Echo Orbiter Explained

Echo Orbiter
Origin:Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Years Active:1996–present
Label:Looking Glass Workshop
Associated Acts:of Montreal, The Three 4 Tens, Medicine, Lilys
Website:Echo Orbiter on Myspace
Current Members:Justin Emerle
Colin Emerle
Jeremiah Steffen
Rob Hart

Echo Orbiter is a Philadelphia-based indie rock band founded by brothers Justin Emerle and Colin Emerle, described by Philadelphia Weekly as being "Widely considered two of the most inventive songwriters on the Philadelphia scene."[1]

History

20th century

Echo Orbiter formed in 1996 in Westville, New Jersey when brothers Justin Emerle and Colin Emerle began performing with drummer Jeremiah Steffen.[2] Still in high school, the band entered Miner St. Studios in Philadelphia to record their first album, A Moment In Life That’s Right.[3] [4] Engineered by Brian McTear, the album was “a consistent incorporation of pleasingly-textured pop tunes.”[5] with what one writer called a resemblance to “Guided by Voices when they made albums that didn’t suck.”[6]

Soon after the release of their first album, the appearance of the track “Spring is Here” on a compilation of Philadelphia’s newly emerging indie bands helped EO gain a spot at the Philadelphia PopFest in 1998 and 1999, and a headlining spot at the PopFest in 2000.[7] [8] The band received widespread coverage after “group members pummeled a giant cardboard robot head, obliterated a couple of guitars and violently dismantled their drum kit,” while destroying the venue’s stage equipment in a "Who-like" manner at the 1999 PopFest.[9]

The band reentered Miner St./Cycle Sound Studios in 1999 and recorded their second album, Laughing All The While, which was again engineered by Brian McTear and partly co-engineered by Kurt Heasley of Lilys.[10] EO began associating with Elephant 6 Collective,[11] appearing on compilations with of Montreal, often performing with Beulah, of Montreal, and the Minders, and releasing a split-45 with Calvin, Don't Jump!.[12] [13] [14] [15]

21st century

In 2001, the band was in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, touring with the Starlight Mints, when the September 11 attacks abruptly ended the tour. Following the broken tour, along with the theft of their instruments, EO discontinued playing live shows altogether, last performing in Providence, Rhode Island, on September 18, 2001, and not returning until nine years later to the day.

Although no longer performing live, brothers Justin and Colin continued to record prolifically.[16] During this period the band recorded music for Eventide Production’s short-film Mortality and Get-Kinetic’s short-film 4.50 [17] [18] and appeared on over a dozen compilations by various record labels,[19] including their “life affirming” cover of Medicine's “Never Click” on Never Lose That Feeling released in the United Kingdom and Japan on Claire Records and on Club AC30 in the United States.[20] [21]

During this time EO also recorded 6 albums, 3 EP's, 5 singles, and 9 full-length compilation albums to accompany the albums and EP's,[22] “clocking up 15 years at the coalface of indiedom”[21] with a prolific "collection of superb three-minute pop bursts...."[16]

In 2010, Echo Orbiter released their ninth Studio album, Euphonicmontage.[23] The album’s experimental nature mixed a range of influences from writer Ayn Rand to The Flaming Lips. The album was recorded to reflect the same Cubist style of Picasso’s paintings in music form and was described as “an innovative landmark in the world of indie rock.”[24] In 2010 EO also appeared on Sick of the Radio’s New Wave Moons: R. Stevie Moore Tribute along with Ariel Pink and XTC’s Dave Gregory,[25] [26] and represented the United States on Indiecater Record's Fast Forward compilation for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.[27] [28]

Working along with Green Light Go Publicity to promote Euphonicmontage,[29] Echo Orbiter played their first show in 9 years at Johnny Brenda’s in Philadelphia with Joe Jack Talcum of The Dead Milkmen on September 18, 2010, 9 years to the day of their last show, and were highlighted as a Cover Story in the Music Issue of the Philadelphia City Paper.[30] They followed up the year with More Batteries, an EP recorded entirely on a hacked iPhone.[31]

In 2012, EO appeared along with artists including Sean Lennon, Matt Pond, Cornershop, Elf Power, and Ra Ra Riot in Rock Torch Volume One, a book of artists on artists,[32] [33] and released a free EP called Aerosol Power, which was recorded in a cabin in the Pocono Mountains in Northeastern Pennsylvania during the winter of 2011 on a four-track reel-to-reel.[34] [35]

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Compilation appearances

Short-film music

Echo Orbiter full-length compilations

Notes and References

  1. [Philadelphia Weekly]
  2. Web site: Answers - The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions. Answers.com. 20 November 2020.
  3. Billboard.com. Billboard. 20 November 2020.
  4. Web site: Citypaper.net. https://web.archive.org/web/20140222024604/http://archives.citypaper.net/articles/2010/09/23/echo-orbiter. dead. 22 February 2014. Archives.citypaper.net. 20 November 2020.
  5. Web site: Splendid are detective. Splendid are select.. https://web.archive.org/web/20100722090813/http://www.splendidezine.com/reviews/jan-31-00/aag.html. dead. 22 July 2010. 1map.com. 20 November 2020.
  6. [Philadelphia Weekly]
  7. [Philadelphia Weekly]
  8. Web site: Citypaper.net. https://archive.today/20120722051200/http://archives.citypaper.net/articles/060100/mus.echo.shtml. dead. 22 July 2012. Archives.citypaper.net. 20 November 2020.
  9. Web site: Citypaper.net. https://archive.today/20120706235943/http://archives.citypaper.net/articles/070899/music.sandv1.shtml. dead. 6 July 2012. Archives.citypaper.net. 20 November 2020.
  10. Web site: Citypaper.net. https://web.archive.org/web/20140222024150/http://archives.citypaper.net/articles/032201/mus.hear.shtml. dead. 22 February 2014. Archives.citypaper.net. 20 November 2020.
  11. Web site: Justin Emerle of Echo Orbiter carries a torch for The Perils Of Pauline. 22 October 2010. Rocktorch.com. 20 November 2020.
  12. Web site: Philly Local Philes: Echo Orbiter's "Mouth of an Incomplete Twin" | the Key . 2011-04-03 . 2011-07-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110725061922/http://thekey.xpn.org/2010/09/philly-local-philes-echo-orbiters-mouth-of-an-incomplete-twin/ . dead .
  13. Web site: Philadelphia Weekly. https://archive.today/20120907035718/http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/music/38339124.html. dead. 7 September 2012. 20 November 2020.
  14. Web site: Perhaps Transparent. World News. 20 November 2020.
  15. Web site: Experimental Indie Rockers Echo Orbiter Release Euphonicmontage. Blog.greenlightgopublicity.com. 20 November 2020.
  16. Web site: Review: Echo Orbiter – Orphan Kids Withdraw Out Of This Comedy. Leonardslair.wordpress.com. 1 February 2010. 20 November 2020.
  17. Web site: Four.50. 5 April 2003. 20 November 2020. IMDb.com.
  18. Web site: Echo Orbiter CD Release Party at JB's Sept. 18. Philadelphia.thedelimagazine.com. 20 November 2020.
  19. Web site: Echo Orbiter | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links. AllMusic. 20 November 2020.
  20. Web site: V/A Never Lose That Feeling #1 (Club AC30/Clairecords). Starvox.net. 20 November 2020.
  21. Web site: Echo Orbiter – Never Click. Mp3hugger.com. 20 November 2020.
  22. Web site: Echo Orbiter: Orphan Kids Withdraw Out of This Comedy | inyourspeakers.com . 2011-04-03 . 2011-10-05 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111005153220/http://inyourspeakers.com/content/echo-orbiter-orphan-kids-withdraw-out-comedy . dead .
  23. Web site: Eburban . 2011-04-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120310164449/http://eburban.com/reviews/id.1839/title.review-echo-orbiter-euphonicmontage . 2012-03-10 . dead .
  24. Web site: Sickoftheradio.com. Ssickoftheradio.com. 20 November 2020. 3 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303184519/http://sickoftheradio.com/2010/08/22/echo-orbiters-album-euphonicmontage/. dead.
  25. Web site: Sickoftheradio.com. Sickoftheradio.com. 20 November 2020. 4 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023532/http://sickoftheradio.com/2010/07/23/echo-orbiter-release-promo-video-stevie-moore-tribute/. dead.
  26. Web site: Green Light Go. Glgpub.com. 20 November 2020. 22 March 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120322101903/http://glgpub.com/blog/launch/echo-orbiter-hand-selected-by-r-stevie-moore-for-tribute-box-set. dead.
  27. Web site: The Claire Herald. https://web.archive.org/web/20110727001713/http://www.clareherald.com/art-a-entertainment/music/1273-indiecater-label-on-the-ball-with-latest-offering.html. dead. 27 July 2011. 20 November 2020.
  28. Web site: The World Cup Goes Indie! . Indiecater.com. 8 April 2010 . 20 November 2020.
  29. Web site: Echo Orbiter Celebrate Record Release with First Live Show in Nine Years. Blog.greelightgopublicity.com. 20 November 2020.
  30. Web site: Citypaper.net. https://web.archive.org/web/20120614031547/http://www.citypaper.net/blogs/criticalmass/tonight_echo_orbiter_plays_its_first_show_in_nine_years.html. dead. 14 June 2012. Citypaper.net. 20 November 2020.
  31. Web site: Echo Orbiter - More Batteries. Discogs.com. 26 July 2011 . 20 November 2020.
  32. Web site: Buy the Rock Torch Volume One book today!. 17 December 2012. Rocktorch.com. 20 November 2020.
  33. Book: Abramson, Randy. 2012. Roch Torch Volume One. Henrytronic Books. Lexington. 978-0615737942.
  34. Web site: Echo Orbiter - Aerosol Power. Discogs.com. 3 June 2012 . 20 November 2020.
  35. Web site: Listen to new music from Philly's Echo Orbiter (Playing Kungfu Necktie in July) | the Key . 2012-06-14 . 2014-02-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140221035151/http://thekey.xpn.org/2012/06/05/listen-to-new-music-from-phillys-echo-orbiter-playing-kungfu-necktie-in-july/ . dead .

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