THE ORANGE CONSTANT
05/26/2023
Visulite Theatre (16+ (Must have ID) - Under 16 with Parent Only)
Doors Open: 7:00 - Show Starts: 8:00
Tickets Still Available at Door
ON SALE NOW!
Formed in Georgia in 2012, The Orange Constant creates vintage rock with a contemporary twist. The group’s sound ranges from southern psychedelia to progressive composition— all with a spontaneous yet pop-like sensibility.
TOC’s debut album, Time to Go (June 2015), was recorded with Grammy-nominated producer John Keane (R.E.M., Widespread Panic) and garnered praise from Relix Magazine as a “confident and polished debut album.” Shortly after, the band won the 2016 Flagpole Athens Music Award for best “Jam/Funk” band and has since headlined the city’s nationally acclaimed festival, AthFest.
March 2017 saw the release of Point of Reference which was recorded in Athens, Ga. and produced by Drew Vandenberg (of Montreal, Kishi Bashi, Futurebirds). Fueled by Vandenberg’s experimental leanings, the sophomore effort displays maturity in songwriting and embraces more risk-taking in the studio. The LP demonstrates an urge to break genre restrictions as it draws inspiration from 70’s AOR and contemporaries like My Morning Jacket. Nearly one year after its release, Point of Reference earned the band a second feature in Relix through its notably “lush soundscapes and clear, purposeful compositions.”
In the fall of 2018, the group returned to Keane to record what would become its third full-length release. Peel came in May 2020 and solidified TOC’s sonic spectrum; heartfelt anthems with catchy choruses ride alongside instrumental mastery with psychedelic undertones. With its rich vocal harmonies, hooky riffing, and succinct songwriting, the album captures the band’s most current sound.
The Orange Constant thrives on creating songs that differ from one another and possess their own inspired character. The band consistently tours the American East and released its first live album, No More Time, in 2022. The group is: Andrew Brantley (guitar/vocals), Nickalous Benson (guitar/vocals), Tyler Walker (bass/vocals), Chris Freiberg (keyboards/vocals) and Ethan Jones (drums)
POCKET STRANGE
Start Time: 8:00
Asheville-based Pocket Strange explores the chaotic balance that lies between solace and jubilance.
A half-hearted "we should start a band" conversation during a 2019 road trip became a reality with the release of their first song, Carmel by the Sea - a track recorded in Haydon Welsh's bedroom in Charlotte when the band was existing as a long distance duo, with Porter Watson making the trip from Asheville up I-26 to finish their first track in April of 2021.
Since then, Pocket Strange has focused on songwriting and comradery - with founding members Welsh (Guitar, Vocals) and Watson (Bass, Vocals) tapping into a spiritual journey to a South Carolina farm to work on new material in July of 2021. Returning with a stronger creative connection and a handful of songs, it became apparent that they needed to grow their sound. A sonic evolution came to fruition with the addition of Harrison Sytz (Guitar, Vocals) and Pierce Deason (Pedal Steel, Percussion), and Jeremy Bryan (Metal Drums) in early 2022, aiding in expanding the types of music they can explore, and fighting the lines drawn by the definitions of genre.
Pocket Strange's music will transport you somewhere between the tie-dyed side of southern rock and psych-rock indie... with a polite splash of spacy jamming that ties together the loose ends that exist outside the constructs of their songs. They've decided to be undecided on where they expect the music to land - and in that realm of the unknown, they are able to connect and float in the "Strange" space that leads the band's exploration and development.
pocketstrange.bandcamp.com/releases
