ID - Where Are We Going, Interview with Kevin Orsie

ID - "Where Are We Going" Album Cover

Welcome to another TDATS artist interview! I first came across the band "ID" and their 1977 LP release "Where Are We Going" a few years ago during my general searches and in this case, ID was a band I read about in Denis Meyer's "The Hard Rock Anthology 1968-1980" (link). I have since featured ID in volume 145 (link), and during the making of that it was hard to find more information on the band. After putting on my investigation hat I was lucky enough to receive a response from Maryland USA resident and original ID bass player, Kevin Orsie, and the results of his kind cooperation are here before you.

The album immediately got my attention on first listen, with its long atmospheric compositions that soar and retreat through various moods and sonic landscapes....an easy comparison is Pink Floyd's more extended works like Echoes, but it's a fair comparison as Kevin himself has stated Floyd as a major influence. In a modern context, I think this will go together well with bands that specialise in long jam-based songs like Earthless, and in the realms of TDATS another good comparison is the stunning P₂O₅ track that I included way back in Volume 33 (link). The centerpiece of the album is "Where Are We Going" parts 1 & 2, but this blog being called "The Day After The Sabbath", ID also delves into the heavier side of rock at times and Where Are We Going Part 2 navigates almost 14 minutes of satisfyingly dark waters.

INTERVIEW

Kevin on-stage in recent times

Q1. Hi Kevin, firstly thanks very much for doing this! What sparked the formation of ID, and why did you decide to specialise in bass?

I started as a drummer and switched to bass at the age of 14. I joined a band that needed a bass player, so that was the beginning.....I knew Dave and Gary (the Oickle brothers) from the neighborhood, they lived the next street over from me.... Dave asked me over one day, I went down to the basement and they were set up to practice, I didn't even know they were musicians. I soon came over to jam, and that sparked the beginning of ID. We rehearsed almost every day. We soon moved practices to an old church auditorium and we rehearsed there for the next several years.

Q2. What inspired the name “ID”?

Gary Oickle the guitar player came up with the name, ID stands for the ego / subconscious.

Q3. What musical scenes and artists were the newly-formed ID enjoying and listening to?

We listened to a lot of Pink Floyd, I was into Chris Squire from Yes, and Greg Ridley from Humble Pie. Also I was big into Black Sabbath, and Geezer Butler had a big influence on my playing.  Geezer and I are both Lakland Bass Artists. EDITOR: Lakland is an American guitar & bass manufacturer (link).

Q4. Did ID play any gigs or festivals that you can tell us about?

We played a lot of shows, one of the most memorable was a concert in Central Park, New York City... I was 17 years old, it was a bit overwhelming but I have such great memories....

Q6. How did ID get recorded on the Aura Records label? I noticed (On Discogs at least) that there are no other bands on the label.

It is a label created by ID, just an independent label....

Q7. Could you please confirm if this band / producer information is correct?

ID - Where Are We Going back cover
(re-arranged for improved readability)

Bass Guitar, Vocals – Kevin Orsie

Drums, Vocals – Ralph Jenkins

Guitar, Lead Vocals, Mellotron, Written-By, Producer – David Oickle

Lead Guitar, Written-By – Gary Oickle

Mastered By – Sam Feldman

Mellotron, Engineer – Bob Halsal

Producer – Ed Slade

Slide Guitar, Producer – James Albert

This is all correct...

Q8. I noticed that the production staff (Bob, James) also played instruments. Can you elaborate on this?

Bob was the recording engineer at the studio where we recorded the album.  The studio had a Mellotron so Bob somehow or another played it on the album. James Albert just added a little slide guitar here and there, not really sure how that happened...

Here's a cut from Kevin's latest band, "Vista Sky". You can check out his Soundcloud here.

Vista Sky · Kevin Orsie - What I'm Doin (mix2)

Q9. When and where did you record the ID album?  What are your memories of recording the album?

We Recorded at Sound Dimensional Studios, 54th Street in New York City. It was owned by Jimi Hendrix's first producer. It was so surreal for me since I was really still a teenager, it was fun and I think I did all the bass in one take. We had rehearsed so much, it was like a freeing journey.

Kevin playing his Rickenbacker bass
in ID at around age 17

Q10. What was the creative process? Your songs have a jam orientated sound, did you improvise much during recording?

Dave wrote most of the guitars and arrangements, then we would start playing until I would create the bass parts,  and Gary was very creative and very much a free-form player, though the songs were always well rehearsed but we could jam out, just on the fly…

Q11. ID’s music is great. I particularly like Where Are We Going...Part 2 which is heavy and trippy with a driving bass line from yourself.

Yes, that was an amazing piece, we could play the whole song almost note for note, but always had the space to add and jam out some...

Q12. Do you have any favourite ID songs? Can you tell us about any of them in particular, like which were easiest or most fun to play?

I always enjoyed playing Sunrise (A New Day), it had this vibe to it, always a very positive sound...Though there are two unreleased songs that were recorded in the same sessions, The Mountain Song, and Go All The Way..... I loved performing The Mountain song live...

Q13. What inspired the apocalyptic LP cover art, was it chosen by the band?

Gary Oickle came up with that, I just think seeing the way things were heading, brought a lot of Questions, and we see even more so right now…

Q14. What happened after the album was released? Was it widely released by Aura or only in limited numbers?

It was, it went to Europe, and to California, and to this day we still have a big cult following in Europe, California and Texas....

Q15. Do you remember what the public’s reception was like? Was it played on radio or reviewed in magazines etc?

The reception seemed to be better in some places than others, but it seemed to be well-received within progressive music listeners.

Q16. Can you describe the band’s activities after the album came out, how much longer did ID exist? Were there any plans or recordings for more records?

After the album came out ID went on for at least another 2 or 3 years, I left about a year and a half after the album's release, I had a drive to do more....

Still recording in 2023 !

Q17. What happened after ID broke up?

As of now 2023 I am the only surviving member of ID. As far as I know, I am the only one who went on to pursue and write original music. I recorded a lot, and had some airplay on 98 Rock in Baltimore. When I lived in Myrtle Beach a lot happened for me, I got to play live with some amazing musicians,  Alan Thorton from North Carolina's Nantucket (link) and South Carolina's Steve Senes (link). Steve was such an amazing guitar player. After I moved back to Maryland I started playing with my brother Paul in Fuzz, the singer was my nephew, we did originals and covers, played some great places, and did shows with some great bands.

I still write and record, I put out a lot of music over the years. Last year I released An EP, it is on iTunes and Spotify. My band's name is As The Night Goes, and “Annapolis” is the album name. I am currently recording another album, which should be out this year. I am also planning on remastering and re-releasing ID’s Where Are We Going.

Q18. I found some other bands that you were in after ID; "Viridian Blew", "Blind", "Fuzz" and "Swamp Ash". Can you tell us something about these?

Viridian Blew was right after ID and I did have a single out with that band that was played on 98 Rock. Blind and Fuzz were really good bands that I played-in with my brother Paul, we did originals and put CDs out. We played together for a long time and it was a great experience. My nephew Josiah was a singer for Fuzz. He was 17 years old and he went on to form "Tears of Mars" with his four brothers, all my nephews. He is the recording engineer who records me now. Swamp Ash is my project but I changed the name because there are two other bands with that name, so now it's called "Vista Sky". I am going back into the studio next month (May 2023) to finish up everything for my next album. It'll be a while before they are mixed and mastered. You can follow Vista Sky on Facebook (link).

Fuzz · Push The Needle

Q19. Do you have any prevailing memories or stories of ID that you’d like to add?

Ha, I have so many, but I will share one....We were supposed to play at the Point Pleasant Beach Bar, and Midnight Landing (Hendrix Tribute band). They were playing, I just got there, and the place was a mad house, out of control, LOL. Then the Police came and shut it down....we never got to play that day.

I will leave you with this, It was such a journey and an honour to write and share the stage with the Oickle brothers, they were the real deal, creative and innovative. We were a bunch of guys that got together to break the mold of the normal hit-making mentality that was around during the '70s, in other words we wanted to create more of a free-form, spontaneous kind of music that was creative......so Peace and Love, Cheers....Kevin Orsie

Links:

Kevin Orsie's Soundcloud
Vista Sky on Facebook

As The Night Goes on Spotify , iTunes

In memory of Gary Oickle (1954 - 2000), David Oickle (1955 - 2022) and Ralph Jenkins.

© Kevin Orsie / aftersabbath.blogspot.com

Kevin in Blind, live at Club66 c.2013 - Edgewood, MD

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