citation needed] The album sold almost two million copies[4] 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)

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In 2001, Orgy released the song "Faces" for the soundtrack of the film Zoolander.[5] The band was a musical guest in the television series Charmed, performing "Opticon" in the episode "Sin Francisco".[4][6]

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.[4] 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,[7][8] 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 [9]

in 2003, Jay Gordon and his father, Lou, started his own independent record label, D1 Music, and the label finally released the band's third album, Punk Statik Paranoia, in February 2004. The long-awaited live DVD, Trans Global Spectacle, was released in August 2005.[10]

Following touring in support of Punk Statik Paranoia, the band went on hiatus in late 2005.[11]

Hiatus (2005–2012)

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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."[12]

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.[13] 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.[14]

Return with new lineup (2012–present)

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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.[15]

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.[16][17]

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.[18]

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,[19] but Gordon later told Westword Magazine the band would instead release it as a full-length album,[20] 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.[21][22]

Musical style

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The band's sound has been described as alternative metal,[23][24] nu metal,[25][26] industrial rock,[27] industrial metal,[28] electronic rock,[29] gothic rock,[26] hard rock,[30] and glam metal.[31]

Band members

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Timeline

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[edit]

Discography

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Studio albums

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List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Details Peak chart positions Sales Certifications
US
[32] 		US

Heat. [32]

US
Ind.
[33]
Candyass 32 1 — US: 1,163,898+[34]
Vapor Transmission
  • Released: October 10, 2000
  • Label: Elementree, Reprise
  • Formats: CD, CS, digital download
 16 — — US: 319,759+[34]
Punk Statik Paranoia
  • Released: February 24, 2004
  • Label: D1 Music
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 — — 11 US: 150,000+[37]
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

EPs

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List of EPs
Title Details
Talk Sick[38]
  • Released: March 23, 2015
  • Label: D1 Music
  • Formats: CD, vinyl, digital download

Singles

[edit]
List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
[39] 		US
Alt.
[40] 		US
Dance
[41] 		US
Main. Rock
[42] 		AUS
[43] 		CAN
[44] 		GER
[45] 		NZ
[46]
"Stitches" 1998 — 18 — 38 — — — — Candyass
"Blue Monday" 56 4 2 18 36 5 83 30
"Fiction (Dreams in Digital)" 2000 — 6 — 38 — — — — Vapor Transmission
"Opticon" —[A] 26 25 — — — — —
"Eva"[47] 2001 — — — — — — — —
"Faces"[48] — — — — — — — — Zoolander soundtrack
"The Obvious"[49] 2003 — — — — — — — — Punk Statik Paranoia
"Vague"[49] 2004 — — — — — — — —
"Pure"[49] 2005 — — — — — — — —
"Grime of the Century"[50] 2012 — — — — — — — — Non-album single
"Wide Awake and Dead"[51] 2014 — — — — — — — — Talk Sick
"Army to Your Party"
(featuring Crichy Crich)[52] 		2018 — — — — — — — — Non-album single
"Spells" 2020 — — — — — — — — Talk Sick
"Karma Kastles" 2021 — — — — — — — — Non-album single
"Shady AF"
(featuring Rexi XO) 		2022 — — — — — — — —
"Empty"
2023 — — — — — — — —
"Ghost"
(featuring Joey Scream) 		— — — — — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Promotional singles

List of promotional singles, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"Suckerface"[53] 2000 Vapor Transmission

Music videos

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Year Song Director
1998 "Blue Monday" Gregory Dark
1999 "Stitches" Rocky Morton
2000 "Fiction (Dreams in Digital)" Nic Mathieu
2001 "Opticon"[54]
2004 "Vague"[55]
2012 "Grime of the Century"[56]
2014 "Wide Awake and Dead"[57] BenMarc
2020 "Spells"[58] Mykyta Samusiev

Notes

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  • A ^ "Opticon" did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but peaked at number 56 on the Hot Singles Sales chart.[59]

References

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  1. ^ a b Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. p. 721. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
  2. ^ "Orgy // Punk Statik Paranoia". Punkstatikparanoia.com. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  3. ^ Edwards, Gavin (September 16, 1999). "Orgy's Climax". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Amir Derakh – Bio". Yamaha. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  5. ^ "Zoolander [SOUNDTRACK] Various Artists". Amazon. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
  6. ^ "Musical Guest Spots". The Wicca Box. Retrieved January 3, 2009.
  7. ^ Blabbermouth (December 21, 2001). "ORGY: New Album, DVD On The Way!". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  8. ^ Blabbermouth (May 3, 2002). "ORGY Track Dozen New Songs For Third CD, Late 2002 Release Expected". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  9. ^ Blabbermouth (February 3, 2004). "ORGY Guitarist Describes Recording Process For New Album". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  10. ^ Blabbermouth (June 15, 2005). "ORGY To Release 'Trans Global Spectacle' DVD In August". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  11. ^ Blabbermouth (October 24, 2020). "ORGY Unearths Video For 'Talk Sick' Track 'Spells'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  12. ^ "Orgy news". Julien-k.com. October 25, 2010. Archived from the original on July 13, 2011. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  13. ^ "Niet compatibele browser". Facebook. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
  14. ^ "Former ORGY Members Slam JAY GORDON For Pulling An 'Axle Rose'". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
  15. ^ "New ORGY Lineup Preparing To Hit The Road". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on September 11, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
  16. ^ "Orgy Music". Indiegogo.com. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  17. ^ MetalSucks (October 17, 2013). "Orgy Fall $93,000 Short of Crowdfunding Goal". MetalSucks. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
  18. ^ "Jay Gordon posted: Shooting Wide Awake & Dead video Tues in Hollywood". Facebook.com. April 20, 2014. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  19. ^ "Orgy To Release Talk Sick EP". Blabbermouth.net. March 19, 2015. Retrieved August 5, 2015.
  20. ^ Callwood, Brett (January 18, 2016). "New and Improved Orgy Comes To Denver". Westword.com.
  21. ^ Schaffner, Lauryn SchaffnerLauryn (May 19, 2023). "Orgy Mocked by Internet for Alleged Use of Backing Tracks During Recent Festival". Loudwire.
  22. ^ "Orgy Draw Criticism For Allegedly Relying Too Heavily On Backing Tracks At 2023 'Sick New World' Festival". Theprp.com. May 18, 2023.
  23. ^ Wise, Lauren (December 8, 2012). "Orgy, Joe's Grotto, 12/7/12 – Phoenix – Music – Up on the Sun". Blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  24. ^ Billboard – Google Books. September 23, 2000. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  25. ^ Udo, Tommy (2002). Brave Nu World. Sanctuary Publishing. pp. 163–166. ISBN 1-86074-415-X.
  26. ^ a b "Hear ORGY's New Goth Anthem "Empty"". Revolver Magazine. January 13, 2023. Retrieved January 14, 2023.
  27. ^ Luerssen, John D. (February 24, 2004). "Punk Statik Paranoia – Orgy : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  28. ^ "Daily Herald | Electronic Archive". Nl.newsbank.com. June 22, 2001. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  29. ^ "Orgy releases first new track in seven years « ReGen Magazine". Regenmag.com. September 6, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  30. ^ "12 Bands Who Were on Every Soundtrack Back in the Day". March 10, 2022. As far as why Stabbing Westward were on all these soundtracks, it's sort of the same reason as why Orgy were – angsty-but-catchy hard rock to an electronic beat.
  31. ^ McIver 2002, p. 93, "Orgy: The new faces of glam-metal".
  32. ^ a b "Orgy – Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  33. ^ "Orgy – Chart History: Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  34. ^ a b Blabbermouth (April 30, 2002). "Metal/Hard Rock Album Sales In The US As Reported By SoundScan". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved February 6, 2022.
  35. ^ a b "American certifications – Orgy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  36. ^ "Gold/Platinum". Music Canada. August 29, 2023.
  37. ^ "Orgy - Candyass, Vapor Transmission, Punk Statik Paranoia". Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  38. ^ "Talk Sick - Orgy | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  39. ^ "Orgy – Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  40. ^ "Orgy – Chart History: Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  41. ^ "Orgy – Chart History: Dance/Club Play Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  42. ^ "Orgy – Chart History: Mainstream Rock Tracks". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  43. ^ "Discography Orgy". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved January 27, 2009.
  44. ^ "Orgy – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
  45. ^ "Chartverfolgung / Orgy / Single". musicline.de (in German). PhonoNet. Archived from the original on October 11, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2011.
  46. ^ "Discography Orgy". Charts.nz. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
  47. ^ Eva (track listing). Orgy. Reprise Records. 2001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  48. ^ Faces (track listing). Orgy. Hollywood Records. 2001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  49. ^ a b c "Modern Rock – Available for Airplay Archive". FMQB. Archived from the original on June 2, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  50. ^ "Grime of the Century – Single by Orgy". iTunes Store. September 10, 2012. Retrieved December 15, 2012.
  51. ^ "Wide Awake and Dead – Single by Orgy". iTunes Store. March 18, 2014. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
  52. ^ "Army to Your Party (feat. Crichy Crich) – Single by Orgy". iTunes Store. May 11, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
  53. ^ "Orgy - Suckerface". Discogs.com. September 7, 2023.
  54. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: YCKFides (April 10, 2015). "[HD 1080p] Orgy - Opticon (Valentine Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  55. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Orgy Vague OFFICIAL Video HD". YouTube. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  56. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "ORGY - GRIME OF THE CENTURY". YouTube. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  57. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "ORGY - Wide Awake and Dead". YouTube. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  58. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "ORGY - Spells". YouTube. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  59. ^ "Orgy – Chart History: Hot Singles Sales". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 30, 2013.

McIver, Joel (2002). Nu Metal: The Next Generation of Rock & Punk. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-9209-2.

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