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Bio
Blue News is a three-piece band formed in Terre Haute, IN which debuted in 2006 with a self-titled album on Statue Records Group (Hollywood, CA) followed by touring in several cities around the Midwest. Their sound heavily incorporates elements of blues and blues-rock but their songs also cross over into a mixture of genres including; Alternative, Soul, Folk, Gospel, Contemporary Christian, Southern Rock, Roots, Pop Rock, Americana, Indie-Rock and more.
The current line-up consists of songwriter/vocalist/guitarist/bassist Brent Orndorff, Reggie Raisner on guitar/vocals/bass, and drummer/percussion Dustin Richardson. Their studio albums have also featured several guest performers including; Eric Rasley (bass), Raven Grant (backing vocalist), Travis Dillon (blues harp), Shawn Morgan (drums), Kraig Kerins (drums) and Clayton Page (bass). The band’s influences range from old school blues icons like Muddy Waters & Robert Johnson to Classic Rock bands like The Beatles, C.C.R. and Led Zeppelin to 90’s rockers Pearl Jam & Soundgarden to modern bands such as The White Stripes, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and the John Mayer Trio. In reviews, the band has been compared to Cream, Government Mule, Kings Of Leon, The Black Keys and so on.
The band has found themselves gaining popularity not only in the United States, but in Europe and other countries as well. They have achieved increasing acclaim and growing recognition since their debut album, and have accomplished a great deal given their tendency to be ‘do-it-yourselfers.’ The band has handled all management and production since the beginning and prefers to keep it that way. After their debut album was released on Statue Records, the band signed a non-exclusive distribution deal with INgrooves Distribution of San Francisco, CA and formed their own label - Blame Records - for all subsequent releases.
Their songs “Next Time” and “Love’s So Strong” were included in the soundtrack for the 2007 national TV series Road Trip Nation airing on PBS Television and TBS Superstation, giving them their first national media exposure just one year after the band’s formation. These same songs also received regular College Radio airplay in several states when the band worked together with Vigilant Promotions on their first college radio campaign. In 2008, the band nearly performed at the Lollapalooza Music Festival after fans voted them up to 10th place in a competition on Ourstage.com. They had the #1 spot until the last few minutes of voting and there were nearly 1500 international bands competing for votes. The music video for the song “Shelter” has received regular rotation on cable TV in the Indianapolis, IN area on the Indy Music Channel (IMC TV) and several songs from their latest album “Strange Light” have been featured recently on UCF TV (University Of Central Florida Cable Channel) in the Orlando, FL area. In September of 2009, the band was included in the “Folked Up!” video series, which shoots live unplugged performances around the city of Terre Haute. The band’s videos feature acoustic versions of the previously unreleased songs “Wasted Days” & “Be Yourself (and You’ll Go Far)” which will be found on their upcoming album. The band was recently invited to recording sessions at Full Sail University’s studios in Orlando, FL in January / February of 2010.
The band’s finest album to date is their latest “Strange Light” released in late 2008. The album has received the best reviews up to now and has outsold all other releases. The first single from the album is "Shelter", with a supporting video featuring the band playing live in an old school gymnasium. The other songs included on their 3-song EP for radio promotion are; “Running Back To You” and “Rattlesnake Blues”. Both the music video and a deluxe version of the album are available exclusively on iTunes. The band’s 2009 radio campaign will target several stations around the world, largely to College Radio, Internet Radio, Independent stations, contemporary Christian Radio, and Public or Community Radio stations.
Studio Albums
Blue News – 2006
The Signs EP – 2007
The Signs EP Remix – 2007
Strange Light – 2008
Press
2007: Press Release - Top 40 Charts & PRweb
Two New Songs From Blue News Gain National Media Exposure
http://top40-charts.com (11-01-07)
Minneapolis, MN. (Top40 Charts / PRWeb / Blame Records) - Two songs from the band Blue News, "Next Time" and "Love's So Strong", are being heard on national television on the 2007 PBS Roadtrip Nation series. Blue News is a powerful new band whose innovative songwriting style and unique sound has listeners coming back for more. Their ground-breaking music is turning heads wherever ears are listening. The band's distinctly original sound is a fusion of Alternative Rock and Blues. In recent reviews, their sound has been compared to such musicians as Eric Clapton, The Black Keys and Credence Clearwater Revival.
The band's music will also be included on the soundtrack CD for the 2007 Roadtrip Nation film series as well as in their promotional videos on the official series website.
The series soundtrack and sampler DVD will be distributed to over 40 college campuses across the United States as well as in film screening kits for student representatives at over 100 college campuses. This opportunity for exposure, combined with the band's recent radio campaign with Vigilant Promotions has prompted Blue News to begin planning a Spring/Fall college campus tour. To support the tour, Blue News plans to make in-studio appearances at supporting radio stations and also in-store appearances at retail record stores.
The band formed in late 2005 and released their debut album with Statue Records Hollywood in January 2006 and toured to promote the release in several cities throughout 2006. In 2007, the band self-released a follow-up EP which was co-produced by Don Arney / Quantum Productions Pro Tools Studio. Both of the band's CDs can be ordered online and tracks from both albums are available for download on iTunes & through the band's official website.
2009: CD Review: “Strange Light” – MuzikReviews.com
As is common knowledge for those in the music world, blues is a tough mistress. It’s just that much of a transcendent genre, requiring equal parts skill and soul to unlock. Even dedicated fans must be disciplined enough to enjoy blues’ intricacies, which in turn often limits its masters to a narrow, discriminating audience. Despite all these hurdles, many artists remain undaunted in their pursuit, which is why we must tip our hat to bands like Blue News. Fully steeped in the kind of nitty-gritty, sweaty aura that modern blues demands, the Midwesterner trio has laid all talents bare in Strange Light, their third album. There is much to love here. Strange Light is evidence of Blue News’ journey.
The News have sincerity in spades, demonstrating their student-like loyalty to mechanics in every single one of Light’s pores. Furthermore, lead singer Brent Orndorff and company turn to unlikely sources for inspiration, often channeling the early sounds of Chris Cornell’s Soundgarden to give their funk a razored edge. There is no soft sentimentality at play in Light’s atmospheric dance; this is electric, dirty stuff doled out with a knowing smile. The band has displayed a respectable amount of craft.
“Rising” opens Light with a shuffling country gait, its near-growling guitars a deliciously unpolished match for the doom-saying lyrics. Simple and unadorned, it’s an appropriate introduction to tracks such as “Running Back to You,” where the fat sound compliments Orndorff’s unhinged wailing. This is Blue News at their best, translating the most skeletal of compositions into an emotional torrent fitting of the blues name. That charm is featured throughout the album with tracks like “Break of Day” and burners like “Old River” and “Shelter” which vary little from the purring guitar formula.
There is real life in the bluegrass-tinged, hand-clapping ditties like “Feel Alive,” where Orndorff and his colleagues can get back to the simple pleasures without aping their other offerings. And they certainly can’t go wrong with tracks like the hopping “Stumblin’,” whose bristling guitars move better than any warm organ.
The lingering question is one of discipline and range – whether the trio can hone their craft even more and yet still appeal to a wider audience, regardless of blues’ inherent limits. As listeners take in gems like “Leave My Sorrows,” perhaps they believe their faith will be rewarded; we can only hope Blue News doesn’t disappoint. As it stands from Strange Light, Blue News seems to have what it takes to scale the unforgiving terrain of their genre.
Kevin Liedel – MuzikReviews.com Sr. Staff Editor - March 4, 2009
2009: INTERVIEW + LINK - CrossHarpChronicles & All About Jazz
Blue News Guitarist/Vocalist Brent Orndorff Interviewed at AAJ
Small isn't necessarily a bad thing. For Blue News, a three man, Indiana-based, indie band, being small and working with a restricted budget is actually a plus. Producing their first two albums for free, they have gone on to establish themselves in venues throughout the Midwest, and their music has reached national media exposure to ultimately be picked up by the documentary series Road Trip which airs on national public television.
What they have accomplished did not happen overnight; this success was not a fluke. Their achievements are the result of research and implementation, the culmination of everything that Brent Orndorff has done in music over the past 17 years.
AAJ contributor and Cross Harp Chronicles publisher David King spoke with Orndorff about creating world class recordings on the cheap and how Blues News has been gradually building an national reputation that, no doubt, is on the verge of becoming international.
Check out Brent Orndorff: The Mouse That Roars at AAJ today!
http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news.php?id=33148 (read more...)
2009: Interview with Brent Orndorff of Blue News
Blues Matters! Magazine UK
By Darren Howells - Editor-in-Chief/Art-Director (March 14, 2009)
BLUES MATTERS UK: If you were a critic, how would you describe your sound?
BRENT: Well I guess everyone says creative, unique and totally original but that’s really what a lot of people say about our music. I’d like to start out saying that almost everything about music is a paradox. You have to be different in a good way to be taken seriously but still be enough like something else for anyone to listen to it. I mean everyone has influences and things they like so it comes through in your playing. When I was studying classical guitar for awhile at Indiana State I remember my instructor telling me that there are 3 steps to writing music and it always stuck with me. Assimilate, Imitate and Innovate. It speaks volumes if you think about it. As a songwriter or musician you have to get your mind around something and absorb it then you mimic it and finally do your best to come up with something new.
It helps to know some things about us to understand our sound I think. I was a teenager during the 90’s so I was a fan of the “ Seattle sound” but I also grew up listening to Classic Rock like Led Zeppelin and Neil Young. By the time I was in college I got into the Blues when I studied music for a short time. It was appealing to me as a songwriter to learn about the roots of American music and how it has progressed over time. Eric comes from a musical family and his Dad still plays in a local Jazz band and then Dustin is just a rocker. He’s the only 19-year-old I know who went to see Rush in concert. Beyond our backgrounds we all have open minds and we all like several different styles of music. So if you throw all of those influences together you’d have Blue News. That’s the best I can describe our sound which is probably why I’m not a music critic.
BLUES MATTERS UK : What stands you apart from other bands/artists today?
BRENT: Our sound is the most obvious thing and we stand apart because don’t fit the defined idea of what a band should be. I work in an office, Dustin (drums) sells music equipment and Eric (bass) is a Science teacher. I guess we also stand apart because we’re sensible which doesn’t make for a big sales point in the music biz these days. If you want to make it “big” you better have a scandal, a tragedy, or some controversy. At least have the decency to have a meltdown of some sort! Once again, even the whole required “image” is a paradox. You have to be on top of your game but you have to seem like you don’t care. People have this creepy attraction to angst ridden, strung out musicians on the brink of losing it completely…but at the same time you should be a genius. The masses seem to like their stars to be troubled yet brilliant.
We aren’t completely insane so we’ve got that going for us (or against us.) As far as I know none of us are insane but I have moments when I wonder about Eric . Ha! Okay, seriously…We feel like we have a decent grip on reality and that stands us apart from about 99% of people. Okay I’ll be hopeful and say 85% of people. Oh wait...I was supposed to be serious.
BLUES MATTERS UK : What tracks of yours are you particularly excited about and why?
BRENT: We were definitely excited when we had the 2 songs chosen to go on TV. We felt fortunate that Roadtrip Nation was interested in using our music at all but having them pick 2 songs from a 6 song EP felt good. It was nice to have affirmation that we were doing something right. You have to find real reasons to have confidence in what you’re doing and not get a big head about things. It’s a delicate balance.
People really like a few different tunes on the new album. Most people have their own personal favorite but the most popular songs seem to be; Rattlesnake Blues, Running Back To You, Promiseland and Shelter. We actually shot our first music video for Shelter at the end of 2008 and chose it for our radio single for the new album.
It’s often best to listen to others opinions because we really can’t step outside of what we’re making and listen to it without bias. Usually we finish a recording and listen to it in different situations and try to weigh it up from other perspectives. If you only hear it in the studio then you hear it in the car and it sounds totally weird. So then you go back and change whatever you need to. Ultimately you should let other people hear what you’re doing and ask them what they think. You have to pick the right people though because you want them to be honest in their criticism and give you both the positive and negative feedback when it’s needed.
BLUES MATTERS UK : How did you get together, and how did you come to/settle on the band's name?
BRENT: Blue News is actually just “New Blues” with the first letters switched around. We always do this with words just to keep things fun and it just fit what we’re doing musically. Once again, everyone says “it just came to us,” so it’s cliché but it’s true. The story of the band’s lineup is far too complex to go in depth. If someone really cares enough I could write a book about it at a later point. I’ll just say that there have been 3 versions of Blue News and different people have played on all 3 albums. This was only due to circumstance and not interpersonal problems. (Sorry. No scandals, just boring normal life events.) In fact, every Blue News album so far has featured guest musicians beyond the “regular” band members. For example, Reggie Raisner did a lot of guitar work on the new album and Raven Grant does backing vocals on a few tunes. I feel blessed that I’m surrounded by gifted musicians and even if they don’t take part regularly it’s cool to get them in the studio when we can.
BLUES MATTERS UK : What are your ultimate aims and ambitions?
BRENT: I think we all just want to continue to be moderately successful. Enough so that it makes sense to keep going. None of us really cares about getting rich and famous at any point so that isn’t our motivation. It’s just like anything else…If you’re always struggling; losing money or having awful experiences then you have to ask yourself if you should walk away from it. So far we’ve been fortunate enough to break even whenever we do anything. Whether it’s releasing our albums or playing shows, we’re happy as long as we aren’t in the negative. I can only speak for myself but I think my ultimate goal is to be a successful, yet obscure, songwriter and touring musician.
BLUES MATTERS UK : What does the Blues mean to you and what do you feel is the most important element of Blues music that is present in your own?
BRENT: First off, I love that it’s the only style of music that is also a human mood or condition. You can hear the Blues and you can have the Blues and strangely enough – if you ever have the Blues then you hear the Blues more truly… you genuinely feel it.
I read a great article recently with the Rev. Dr. Cornell West (Professor of Religion and hip-hop artist) in Rolling Stone not too long ago. He referred to himself as a “blues man” and he put it more eloquently than I ever could…
West said;
“The categories of optimism and pessimism don't exist for me. I'm a blues man. A blues man is a prisoner of hope, and hope is a qualitatively different category than optimism. Optimism is a secular construct, a calculation of probability. Black folk in America have never been optimistic about the future - what have we had to be optimistic about? But we are people of hope. Hope wrestles with despair, but it doesn't generate optimism. It just generates this energy to be courageous, to bear witness, to see what the end is going to be. No guarantee, unfinished, open-ended. I'm a prisoner of hope. I'm going to die full of hope...”
So I suppose I’d say what I love most about the Blues is the hope that wrestles with despair. The Blues personifies our lives in the world far better than any other style. It brings out emotions that lie dormant in the human soul and it does it in a way that nothing else can. That’s why you hear the blues influence in just about anything. Because eventually we all come to a crossroads and we break down and feel what’s real. Where each person goes from that point is on them. That’s the most important element of the Blues present in our music. It brings people to that point they need to reach. We always reach the crossroads but sometimes people are unreachable. Once again, hope wrestles with despair.
BLUES MATTERS UK : What Blues artists do you listen to, and why?
I listen to a lot of different artists and some of my favorites would probably surprise some people. As far as Blues artists go; I love older traditional stuff like Robert Johnson, Blind Lemon Jeff erson, Muddy Waters up to BB King. A lot of the time I don’t even care who it is. I just listen to a compilation CD or listen to Bluesville on XM radio. I also dig a few contemporary bands like The Black Keys or Radio Moscow. They pay tribute to the roots and somehow make it something new and something of their own. It goes deep because it takes you back to the origins of American music. You can just tell that they have a good appreciation of the Blues and life in general I would speculate. I just don’t think it’s possible to sit around listening to old blues tunes and not end up digging a bit deeper than your “Average Joe” (if he exists) and coming to some eye-opening revelations.
BLUES MATTERS UK : How do you see the Blues scene currently - contemporary acts, how it's preserved in general and how it's recognized by the media?
BRENT: It’s still not anywhere near the mainstream media although you hear it pretty often. It’s always obscure and under the surface but that’s true to the nature of the beast. It keeps the Blues more humble than they other styles. Vanity is still there but there’s far less of the “bogus glory” that some of the “idols” get in more popular genres. (Pause while I take a break to sigh and shake my head.) Anyway, there are a few contemporary acts like The Black Keys, or more obviously Eric Clapton, who get a lot of media recognition. It’s good for everyone though because it brings it into the overall human consciousness and opens doors for artists like us doing similar things.
BLUES MATTERS UK : What do you see as the future for Blues music?
BRENT: I think it will pretty much remain the same. It’s too old and too true to die or change too much in the future. Hopefully more and more people learn to enjoy it for what it truly is. Ultimately, it will always be an undertone to any new forms of Western music. If we could jump in a time machine and fast forward 500 years, we’d step out and eventually here a guitar playing something bluesy. I’m actually a fan of progressive and experimental electronic stuff. It’s just fascinating to me what 1 person can do with a few machines and it also amazes me how machines totally change the playing field. That being said, the Blues is here to stay. We might hear a sample of some bluesy bend on a vintage guitar with some Fender reverb. It just conveys an emotion that’s really authentic. I’m hoping not to sound overly cheesy but the Blues won’t die because Blues matters. ; )
BLUES MATTERS UK : How important is it to you to try and get a record deal, with the way the music industry is changing now?
BRENT: It’s not important to us really. I’ve been signed to 2 deals with Indie Labels. Once in another band when I was very young starting out and then the first Blue News album was co-released by Statue Records Hollywood. They made a lot of promises but really they just ended up making our CDs really cheap and they didn’t do a very good job at that so we now just do everything ourselves under our own label Blame Records. It’s to the point now where we can produce better quality music if we record, mix and master ourselves and then manufacture, publish and distribute it ourselves. Anymore we get just as much, if not more, from downloads and royalties as we do selling CDs. If we sell any discs it’s at a show or every once in awhile a record store will order some. Honestly, the only thing we’d ever need from a label is promotion and help with touring because they have all the connections. Everything else is in place really. I suppose if the right offer came along then maybe but we’ve all established our lives and I don’t foresee us changing that. I know I personally want total control of my own schedule and my music and most labels probably don’t want to work with that. Who knows though? … Anything can happen.
2007: CD REVIEW: “THE SIGNS” - RadioIndy.com
http://www.radioindy.com/bands/2611/ (July 14, 2007)
"The Signs" is an excellent blues/rock EP with a catchy authentic sound. The songwriting, recording quality, production, and musicianship on this CD are all very good. The vocals periodically use falsetto to bring out a unique sound. Some big-name bands that come to mind when listening to this CD include Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR), Eric Clapton, and The Grateful Dead. All the tracks we checked out were solid, with varying styles/tempos that kept our interest. For example, “Leavin” has an excellent upbeat guitar/rhythm section groove. “Love’s So Strong” has more of a traditional blues feel to it. If you enjoy talented blues-rock bands, you will enjoy this CD. Pick up a copy today!
2006: INTERVIEW - Chicago Music Guide
An Interview With Blue News By: Jina S. Kelly – MAY 2006
Never be fooled by appearances. Blue News was formed in June of 2005 but all three members have been playing for several years.
So, it's not so surprising that they've already released their first album with Statue Records Hollywood. Front-man Brent Orndorff has been in several bands for the past 13 years and over that time he has recorded in 8 studios including his own, Blame Records, located in Indiana.
Brent's solo album, "Never Stop Playing" was released in 2003 and recieved great reviews and even greater opportunities, including a record release offer from Statue Records Hollywood and a performance spot in the New York Independent Film and Music Festival at Madison Square Garden.
Blue News has been playing for 10 months now and the band has accomplished even more than they expected. They have recorded their album, now available from Statue Records Group California, they've played live in several cities in 2006 and the band's fanbase keeps growing and growing each day.
The band's sound is influenced by anything they feel is soulful, good, original or innovative...examples being; The Beatles, Beck, Allman Brothers, The Presidents, Cream, Eric Clapton, Robert Johnson, Primus, Marvin Gaye, Bob Marley, BB KING, Reverend Al Green, Talking Heads, Jimi Hendrix and lots more.
ChicagoMusicGuide: You are a young group of guys that have a lot of experience, by saying that; do you get looked down upon by the music industry?
I don’t think the music industry is looking at us at all right now. I know that most “heavyweights” go off of the charts or CD sales and we haven’t reached that point yet. Hopefully that will change with radio promotion campaigns and record sales at some point. We just got our mastered album back from California and we are about to begin some heavy promotion. We are a newer band and we’ve just released our debut album with Statue Records Hollywood in January. I was offered the release deal after their A & R reviewed my solo album, which I released in 2003 under Blame Records (blamerecords.com)-a label I started in 2002. So, after Statue offered a deal, I wrote the material for the next album throughout 2005 (knowing that I would play with a trio) and began rehearsing and recording the album with Shawn and Clayton in June. We started out playing in a sealed-off stage in an old school building (which Clayton lives in) and then moved to my studio in the fall.
ChicagoMusicGuide: When you started playing did you have in the back of your mind that you wanted to be in a band? Explain please.
Not really… I started out in music when I was asked to sing in a band in school almost 14 years ago. 2 new students had a band and other classmates told them that I had a good voice. I didn’t ever really consider following music before this point. Some people in my music classes just decided I could sing. So, one day, the 2 students asked me to sing in their band because they had heard good things. I said ok and that’s where it all began. We started out playing Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ozzy, Bush and common covers of the time, but there was always a motivation to play original music. I actually didn’t start teaching myself to play any instruments until I was about 16.
ChicagoMusicGuide: Brent, in your Sonicbids bio you said that you started young but did Clayton and Shawn start young also?
Clayton started playing guitar seriously around 6 years ago when he was 17 and started playing bass around 2 years ago. He had listened to bands like Nine Inch Nails, Tool, and Rage Against The Machine and you can hear those influences in his own material. Shawn has played various instruments over the past 6 or 7 years…trumpet, guitar, bass, keys and drums. He never considered being a drummer until he started playing with this band. So, Shawn has actually only been a drummer for about 9 months.
ChicagoMusicGuide: Brent, you had a solo album that had gotten rave review. Why did you form Blue News?
I had played a lot of solo acoustic shows around the time I released my album and I got a bit bored to be honest. I liked the intimacy and it was a lot simpler but it was easy for people to tune you out and do their own thing. People pay attention when the band plays. They have to…We play LOUD. Playing acoustic is good in its own right but you don’t get a lot of people on their feet and moving and that’s one of my favorite things about playing music. Also, most of the songs on my album included bass and drums, so I knew I’d have to play with a band to get the same sound in a live show. Another reason is that I have been in bands before and I appreciate the joint effort in creating music. The songs take on a new life when people work together to create it. Everyone has to feel the same thing and sort of travel on the same wave for the music to work out. It’s very spiritual really… it’s all about communicating, enlightening and sharing thoughts and emotions.
ChicagoMusicGuide: Brent, how does it differ from recording on someone else's label from your own?
When I recorded on Celestial Records with Groove Parade back in 1996, I had no control in anything really. I was just the vocalist for the band at that time and I wrote most of the lyrics. The producer and manager handled all the recording, pressing and distribution as well as the booking and promotion. It was all done on a very small scale though. They released a 2-song single on tape which was only released in a few stores and then we toured a bit in Indiana and Illinois.
The new release deal with Statue Records is unlike anything I’ve done before. They are handling the pressing, distribution, licensing and radio promotion. It makes it a lot easier when you don’t have to make your own CDs. I hope I never burn another CD in my life truthfully. Now we are looking around for help with management and booking, which the label doesn’t handle.
ChicagoMusicGuide: Do you have more/less control over the edits?
I have more control, although I have been allowed to mix most of the songs I’ve worked on in other studios. I enjoy having artistic control over the entire process but you also need input from others to do it right. I’m always asking “Do you think I should do this, or add this or change this?”, and it probably gets annoying for the people around me. You have to consider others when you write a tune, when you play it with other people and when you are recording and mixing it. I also admit that I’m still limited in what I can do in my studio, but Statue makes up for what my studio equipment won’t allow me to do in the editing process. I mixed the album to the best of my abilities and then they kindly mastered it. We’re really happy with the job they did on mastering the record. The songs all sound a lot clearer and balanced now. I’ve actually decided to take all the old recordings off the internet and replace them with the newly mastered versions. That should only take me a few weeks. I also just had 50 CDs ready to mail out and I am trashing them all and sending the new Statue release instead.
ChicagoMusicGuide: According to your website it says that you are part of another group.
I was a part of the band NONA in 2004 actually. We had an offer from Red Galaxy in Los Angeles but ended up turning it down and splitting for other projects. That group ended before Blue News began playing but I left the band’s music on the site because I like it. NONA came up with some really great progressive/experimental stuff and I still want to do an electronic album in the future.
ChicagoMusicGuide: And do you work a day job on top of that?
I don’t work a day job at the moment. I probably would if there were any decent jobs in the area that I could pull off with my schedule. I’m always looking for possible jobs and applying, but nothing ever turns out. I have accepted that it’s my calling to play music. I also do some recording work with other artists in the studio from time to time and I do some “odd jobs” for people. All the rest of my time is devoted to my family, the band or finishing my degree online. I also like working on my house, which is a renovated barn that’s over a century old (You really can’t tell anymore). I just don’t really have time to add anything to my schedule right now. I’d like to work and have a steady paycheck, but for now I just rely on financial aid from school and music.
ChicagoMusicGuide: Do Shawn and Clayton have other projects also?
Clayton has written a lot of his own material and wants to record it soon. Shawn has some riffs and melodies that he has written too but neither of them has time for other projects at the moment. We are always meeting new musicians and keep an open mind to different possibilities for the future. He and Shawn had worked on some of it before we started Blue News. We have worked on a couple of his tunes in the past few days actually but he is still in the writing process. I think he may record an album and release it under the name “Boy”. I’m sure someone would want to release it. He has a lot of cool song ideas.
ChicagoMusicGuide: How often do you all get together to practice and play a show?
We practice 3 – 6 times a week on average, although we take a few days off sometimes. Our show schedule has been random so far. Our first gig was a festival in Brown County in August and we did a mini-tour of the Midwest in January and played cities like Chicago, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Muncie. Since then we have just been rehearsing and planning to put our own shows together, including some free outdoor shows at our studio and a CD release show. We want to be playing a few shows a week in the coming months, but time is an issue when it comes to organizing tours.
ChicagoMusicGuide: Did you all go to college? And if you did what was your majors?
Clayton and I are still in college. I attended ISU and majored in Classical Guitar for a while, but I am finishing a Liberal Arts degree online at Saint Leo University now. Clayton’s major is Visual Communications.
ChicagoMusicGuide: Shawn and Clayton do you have day jobs?
Clayton works a few nights a week in a bakery and he will be in classes this summer. Shawn is working afternoons and evenings at BW3s.
ChicagoMusicGuide: Or is this band your fulltime job?
This band is a fulltime job most of time, yes. Even when we aren’t planning for shows, we have to constantly look for new opportunities to get exposure for our music. The amount of time and effort it takes is a bit ridiculous, but we do it in the hopes that it will pay off and that our music may become a good part of someone’s life. There is no better feeling than knowing that you are influencing someone in a positive way…and with music, it’s possible to do it more often.
ChicagoMusicGuide: Shawn and Clayton have you been in any other bands before this one?
We have actually all played together in the past but we never took it as seriously as we do now. Once I released my solo album and got a release deal with Statue in Hollywood, we started playing together more seriously than before.
ChicagoMusicGuide: If you were in one, what kind of bands were they?
The stuff that we played in the past was really odd-sounding hard rock with unusual time signatures and chords. It wasn’t ever recorded to be used for anything. Looking back, It was just us jamming on crazy riffs to get better at playing and recording.
ChicagoMusicGuide: How long have you played your instruments?
We’ve all played various instruments for 6-14 years.
ChicagoMusicGuide: What do you feel is the best form of promotion for you?
We know that we need to get on the radio and promote with print advertising to really get our name out there, but we are involved in a few websites that do a good job of promoting. We are in the process of getting digital distribution in place with sites like iTunes, eMusic & Napster. Word of mouth is very important too. You know a band is taking off when you hear people talking about them. As always though, the best promotional tool for any band is playing live shows or selling records. We are actually about to start a tour of open mics in the Midwest soon to let people know who we are.
ChicagoMusicGuide: Do you plan on performing outside of the Midwest in 2006?
We have been contacted by B.B. King’s Blues Club in Hollywood, so we will probably plan a mini-tour to the West Coast and back this year. We also have a lot of new fans joining our mailing list from the East Coast, Canada, UK and parts of Europe, so it would make sense for us to promote and tour those areas soon.
ChicagoMusicGuide: What are your thoughts with airplay on radio, is that something you strive for when writing your music?
We have a few different radio promoters lined up and we will be doing radio campaigns for the album. I’m always researching different people and companies that do good work for a reasonable rate. We concentrated on making a good overall album but many of the songs could go over well on the radio.
You have to strive for something that people will enjoy and relate to. You have to use a melody and rhythm combination that people will find catchy and try to hook them with insightful lyrics. Most songs follow a certain format and it’s all relative to what goes on the radio. You don’t have to abide by really strict rules when writing a song but there are guidelines if you want anyone to like it or play it on the air. You have to strive for what will fly on radio, but it’s a delicate balance, you can’t stifle the art or take the soul out of a song. It should be what it should be and you shouldn’t sell a song out just to market it.
ChicagoMusicGuide: Do you find that with the internet and digital music at your fingertips, that now is the best time to be involved in music?
This is a tricky question…I think it is and it isn’t the best time. It’s not black and white really. There are a lot of opportunities with digital music and the internet, but there are also a lot of limitations for unknowns. Once again, it’s about marketing and promotional strategies… it really drains the artistic mood to have to delve into so many business matters. It’s like being a solo performer in a play while you are taking money for tickets, running the lights and sound, producing and directing. It makes it a bit harder to concentrate of wowing the audience with the performance…and that should be the main concern for a musician. Hopefully the future will allow other people to handle some of those aspects and lighten the load. I would like to be able to just concentrate on playing at some point.
We’ll probably continue hanging out in Indiana while we aren’t traveling and playing shows. Hopefully, in two years we will have a ridiculous schedule, playing shows more often and selling records to support ourselves. Ultimately, we want to have a constant touring schedule, sell records and grow our fan base. We’re just starting out so we need to get new fans to come out to our shows when we play different areas. I think we’ll have a second album finished by that time too, but we aren’t planning on releasing anything else until we see how our first album does.
Additional Press Quotes
"Blue News performs a variant of Blues with a hard edge(...) Strange Light reveals a group as a potentially promising act with a bright future." Rating : 8/10 - Strange Light CD Review by Branimir Lokner – Serbia 2009
"This music is beyond logical comprehension which certainly means it's the real thing." - DJ Paul, Midnight Special Blues Radio - Paris, France 2008
"Listening to this music, one can quickly discern that Orndorff is a talented musician, singer and songwriter. No doubt the Hollywood label hears the same potential I hear." - Rex Buntain, Entertainment Journalist - Tribune Star Newspaper 2006