Bowling Green, OH's the Orgones (1999-2002) released two albums and endured some bizarre live shows. Probably the strangest of them all was the The Party on the Pond in LaRue, OH, where the band had to stop their set halfway through in order for the Harley riders to raffle off lighters and T-shirts.Guitarist/vocalist Ron Werdebaugh lived in Boston during the late '80s and toured with band Kildevil Blues; he moved to Bowling Green where he met D. Lee Plaza who was pounding the skins for bands such as Mwowm, "Pleasant" Ashtray, Brownstar, Polyp, the Dicktones, and the Plastic Factory. Plaza and Heintschel had already known one another from the BG band scene. Heintschel recruited his friend Rich Weaver who performed with Toledo's Brutally Frank and The Wobblies during the mid-'90s.Their first practice took place on November 21, 1999, in the basement of Bowling Green's infamous Peace House. Werdebaugh, who was bending all of the members' ears about the 1968 Yugoslavian film Function of the Organism, had first suggested the moniker Orgone Accumulator. After much struggle, The Orgones were born.The band didn't have any preconceived idea of what style of music they wanted to create. Their only mutual goal was to make it to the next practice or live show. It was during two Sunday afternoons in late January/early February of 2000 when the Orgones laid down the tracks that would become their first album, Breakthrough Into the Vegetative Realm. The disc was recorded on a four-track in the basement of the Peace House. Breakthrough Into the Vegetative Realm officially hit the shelves that March. By December, the group had opened up for national acts Man or Astroman? and the Rock*A*Teens and had performed on the same bill as indie rockers Aloha. The Orgones also recorded their sophomore album with Toledo producer Jason Thomas of The French. The Orgones released Dodge Pond in April of 2001. They followed the release by opening for the Chicago-based Polkaholics that May in Bowling Green, as well as at Chicago's the Beat Kitchen. Weaver left the band in October of '01, and The Orgones became a three-piece, playing their last ever show in April of '02 as openers for Detroit's The Dirtbombs at Mickey Finn's in Toledo. Heintschel moved to Seattle later that summer. And that, as they say, was that.~ Stephen Howell, All Music Guide...
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