Orange Hat
Encyclopedia
Early years
Guitarist Christo Harris started Orange Hat while in high school in 1983 and was joined by guitarist/bassist David "Zeus" Henderson several years later. The pair, with constantly changing lineups, took advantage of the '80s DIY cassette cultureCassette culture
Cassette culture, or the cassette underground , refers to the practices surrounding amateur production and distribution of recorded music that emerged in the late 1970s via home-made audio cassettes...
and released a half dozen independent albums on cassette between 1985 and 1995, including Pork! and Pterodactyl Universe. (A long running inside joke demands all Orange Hat album titles begin with the letter P.) The band also released a full length independent mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
, Pork Rinds, in 1992.
Orange Hat took a three year hiatus starting in 1992 following the death of drummer "Beaver" Myers. During that time, Henderson recorded and toured with Shawn Mullins
Shawn Mullins
Shawn Mullins is an American singer-songwriter who specializes in folk rock, instrumental rock, adult alternative, and Americana music. He is best known for the 1998 single, "Lullaby", which hit number one on the Adult Top 40 and was nominated for a Grammy Award.-Career:Mullins was born in...
.
1995-2001
Orange Hat reformed in 1995 and Harris and Henderson were joined by keyboardist John Henry, part-time percussionist Keli Mercadante, and drummerDrummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
/record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
/audio engineer Jason NeSmith (also known as Casper, from Casper & the Cookies
Casper & the Cookies
- History :Multi-instrumentalist and singer Jason NeSmith , began using the pseudonym Casper Fandango in 1996 as a moniker for his solo four-track recordings....
). With the release of the 7-inch
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
"Humpty Dumpty / Entropy" in early 1997, the band began to receive college radio airplay and national press.
While the band's earlier work varied between new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
and tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek
Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...
garage rock
Garage rock
Garage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
, Harris and Henderson focused their sound during this period on imagery-filled psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop
Psychedelic pop is a psychedelic musical style inspired by the sounds of psychedelic folk and psychedelic rock, but applied to a pop music setting...
, and began to incorporate appropriate effects and instruments such as the Theremin
Theremin
The theremin , originally known as the aetherphone/etherophone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without discernible physical contact from the player. It is named after its Russian inventor, Professor Léon Theremin, who patented the device...
into their sound. NeSmith's contributions toward this style included the use of a Synsonics toy electronic drum
Electronic drum
An electronic drum is an electronic synthesizer which mimics an acoustic drum kit.The electronic drum usually consists of a set of pads mounted on a stand in a disposition similar to an acoustic drum kit. The pads are discs with a rubber or cloth-like coating. Each pad has a sensor which generates...
pad sent through delay effects
Delay (audio effect)
Delay is an audio effect which records an input signal to an audio storage medium, and then plays it back after a period of time. The delayed signal may either be played back multiple times, or played back into the recording again, to create the sound of a repeating, decaying echo.-Early delay...
.
Keyboardist John Henry was replaced by Kenny Howes
Kenny Howes
-Early years:Raised in Mulberry, Florida, Howes began his musical endeavors at the age of ten by simultaneously learning the guitar and piano at home and the French horn at school....
in 1997, who then contributed the distinctive sound of the Vox Continental
Vox Continental
The Vox Continental is a transistor-based combo organ that was introduced in 1962. Known for its thin, bright, breathy sound, the "Connie," as it was affectionately known, was designed to be used by touring musicians...
organ to the band. John Henry remains associated with Orange Hat today, in the capacity of "psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
."
The quartet released the CD Pufferfish in 1999, the single "13th Floor" in 2000, and a full length film Psychedelic Elevator (on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
) in 2001. This lineup of the band was as notable for its psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
fashion sense as for its Squeeze-like pop sound.
Orange Hat Hour television show
From 2001 to 2003, Orange Hat produced over 50 episodes of The Orange Hat Hour, a weekly, half-hour cable television show. The program featured music videos, band performances, and surrealSurrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
/deconstructionist comedy, similar in style to The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
and SCTV
Second City Television
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
.
Current Lineup
Howes and NeSmith, who both relocated, were replaced by guitarist Lee Flier and drummer Eskil Wetterqvist (both of the Atlanta band What The...?). This incarnation released the EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Ponytail in 2005.
Orange Hat continues to occasionally perform in the Atlanta area.
Albums
- Pork! (independent, 1990)
- Pterodactyl Universe (independent, 1995)
- Pufferfish (Cringe Records, 1999)
EPs
- Paisley Thrash (independent 1989)
- Ponytail - with 3-D, Scratch and sniffScratch and sniffScratch and sniff technology generally refers to things that have been treated with a microfragrance coating. When scratched, the coating releases an odor that is normally related to an image being displayed under the coating...
cover - (Cringe Records, 2005) - Parade Of Freaks - (Cringe Records, 2010)
Singles
- Humpty Dumpty / Entropy - 7" red vinyl single (1997)
- On The 13th Floor - CD-R - (Cringe Records, 2001)
Videos
- Pork Rinds - 70 minutes, VHS (1992)
- Psychedelic Elevator - 60 minutes, VHS (2001)
- Orange Hat Hour, Volume One - 120 minutes, DVD (2002)
Compilation appearances
- Love in Song: An Atlanta Tribute to Sir Paul McCartney - Demagogue Records - CD (2000)