Preparing for Progfest: Orsome Welles
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Preparing for Progfest: Orsome Welles

Who are we chatting to and what do you do in the band? 
This is Michael Stowers from Orsome Welles, and I am the lead vocalist.

 

Who are your biggest influences? 
My parents, family, friends, teachers, heroes … but in terms of musical influence, I would say learning to sing and understand music from composers like Vivaldi, John Rutter, Bach, and Handel in the National Boys Choir as a child, picking up the guitar and discovering Bob Dylan, Metallica, Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down, and Pearl Jam in my youth, then writing and studying music as an adult and being inspired by artists such as Radiohead, The Mountain Goats, The Mars Volta and Puscifer.

 

What do you love about making music? 
Freedom of expression, and the ability to bring an idea to life and share it with an audience.

 

What drew you to progressive music?
I am not one for genres in music; if it is good, then it is worth listening to. Prog is a kind of melting pot of styles and genres, and we fall into the heavier side of things, so I guess that openness of what a song is, mixed with heavy and powerful instrumentation. 

 

If you could travel back in time and show one of your musical heroes your stuff, who would it be and why?
Wow, that’s a cool question. Back in time? Maybe Vivaldi. He was composing and performing in the Baroque period, which was all about progressive instrumentation and improvisation. I think he could get into some Orsome Welles, sipping on a well-aged Montepulciano.

 

What can a punter expect from your live show?
We put everything into our live shows. We love to feel the energy of the crowd and let loose together. We are a heavy five-piece prog metal band, and I kind of sound like an operatic vagabond. So, come and have some fuckin’ fun.