Southern California, 1997. In a garage, Jay Gordon, Ryan Shuck, and their later producer Josh Abraham hatch a plot that would soon have a crucial impact on the music world under the rather ambiguous name Orgy. They share the vision to change the pop world completely – not only in terms of making music, but also as a visual tightrope walk – with a lot of make-up, unusual hairstyles and elegant clothes. In the post-grunge- and nu metal-centered music scene of the late 90ies, this really seems to be some sort of revolution.

Jay Gordon didn’t need much time until he had found the adequate band mates within his friends circle: Bassist Paige Haley and drummer Bobby Hewitt. It only took a bit of persuasion to get the favored candidate for the second guitar – Amir Derakh – to join, because he did not feel like playing a regular guitar anymore after having spent all these years in the glam rock scene. Jay’s offer that Amir could literally play whatever he wants (as long as he can play it on a guitar!) convinced the exceptionally gifted guitarist, and the line-up was finally complete.

In no time, they started recording some demos and showed them to their friends in KoRn who liked the material so much that they immediately signed Orgy as the first band on their own record label Elementree Records. Not even six months after their formation, Orgy were now signed to a label and could start recording their debut album – an opportunity that other bands might only enjoy after having played in small clubs for years. Due to the fears of burning out, the guys finally decided against a club tour and instead fully directed their apparently boundless energy (that they had experienced since forming the band) to the album.

Through KoRn, Orgy were also able to go on their first big tour – the Family Values Tour 1998 alongside Limp Bizkit, Ice Cube, Incubus, and Rammstein, where they could present their music to thousands of fans every day. It quickly turned out that the “kings of nu metal” had come down on the right side of the fence because Orgy’s first single “Blue Monday” (a cover of the 80ies hit by New Order) came as a real bombshell and could even climb up to the top 5 of the American charts, just like the later released album Candyass. The USA loved the unusual, somber electro-rock sound which transformed the wild and glamorous 80ies straight into the upcoming new century.

The album was followed by sold-out headliner tours throughout the USA and Canada, the second successful single “Stitches,” a lot of performances at big festivals, and several platinum awards, before the band went back into the studio to work on their second album Vapor Transmission. Vapor Transmission, which could actually be called the “soundtrack to a new century,” was released in October 2000.

On this second album, Orgy sounded less experimental than on the previous record, but even more futuristic and expressive. Vapor Transmission also managed to reserve its spot in the upper chart regions and was eventually awarded gold. The accompanying single “Fiction (Dreams In Digital)” was just as successful and was on heavy rotation in all popular music channels for weeks.

The album release was accompanied by tours with bands such as Love And Rockets and Papa Roach, but the intensive touring had to be terminated due to a severe illness of Amir. The band made up for some USA dates and then slowly moved back into the studio. This is where the problems began – not only with their record label Warner Music which eventually resulted in a split, after having gone through a long lawsuit. At the end of 2002, drummer Bobby Hewitt left the band in order to join his brother’s band Snake River Conspiracy. On top of that, Jay Gordon lost a lot of the new material that was already recorded for the third album during a huge computer crash, and rumors about drug problemens within the band came up. And, to make matters even worse, as soon as Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh revealed their new side project Julien-K, a lot of people already predicted the end of Orgy.

But the fears proved wrong. Without further ado, the band signed a contract with D1 Music (a label that Jay Gordon had formed along with his father Lou Gordon) and continued working on the follow-up to Vapor Transmission. First song snippets revealed a clearly more rock-orientied direction than on the first two albums. As a surprise for Christmas 2003, Bobby announced his return behind the drum kit, before the long-awaited third album Punk Statik Paranoia was finally put out to the public at the beginning of 2004. On this album, Orgy had in fact changed their musical direction: The synthesizers were cut back and Jay Gordon’s normally cryptic lyrics appeared a lot more open.

Of course there were also (USA) tours in support of Punk Statik Paranoia, before the guys sat down to compile stuff for their first DVD Trans Global Spectacle which, above all, contained backstage footage from the last seven years. It hit stores in August 2005 and was followed by another short tour. In 2006, Orgy performed their last show to date, before it became silent around the band. Amir and Ryan dedicated themselves to Julien-K, Paige and Jay came up with solo projects, and Bobby turned into a photographer and director.

In the following years, the band never officially disbanded and the members still declared to be a part of Orgy. In late 2008, Jay Gordon even joined Julien-K onstage in order to perform Orgy’s super hit “Blue Monday” together. Afterwards, though, the members more and more lost contact. and despite occasional statements that the band might reunite at some point, the end of the collaboration between Jay Gordon and the remaining four was confirmed in October 2010. The abandoned members assumed that their singer would continue the band without them, as he is in possession of the rights to the Orgy name. Said assumptions should prove correct: In 2011, Jay Gordon eventually stated that he planned on forming a new project with the name Orgy – however in a completely new line-up and without any of the original members. With this decision he clearly affronted the other four guys, and since then both parties did not really get along anymore. For many fans and also the other members this was now definitely the disappointing end of the era “Orgy” that everybody had always known and appreciated. More detailed posts regarding this topic can be read HERE and HERE.

Renewed negotiations about a comback failed due to large differences on the conditions of a possible reunion; despite especially Ryan’s and Amir’s willingness to play as Orgy again. Singer Jay Gordon, on the other hand, has new members and wants full creative control over the product and will thus go on tour with a to date unknown line-up starting at the end of Febuary 2012.

 

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