Orgy

Plus, band members Jay Gordon, Amir Derakh, Ryan Shuck, Paige Haley and Bobby Hewitt look the part of a wicked rock band, with multicolored hair, heavy gothic makeup and fashion directly off a Paris runway.

Surprisingly, the man who picks up the other end of the line is not the ringmaster of a decadent touring sexcapade. He’s a well-spoken professional who is repeatedly forced to put the conversation on hold to take care of business. Whether it’s a question of a band expense or equipment specs, Gordon is obviously the man with the answers.

When probed for scandalous tour stories, Gordon told POLLSTAR there are good times on the road but it’s not a day-in, day-out party. Maintaining his professional demeanor, Gordon said his bandmates realize it’s important to treat a musical career with respect.

“We want to win right now,” he said. “So we’re all really digging in and doing all we can to keep our heads on straight.”

Gordon knows winning takes more than keeping it together mentally, however. In addition to a compelling sound, image is important when developing a career as a musician. During the mid-90s, bands often forgot they were in show business, Gordon said. “We want to make it a big thing,” he said about Orgy. “It’s got to be a little bit of the hype, a little bit of the show.”

Bands that came out of the Seattle scene didn’t really make a lasting impression, he said. “It was like, ‘Hey, here we are in flannel and we’re American and we’re Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young. Here we are doing that again and it’s about apple pie and grunge.’

“They were really stars in their way but people forgot about them, too,” Gordon said. “They didn’t really make an impact. They probably didn’t care to but I think as quick as that whole movement came and [went], they needed to do a little bit more…. I’m sorry. That’s the way I feel.”

Gordon said a band’s ability to keep its music and visuals interesting is an important factor for sustaining a career. “I want this to go on for a while,” he said. “You have to be creative enough so you keep reinventing some kind of coolness. There has to be that factor there to maintain longevity.”

It’s obvious Gordon is talking about rock’s first chameleon – David Bowie. When Bowie’s name is mentioned, Gordon’s response is immediate. “My hero,” he said with conviction. “My pop-icon hero.”

The love of Bowie – and the glam look – might lead some to think Orgy is “Bowie – The Band.” Others expect a KORN clone because Orgy was the first band signed to KORN’s Elementree Records.

Orgy is neither Bowie nor KORN, however. The sound is metal hard, but like one reporter said, it doesn’t go thud. One of the best descriptions is: “Marilyn Manson and Duran Duran raging against the pretty hate machine.”

It’s pop music, though; “death pop” as Orgy says. “What we do is real. We don’t have a gimmick. We’re not satanic. I’m not redoing Spiders From Mars.” Gordon said his band is “blending a bunch of different stuff to see what kind of juice” it comes up with.

The mixture of musical styles in Orgy’s music inspired the band’s name, Gordon said. With influences ranging from Bauhaus to Duran Duran, the music is a collage of sounds, like his favorite bands engaged in an orgy.

Orgy joined some of its favorite bands, including KORN, on last year’s Family Values Tour, an outing that featured an eclectic lineup of acts ranging from Limp Bizkit to Ice Cube. The styles of those artists may be varied, but they have something in common: managers Jeff Kwantinetz, Peter Katsis and Gayle Boulware of The Firm.Gordon said the company is in an admirable position, having KORN, Ice Cube, Limp Bizkit and now, the Backstreet Boys on its roster. “It’s making them one of the most powerful management firms in the business.”

That comment doesn’t come from a rock novice. Orgy’s band members have worked in various projects within the music business for a long time. Despite knowledge of the concert industry – or because of it – Orgy decided to pass up years of club hopping to build its fan base. Instead, the band recorded its debut CD, Candyass, and then hit the road playing big venues with Family Values.

“There’s kind of a mystery behind the thing,” Gordon said. “We didn’t need to play clubs and just beat a dead horse.”

Orgy is building a fan base, Gordon said, but it’s just happening in a different way. The band hit the airwaves hard with its debut single, a cover of New Order’s “Blue Monday.” It touched hundreds of thousands of fans during the Family Values Your. Now, the band is on a North American outing with Love and Rockets. “We’re going to tour until we’re all dead,” Gordon said.

Life on the road may be serious business for Orgy but voyeurs need not despair. Gordon finally conceded that he and his bandmates do indeed live up to their band name.

“We’re definitely freaks,” he said. “Crazy shit happens all the time. Obviously, we weren’t afraid to call our band Orgy. We have no problem with any kind of organized event at all.”