Infectious tunes with a groovy beat describe the sound of The Orion Experience, a New York City-based band that performed at Maxwell’s on Jan. 17.
Before the show, frontman Orion Simprini said, “People have said that seeing an Orion Experience show is like a big burst of sunshine.” And that’s exactly what this show was.
In their first concert of 2009, The Orion Experience did seem to put a smile on everyone’s face.
“People say ‘You’re so refreshing because you look like you’re having such a great time,’ ” said lead singer Linda
“There’s a special kind of magic about this place.” – Robert Simprini
Horwatt. “And, I am having a great time; I can see you having a great time. I’m smiling because you’re smiling.”
The positive energy exuded by The Orion Experience had most everyone dancing and jumping at the show.
Concert-goer Danielle Holden of Hoboken, said, “They were awesome! I found myself jumping up and down.”
Nick Robinson-Chia of New York City, said, “Their songs are so catchy. It was a lot of fun.”
Infectious sounds
The band’s single, “Obsessed With You” has been making a splash on the indie music scene. It has caught the ear of celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who has nothing but praise for the band.
“We have little pockets of fan-bases across the country,” Simprini said. “Most of the people who find out about us are through word of mouth.”
On their 2007 debut album, Cosmicandy, catchy dance-pop melodies are almost in surplus. Simprini said that his influences for writing music stem from “late ’60s, early ’70s British rock music. Subversive, cool rock music.”
But recently, The Orion Experience collaborated with Maroon 5 producer Jon Kaplan on a newly released EP. Their music has been featured on the soundtracks for popular reality television shows like the The Hills and Laguna Beach.
Getting started
The band’s beginnings were formed well before the band itself.
“Linda and I met in college,” Simprini said, “because we both really loved music. We both started singing together and writing songs together. I’ve known Reef, our guitar player, for about 10 years. So, it was basically a circle of friends that became the incarnation of The Orion Experience in 2005.” The band also includes bass guitarist Chris Lucas and drummer Jon Weber.
Hoboken vets
The Orion Experience has played at Maxwell’s before, but this time they were headlining with Nightmare of You along with opening acts U.S. Royalty and Bottle Up and Go.
Simprini said that the young people who come out to shows at Maxwell’s make for a great response.
“Young people get so excited about the music,” Simprini said. “It’s great that Maxwell’s allows all ages to go to the shows. That’s what so great about playing in Hoboken. There’s a special kind of magic about this place.”