Chris Orbach profile picture

Chris Orbach

About Me

Singer-songwriter Chris Orbach was born and raised in Manhattan. Although he first pursued acting for many years, he always played music and sang. He tried to learn piano properly for years, but instead he taught himself to play by ear, and composed weird Jazz-flavored compositions essentially as a hobby...all the while convinced that someday he'd be an actor.College changed all that. After burning out on acting at a theater conservatory, Chris changed schools (and majors) heading to NYU for Film and Television. There, he discovered two things: European films, and rock and roll...and everything changed. He got himself a guitar and started teaching himself to play at 21, and by 22 he was playing solo in clubs.After forming a band in the early '90's, Chris played out for three years or so, slugging it out in the trenches of Bleecker Street, and then threw in the towel, taking a long hiatus. It was partly due to bad management and some twists and turns that life threw his way. During this long break, he acted sporadically, eventually developing a successful career doing voiceovers. But he never stopped thinking about "the game", and his old tunes wouldn't leave him alone. Then when some new ones came along and his old friend and lead guitarist Stew Cutler heard them, Chris was practically ORDERED by him to start playing out seriously again!So, older and wiser, he came back on the scene in 2004, with the album Safely Through The Night. For this he was reunited with his old lead guitarist, Stew Cutler -- a talented jazz blues and rock journeyman who's worked with a wide range of artists from Wilson Pickett to Bill Frisell, as well as playing his own compositions. He also got back in touch with his old drummer Graham Hawthorne, who since the Bleecker Street days has built up quite a resume, touring with the likes of Paul Simon and David Byrne. And through Graham, he met bassist John Montagna, who also plays with The Alan Parsons Live Project. John's melodic playing, great backup singing, and positive vibe was the missing link that made things really come together. With the backing of this stellar team, Chris has been playing in New York and around the Northeast ever since, learning and growing all along the way.Now, with his new album, Secession, Chris shows us just how far he's come in recent years. Unlike Safely Through The Night, which was really a sort of "best-of" collection of songs from a long period of time, Secession is from a shorter time frame, and therefore more tied together musically, thematically, and stylistically. The bulk of Secession was recorded in Chris' recently built home studio, and with studio time no longer being a constraint, he and the boys (along with the invaluable help of engineer and co-producer Troy Halderson) had a "license to kill", and the result is an ambitious musical trip. As for the title -- rather than thinking about the idea of Secession in the political sense, Chris explores it more in the personal sense...in terms of declaring independence from the tyrannical things in your mind and in your past that hold you back. In typical off-the-cuff fashion, Chris calls Secession "a sort of musical referendum on the death of my father and the last 8 years under George W. Bush...I guess." But in the same breath, he'd probably tell you to only keep half an eye on the "concept" and just enjoy the songs. From the accessibly poppy "Samantha", to the rocking "Edge Of The World"; from the gentle "My Quiet Love" and "Red Star Assassins", to the world-beat swing of "Secession"; from the bittersweet "All Away" to the sublime and elemental "Long Lost Son", Secession is a musical journey worth taking. Click this link to check it out!

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 05/12/2004
Band Website: www.chrisorbach.com
Band Members: Chris Orbach, songwriting, rhythm guitar and lead vocals; Stew Cutler, lead guitar; John Montagna, bass and backing vocals; Graham Hawthorne, drums
Influences: The Beatles, Steely Dan, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, The Band, XTC, Elvis Costello, Prince, James Brown, The Police, Miles Davis, to name a few..
Sounds Like: If you put Steely Dan, Paul Simon, Ryan Adams, Dave Matthews, James Taylor, and Fountains Of Wayne into a blender and hit the "Liquify" button, our stuff would probably be what you'd end up pouring into your glass..
Record Label: High Functioning Media, Inc.
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

New album in progress

Hey folks --Been lazy on the myspace blog front, but I thought I’d let you know that the new album is progressing well. It’s the maiden voyage of my home studio, and so far everything see...
Posted by on Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:30:00 GMT

Scranton, New Year's Eve

Hey folks. I know it's been a while since the New Year's show in Scranton. I got the damned flu again after getting back into town, and was also swamped with a lot of voiceover action. But now, for...
Posted by on Thu, 25 Jan 2007 08:55:00 GMT

RIP James Brown

Christmas is a little sad for me. One of my music heroes, James Brown, has died. James had more energy, more style, more talent, and more soul in one finger than most of us have in our whole body. ...
Posted by on Mon, 25 Dec 2006 10:09:00 GMT

Somerville

Hey folks. Just thought I'd write a few words about our trip to Somerville Massachusetts. We played at the Somerville Theater, opening for the fabulous James Montgomery blues band.Stew and I decided...
Posted by on Thu, 21 Dec 2006 14:25:00 GMT

It ain't easy being green...

But it sure is coool!Your results:You are Green LanternGreen Lantern 80%Spider-Man 75%Hulk 70%The Flash 60%Batman 60%Catwoman 50%Superman 35%Supergirl 35%Wonder Woman 35%Iron Man 35%Robin 15%Hot-heade...
Posted by on Wed, 08 Nov 2006 10:57:00 GMT

The Latest

Hey folks. Here I sit at the dreaded terminal, bopping to Steely Dan's "Your Gold Teeth". I've been fighting off a flu for a WEEK now, and after Netfilx-ing the first season of "Lost" (which now, go...
Posted by on Mon, 02 Oct 2006 11:10:00 GMT

Radio, Radio..

Hey folks! Stew and I just got back earlier today from Pittston, PA. There, we once again got to work with George Graham at WVIA -- which is an NPR affiliate that serves Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and ...
Posted by on Fri, 30 Jun 2006 23:12:00 GMT

The Latest..

Whew! Sorry for the L O N G gap in entries. Been a bit of a basket case of late. But things are good. We played a duo show back on May 8th, which, as it happened, was also my nephew's birthday! I...
Posted by on Fri, 09 Jun 2006 15:11:00 GMT

Syracuse

Hey folks.Well, here's the report on our first trip out of town...it was pretty cool! We played at a nice little black box called The Redhouse, and the folks there could not have been nicer. My car ...
Posted by on Wed, 12 Apr 2006 10:18:00 GMT

Onward and Sideways

Hey folks. Thanks to everybody who came out to the March 2nd show at the Gallery. The damned weathermen made it sound like the WORLD was coming to an end, so I know a lot of folks stayed home, but f...
Posted by on Sun, 05 Mar 2006 13:24:00 GMT