Orc has stunned the underground rock scene with their surprise new years day self-titled debut, a near 40 minute viral sensation of fuzz ripping bass riffs, doomy grooves, and vocals that can honestly only rival early Soundgarden era Chris Cornell (listen for yourself!). It's rare to find an album this concise in the age of internet overflow, every track serving the greater sum of its parts building from one climactic moment to the next.
This album does just that with every moment of scorching and cutting distortion and crashing rumble of Bonham-esque drumming. Below is an interview with the bass and drums duo on the making of their self-titled debut, do your favor and check it out as soon as you can.
Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Andy Jeglic - Bass & Vocals
Connor Peil - Drums
(We're a two-piece)
For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Orc? How long has the band been around?
We both were members of the Bay City, MI band The Distorted Waltz, which is where we began to collaborate in 2013. Connor was also a member of the alt-rock band Palomino Witchcraft, and Andy was a member of the progressive rock band, Paint.
We started writing together as a two-piece project in the summer of 2018 and we played our first gig in February of 2019.
What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before?
We wanted a name that was short, memorable, and fit with the weird music we play. Originally we wanted our name to be "Snail," but we found out it was taken. We were pretty surprised that "Orc" was available, and no, we never changed our name.
Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time?
We collaborate heavily on the music aspect of the songs. There are quite a few pieces of our music where the drum part was written first, and the bass was written around the drum part. Connor is a master of the odd time signature and played the primary role of structuring the more progressive areas of the songs.
Andy writes all the lyrics, and the content is pretty wide-ranging. A couple songs were attempts to write storytelling lyrics ala Les Claypool (Sneaky Snake and Showdown). Most of the songs on the record explore themes of the struggle for human empowerment, including topics like nihilism, the cycle of poverty, exploitation of the powerless, and the healing of damaged relationships. The lyrical content was designed to mentally work through a difficult personal time. As personal challenges change, the lyrics will too.
What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
Our biggest motivator for forming the band was the Primus / Mastodon concert we attended. We're huge fans of both bands and binged on "Green Naugahyde" and "Crack The Skye" for a long time before and after that concert. Les Claypool's unconventional bass work was very influential on how Andy chose to write his bass parts.
Other two biggest influences on the record would easily be King Crimson and Motorhead. King Crimson's album "Discipline" was our main inspiration for our time signature changes in the music, and Motorhead influenced our fast pace as well as the actual mixing and sound of the record.
Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band?
See above, haha. We were spending a lot of time hanging out and listening to those four bands in 2018, but after that Primus / Mastodon concert, we knew we had to start creating. There was no resisting it anymore, the music was there and had to come out.
What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, ect …
Playing these songs true to the record as a two-piece is extremely physically challenging. As we have shows coming up, we have to take some time to do extra cardio work to make sure that we stay energetic through the whole set. Andy will usually strum on the bass for a while to warm up his wrists and do some vocal exercises. Warming up the vocals is a huge challenge. Too little and some notes might not come out right, but too much warming up and the voice will be gone by the end of the show.
What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far?
Definitely the surprise release of our record. We had put it up on Bandcamp to show a small local label and were very surprised when our phones started blowing up with sales overnight. We had to scramble to organize ourselves, order merch and vinyl, and figure out how to steer this ship that had launched itself. It's been a thrill to see people all over the world saying that they sincerely love this weird passion project we wrote together. It's really meant a lot!
If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why?
Ween. As to why, I can't put my finger on it (ha). They just seem like the most down to earth guys and people that we could really hang out with. We're huge fans too.
Yes would have been a fun band to tour with in their heyday too. Bill Bruford and Chris Squire are huge influences, and we'd wear them out talking shop. Plus, at night when they were all turning in early we could go party with Rick Wakeman.
Motorhead might have been fun, but how many times can you get alcohol poisoning before you have to call off a tour?
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We're just grateful that our music is being enjoyed. Brace yourselves for Orc 2. Writing is underway!