Cultivating A Groove: Dead Orchids Bloom on Debut EP, ‘Open Mic Night’

Dead Orchids (Photo by Connor Mink)

We first encountered Buffalo’s Dead Orchids back in the early summer of 2023 at Mohawk Place. The band immediately made an indelible impression, infusing its unique blend of heavy, driving blues-influenced rock with rhythmic funk and formidable, passion-soaked vocals.

Fueled by the single ‘Bad Things Went Missing’ — an absolute banger — we wanted more. Immediately.

Well, as they say: patience is a virtue, and good things happen to those who wait. It’s been more than two years since that Mohawk Place show, and now, at long last, Dead Orchids is out with its debut EP, titled ‘Open Mic Night’ — a name that reaches back to the band’s origins.

It was worth the wait.

Dead Orchids is comprised of Veronica Cousins (vocals), Jake Kohler (guitar), Tyler Thompson (drums, keyboard) and Spencer Glinski (bass) — four gifted musicians who met at Villa Maria College. Overtime, they would eventually meld their own individual styles and influences to produce a unique sound bringing together raw, unadulterated power with a deep groove, sense of rhythm and soul.

On ‘Open Mic Night,’ Dead Orchids brings that sound to full throttle, with six tracks that showcase the band’s potent talent and versatility.

We spoke recently with the band’s members about the new EP and their journey. We’re thankful for their time. Here’s what they had to say:

1120 PRESS: Thanks very much for speaking with us and congratulations on the new EP, which we’ve spun many times already. The band has been around for a bit now, but this is your debut release. How are you feeling about everything?

VERONICA: We really appreciate the support. It’s been a long time coming for all of us, seriously. All four members were in college back when we kickstarted the EP. To see it come so far is genuinely a surreal but satisfying feeling, especially knowing that this is the first of many more to come.

SPENCER: It’s been a long process and it’s nice to finally have our vision realized with these songs. Now it’s on to the future, writing even more songs and playing more shows.

TYLER: It feels like a chapter of life with every song we released on this EP. I’m honored to see my bandmates grow as I grow alongside them. I’m really excited to hear the feedback as to what these songs will mean to every listener tuning in. With these guys, it feels like more than a band, it feels like a family

JAKE: Besides the excitement of having our music out, I think we’re definitely feeling a sense of relief as well. We’ve been working on this EP for a long time and to finally have it out almost feels like a graduation, so to speak. We’re excited to be writing new songs to share with everyone.

1120: In writing and recording the EP, was there a certain musical direction or sound for which you were aiming? And does ‘Open Mic Night’ have any particular meaning?

JAKE: When we started this band, we were just a bunch of hyper, music-crazed students who loved playing together at Villa Maria in the basement practice rooms. I think it’s got a bit of a garagey, punky feel to it cause we all come from different musical backgrounds and influences. We really just love making noise. All these songs, though, are our first creations as artists working together and the content of some of them have deeper meanings from whichever member wrote the lyrics. ‘Killing Floor’ for me reflected a lot of my personal thoughts and feelings towards life. The EP title though was an homage to our initial performances, playing open mic nights at Milkie’s on Elmwood. We would just show up with our gear and start playing these songs on random Tuesday nights.

VERONICA: Oftentimes, we’re generally just passing the ball to one another for music ideas. It really is all of us and our chaotic, creative minds putting together a harmonious sculpture every time. I don’t always just write the lyrics; we each dip our toes into each other’s work and never really worry about stepping on anyone’s in the process. Milkie’s practically raised us, so it just made sense that our first-ever experience could be immortalized.

SPENCER: Honestly, it was hard in the beginning meshing our musical taste and style together. We have very unique influences, but I think we struck a balance in our release. We are not going to stay in one lane for too long as evidenced even in our first EP. We look forward to working in more genres and melding them into our own unique music.

TYLER: To me it means this is just the beginning. We have a lot more music coming out that I am very excited for.

1120: We’ve jumped back and forth between the 2023 release of ‘Bad Things Went Missing’ and the version that’s on the new EP. In re-recording that track, was there anything new you wanted to bring out, or approach differently? It’s such a badass song.

VERONICA: Aww, thank you! ‘Bad Things Went Missing’ was a HUGE focus project for everyone in the band. It took a lot of rearranging and tuning up to become what it is now. Our first swing at recording was what it was — our first. As time went on, I knew I could do better, and a few of us agreed we wanted to give it second wind. It’s our baby.

JAKE: Thank you! We definitely wanted to refine it and make it more cohesive with the EP. That included mainly shortening the intro and then reworking some of the sonic elements in the mixing process to make it punchier and more unified. I believe V also worked some magic with the vocals a bit as well. Tyler and Austin at Deep Heights did an outstanding job with it! This version sounds like it did in my head and is one of my two personal favorite tracks on the EP!

1120: There is both power and groove in your sound, which have always stood out. There’s a ‘soul’ too — it’s very soulful. Can you talk about where that comes from?

(Photo by Matt Smith-1120 Press)

VERONICA: I think we can all agree we’ve got some soul in each of us. We always had a funky style that has been interpreted and reinterpreted with time. Most of my influences are in heavier bands like Spiritbox, Dance Gavin Dance and Architects, but I looooove, love, love slap bass and a groovy guitar line. BADBADNOTGOOD and Hiatus Kaiyote have a sound that is cathartic and fun at the same time, and that’s a really special thing that everyone needs to see.

SPENCER: I think this is my sole purpose as a bass player. When I look at the role bass has in the band, it’s to make the people move. Simple as that. And when you coordinate that with Tyler’s syncopated drumbeats and Jake’s bluesy riffs, it allows Veronica to show us our soul.

JAKE: One of the things that brought us together from the beginning was a mutual desire to cultivate a groove and really connect with one another while playing. Tyler and I will try to match notes on drums and guitar respectively and that’s always fun. We spend a lot of time jamming together and while our influences are eclectic, we all share a mutual love of funk, R&B, and soul music. I’ve always been an admirer of Eddie Hazel from Parliament Funkadelic and his ability to really stretch out notes for every bit of emotion they have. His solo on “Hit it and Quit it” is like a drug to me.

1120: The band has been playing out a lot, it seems, this past year. Now that the EP has been released, what else is on the band’s agenda for the near future?

VERONICA: The next thing on our plate is getting to work on our other songs. We have a handful of goodies we can’t wait to record that we play out at shows. Over time, our sound has tightened up and we have new techniques, so we’ll be tracking that stuff eventually. In the meantime, we’re striking while the pan is hot and hitting more venues and events to perform at.

TYLER: Definitely more venues and slowly working our way to more places in and out of the city. Wherever there’s love for the Orchids we’ll make our way to it.

JAKE: We have a lot of new songs that we’re writing, and even already playing some out live. Live shows are the life blood for us and we’re hoping to grow that as much as possible.

1120: You recorded this at Deep Heights. Is there anyone you worked with there to whom you want to give a shout out?

VERONICA: YES! We want to give a lot of love to our guy Austin, who has not only patiently walked us through this process but has made a home of his workspace with us and done our sound at Goodbar. Another shout out to our drummer Tyler who closely works with Austin as well; his dynamic, passion and dedication for the workload is what got us here. Truly cannot thank them enough.

TYLER: Austin Fisher – AKA Fausto. He’s been amazing with bringing these songs to life! When we get in the room together to attack a mix, I feel like there’s nothing we can’t achieve. He has an amazing ear. I want to give a shout out to Brandon Martinez as well for his support through this process. Without both of my partners at Deep Heights the place wouldn’t even be standing.

JAKE: Definitely want to give a shout out to our very own Tyler Thompson. He served as a huge force behind bringing our live sound to the record, as well as being able to translate that to the studio with him being a co-producer next to Austin, who did an excellent job engineering this project.

1120: Thank you for speaking with us. Before we wrap up is there anything additionally you want to say about ‘Open Mic Night’ or anything else?

VERONICA: It’s been a pleasure. We know the road is long and winding, but we’re excited. We KNOW what the hard work looks like; know that it’s possible to be great, and then greater. Our EP serves as the first steppingstone to many opportunities to reach other people. I’ve never done any of this for money. As long as there’s even one person who can come up to me or anyone else and say “Wow, I really needed to hear this,” that’s what ‘Open Mic Night’ is. That’s who I create music for.

JAKE: Thanks again for having us! Just to be able to create and share music with the world is all we’ve ever wanted. I cannot express enough how excited I am for the future and creating new sounds. We really hope people listen to and love the record. It was a labor of love.