Guildford based band, Orestea, who are slowly rising in the music scene are a band to look out for. The female vocals that bring a punch to your eardrums. Lisa Avon, the bands lead singer shows female vocalists to try something new whilst still sounding crisp and melodic. Orestea with their heavy, yet fun music bring English heavy metal back onto the scene with a kick. The band agreed to answer some questions for HTF in their spare time whilst creating their new album!
HTF: When you were growing up individually, what were your inspirations musically?
M: When I was a little kid Michael Jackson, when I grew up I heard Slipknot which opened up a whole world of music!
Ll: Unfortunately the rest of my family have terrible taste in music! So it wasn’t until I was at secondary school that I really got into Rock music. It started with Metallica and Linkin Park but the band that inspired me to start playing guitar was, Dream Theater.
J: Pop punk and pop punk and death-core.
L: My parents listened to a lot of Rock music when I was growing up, so I guess my earliest inspirations were Meatloaf and Journey, but once I got to “CD buying age” I started to discover bands for myself. My first two CD’s I bought were Hybrid Theory by Linkin Park and Hi-fi Serious by A. I got them in HMV on a 2 for £10 deal and I only bought them because I’d heard ‘In The End’ and ‘Nothing’ on the radio. I probably still know every lyric on both of those albums haha!
HTF: When recording, what the rituals you partake in to be inspired to write and create music?
L: We don’t really have a system. I guess we just use whatever method we can to come up with an initial idea, whether that be a riff, a lyric, or a melody – then we just go from there. We always demo songs at home first so that we can listen to them objectively and be completely critical before the song is finished for the studio.
J: I have to be naked to write or record and have to do toe touches to prepare.
Ll: I personally find writing very challenging so I try lots of different ways of coming up with ideas and then once there is an idea in place it becomes easier to build off that initial idea.
HTF: When starting up the band, Orestea, did you ever imagine that a few years time you’d be signed to a Japanese label?
M: The thought didn’t even cross my mind, always hoped we would go somewhere but never knew where!
L: Yeah I guess I never really thought about it. I remember being super excited when it happened. I’ve always wanted to visit Japan. I hope we get the opportunity to go there one day.
HTF: How do you think you have evolved as a band since the album Shadows of yesterday was released, to now in 2014?
J: I have personally evolved into a dinosaur since I released Shadows of Yesterday (please note, Jake wasn’t in the band when we released SOY)
Ll: Almost everything about the band is completely different, we have some new members, different tastes in music but mainly we have just matured as a band.
L: Everything has changed. We are almost a completely different band now. Our influences are far broader now than they were at the start. If we could go back and do it again I think there’s a lot that we would change.
HTF: Jake what is it like in the band Orestea, and have the fan base accepted you in the band as the ‘newer’ member?
J: No one knows who I am, and some people still think I’m Sam Milne and I’m fine with that.
HTF: What was it like, as a young band at the time to play in front of a live audience for the first time ever?
M: For me it was weird, my first real gigs were with Orestea so I never knew what to expect!
L: I’ve been playing in bands since I was 13 so Orestea wasn’t my first experience of being on stage, but it definitely took it to a much bigger and more serious scale. Before Orestea I tended to play guitar in bands so it was weird getting used to singing without having an instrument to hide behind. I had to learn some dance moves. I’m still pretty goofy!
Ll: I still remember the first time I got up on stage with a band, I think I was 14 and it was at my Schools Rock Festival. We played ‘Enter Sandman’ by Metallica and won the competition because we had the biggest mosh pit of the night but we were so bad!
HTF: What is it like to have such an amazing fan base?
M: Awesome, but a bit surreal at times.
L: It’s very humbling that people allow us to be an influence in their lives. I think there’s a lot of responsibility for us to say and do the right things because we have a lot of younger fans. I love that things like Twitter and Facebook allow us to interact with our fan base on a day to day basis.
HTF: When we saw you guys at The Yacht in Torquay last year, all we could do was smile, because as a band you are generally friendly towards your fan base. You have such, shall we say, whacky fans. What is the weirdest, or most wonderful thing a fan has done for you (or given to you) in your time being in the band?
L: I had a girl create me as a sim once and send me a load of screen-grabs of my sims different outfits haha. That sticks out as one of the weirdest things. It was cool, just a tad unexpected. I’ve had people give me drawings, hats, food, keyrings, clothes… I never expect gifts from anyone and I always feel bad taking them, but it does make me feel special!
Ll: I think Lisa gets most of the weird stuff happen to her but when you have some fans tell you that our music has made a difference to their life in some way that is really amazing!
HTF: As a female fronted band, do you ever experience any Sexism from fans, other bands or venue owners?
L: Always. Even people who don’t think they are being sexist are usually being a little bit sexist haha.
J: We once had a guy on Facebook ask for bikini pics of Lisa. I offered some shots of me. He was a dumbass for turning the offer down. I looked sharp!
M: Definitely. You get the obvious stuff when people interact with Lisa but as guys in the band I find we get it too in more subtle ways – especially when playing with heavier bands, they give off the kind of attitude like ‘these guys are gonna be a bunch of rock band wannabes playing with a girl’… Then they see us play and have a different attitude after the set…
HTF: Also as a female in a rock band, have you come across people comparing you to other artists. If so, how does that make you feel?
L: I don’t like it at all haha. I’ve been quite vocal about it in the past and have written a few blogs on the subject. I just think it’s lazy comparing a band to another band simply based on gender. We get compared to a lot of operatic metal bands which I always find hilarious because I don’t like that type of music at all.
HTF: Lisa, you once did a webcam video explaining the EP ‘This is an overture’ and what inspired you behind each song. From this I ask, what made you write such from the heart and mind lyrics for this EP?
L: In the past I had never really written about personal experiences. LL&BT lyrics are all based on fictional people and stories. I wanted to challenge myself to try and be more personal for TIAO. I think my lyrics are definitely stronger when they are more honest.
HTF: In the following EP’s and Albums, what do you have in mind lyrically and vocally for those songs?
L: They will definitely still be personal to me, maybe with a bit of inspiration from books/films/other people’s lives.
HTF: (Off Topic) If you could only choose one song to forever listen to, for the rest of your days, what song would it be and why?
J: Can’t fight this feeling – REO Speedwagon.
L: ‘Grace’ by Devin Townsend, I will never get over how huge that song sounds (especially live)
L: Oh I can’t pick one. At the moment it would either be ‘Number City’ by Coheed and Cambria or ‘Strawberry Swisher’ by Dance Gavin Dance.
M: Stand by me by Ben e King or Bother by Stone Sour. Stand by me reminds me of my dad and bother always puts me into deep thought.
HTF: If you can give advice to new bands starting in Colleges and Universities and so on, what would it be and why?
M: Aort out any issues / potential issues quickly and make sure everyone is on the same page and wants the same thing.
L: Don’t do it if you’re planning on making any money haha.
Ll: Don’t expect it to be easy or make money from it. You have to make many sacrifices to be in a band and to have any kind of success with it, it has to be treated like a business.
J: Play music because you need to to be a band.
HTF: What can we see/expect from Orestea in the year 2014?
J: Probably some things.
L: Songs and gigs and videos and all the good stuff!
M: More than 2013, and probably more bikini shots from Jack…
Watch Orestea’s song from their latest EP, This is an Overture.
Orestea – The Game.
