‘The Eighth Note’ is 8 quick Questions with Wellington Musicians.
A chance for us to catch up with people & see what they’re up to, or introduce you to a new musician/band and their music.
‘New EP’ is where a band or artist answers some questions about their latest release.
Today’s guest is Nigel from Orangefarm, who have just released a new E.P.
Who are you? Tell us a bit about your music:
We’re an indie rock band, based in Wellington. Our music is really focused on the song. Our sound has been described as, ‘cinematic,’ and ‘intimate jangle pop’ by various friends and critics. The line up consists of the usual guitar (Nigel Mitchell), drums (Karen Apperley,) and bass (Celia McAlpine), but we also are lucky enough to have the wonderfully talented Vivien Reid and her French horn. Viv also plays keyboards and percussion and adds her voice to mine and Celia’s.
What have you been working on lately? Any new tracks or albums on the way?
The main thing we’re working on is preparing for our EP release party at Moon on July 21st. We’re super excited about that and we want to make it the best show we’ve ever done. We’ve also got a spot on NZ Live with Jesse Mulligan on August 3rd.
When/where was the new EP recorded?
Recording actually started in November 2016 at Blue Barn in Newtown. Our sound engineer produced one of the tracks, but he got too busy to do the others so we just sat on them for about a year until I decided to go back to Blue Barn in March of this year and get them done.
Who produced/engineered the EP? How did the tracks come together in the studio, or at home?
The brilliant James Goldsmith engineered and ended up producing the songs. We had them written and rehearsed before we went into the studio.
Did the shorter format of an EP give you the option to experiment in any way with your sound or with different forms of song-writing?
Not really. It was just all we could afford.
Was there any specific gear you used to capture that?
No.
Is there a particular track or theme that the EP was formed around?
The songs are mostly reflections on identity and loss, stemming from my parents experience of the Christchurch earthquake. Although they’re not ‘earthquake songs’ that’s kind of the event that formed the images and lines in the lyrics. ‘8 Things’ is the exception. I wrote that about 19 years ago but it seemed to fit with the others and we know, from performing that people like it.
Where do you see the EPs place in growing an audience online? Do you see it as a progression towards an album or a separate entity?
Yes. We’d love to record an album next. We’re just learning about growing an audience, and it seems that online and live performance are both essential ingredients.
Which digital platforms is it available on?
Pretty much all of them.
Are you doing any gigs or promotion for its release?
21st July at Moon, plus our slot on Jesse Mulligan’s show, August 3rd. We’ve sent it to a number of student radio stations too, so hopefully one or two of them will play it.
Where is the best place people can follow you & find your music?
We can be found on Facebook, Bandcamp and our Website.
What were the 3 most influential albums to you growing up?
This is a good one! I’m 52, so some of the albums will be from the dark ages, especially to our 22 year old bass player! I was a big Queen fan when I was a kid, and the first album I bought was their first, self titled one. I listened to it constantly and tried to sing like Freddie Mercury. David Bowie’s Scary Monsters was also a fave when I was in high school, largely for Robert Fripp’s unbelievable guitar playing. The third one would probably be The Bats, Daddy’s Highway. Still a personal favourite.
Which other Wellington musician (s) would you most like to work with?
Grayson Gilmour is just a genius. Not sure if our sound would work on a double bill with him, but he’s amazing anyway. We’ve played with our friends Let’s Planet a couple of times. They’re very cool. We’d also love to do a set with Phoenix Foundation.
What’s your favourite Wellington venue to play in?
Moon is becoming our go to venue. So friendly and good to work with. It’s really cosy and the pizza is good.
In your songwriting or composing (or the band’s songwriting) how do the compositions and songs take shape?
I usually write the songs and upload demos to Soundcloud our something to share with the others. Karen adds amazing drum magic and Celia figures out some bass, unless I’ve written a baseline, by our next practice. Viv will also come up with some ideas and we’ll go from there. ‘The Water’ and another one we haven’t recorded started with Karen’s drums and built from there. Another new one came out of a jam between Karen, Celia and me.
Where/when is your next gig?
July 21, at Moon in Newtown.