Above, from left: Rodrigo Santillan, Erik Kutzler and Isaac Rowlingson (Photos by Greg Montalto)
Morgan Huff likens Orbital Music Park to a gym membership for musicians.
“We host people to play music,” the veteran rock drummer says. “And give them a safe, friendly environment with enough surprises to make it interesting, but with enough of a guard rail so that people feel safe.”
For the past two years, Huff and longtime musical partner Tom Illmensee, both 46, have been facilitating “pop-up” musical jams under the Orbital banner, usually at Art Works in Plant Zero. “At first, we wanted to set up kind of a dating site for musicians, but instead of romance, it was bongos,” Illmensee says. “We soon realized that it had to be a face-to-face thing, a place where people can relax and kind of hang out.”
With more than 60 amateur (and professional) players now showing up for Orbital sessions — complete with guitars, basses, percussion instruments, accordions, keyboards and even laptops — these floating musical mashups have demanded a permanent home.
Starting in early October, the budding initiative will move into new digs inside a warehouse at 2100 Tomlynn St., near Sauer’s Gardens. Here, drummers can bang away, and things can get loud. The facility will eventually include lounge areas and a bar. The co-founders are considering creating a social club, AstronautRVA, that admits members to Orbital sessions with nominal annual dues.
“There are rehearsal spaces around the city,” Illmensee points out. “But we’re not in the rehearsal space business, we’re in the relationship business.”
Huff echoes that sentiment. “We’re offering players access to the space, the people, the gear and the good vibes, so that they can make music a part of life, whoever they may be and whatever skill level they may have or style they like.”
The Orbital co-founders, who participate in each two-hour session, are veterans of Richmond bands such as Frog Legs and Boneanchor. “Not every player is out to join a gigging band. They want to interact with others. This area needs a relaxed place where people can connect in that way — and that includes all of the people who have thousands of dollars of musical equipment they never get to play anymore.”
Greg Montalto was used to noodling on guitar and keyboards at home in Woodland Heights when his brother gave him a bass guitar. Once he took bass lessons, he began looking for other weekend noodlers. “Originally, I had no aspirations to play with other people. I would just explore sounds at home,” the 40-year-old real estate developer says. “I went to my first Orbital session expecting to hate it. But it was amazing, and Tom and Morgan are the perfect people to do this.” Montalto is now a regular volunteer, helping out with social media.
“I had never performed with a band, except for choir,” says vocalist Miranda Schnakenberg, a graduate student from Virginia Commonwealth University who is now a regular Orbiter. “I signed up, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Here I am, this 23-year-old who listens to Taylor Swift and also new wave metal, and I was paired with these older musicians into classic rock and oldies. But they were nurturing and kind, and everyone was willing to learn each other’s music. I got to learn songs I’d never heard before, and I watched these 40-year-old musicians try to learn this goth metal song that I liked. That’s what made me fall in love with Orbital.”
A conceptual sketch of the new Orbital Music Park space (Image by Jordan Greene courtesy 37ideas)
Schnakenberg thinks the permanent space will help bring in a more diverse crowd of musicians: “I’m usually the only woman in the group, and I don’t feel uncomfortable about that, but I think having an actual place for music will get rid of the fear of the unknown for some people.”
Montalto agrees, and he thinks the word is already getting out. “What’s beautiful to me is that I see a culture here emerging on its own. Other people, not just Tom and Morgan, are picking up the energy and spreading the word that this is a safe space and that everyone’s welcome.”
Naturally, because of the thrown-together nature of things, there have been some weird sound combinations and oddball arrangements. “We’ve had drummers double up, two bass players, we had an accordion with a synthesizer,” Huff recalls. “Nine times out of 10, it somehow works. And even when it doesn’t work, people still have a good time and are super jazzed about the concept. People get a quick hit of adrenaline just by getting out of the house.”
Orbital Music Park will hold a grand opening event at its new space early next month; visit orbitalmusicpark.com for details, or find updates on Facebook and Twitter.
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