BellaOrange

The band Bella Orange is sure to get your spirits lifted with their funky, eclectic sound that is "rooted in soul and R&B." The band features Tiffany Kaye (vocals), Ryan James (bass), Michael Kinser (guitar) and its newest member, Nick Gray (drums).

"Nick came in with more of a rock background," Kinser said. "

I play jazz, blues and reggae. Ryan brings more of a punk rock influence and reggae. And Tiffany's vocals, she's got the kind of bluesy and soulful kind of R&B vocals. Each song is a little different and we like to take (the songs) in a lot of different directions."

Bella Orange formed about six months ago, and Gray joined about three weeks ago, saying "it's been great so far."

Now the band is working on Gray getting acquainted with the music. But from what I heard when they rehearsed one of their new songs in James' house garage, Gray didn't seem to miss a beat.

Bella Orange performs mostly original songs, with "some tunes by our favorite artists" such as Sam Cooke, Tom Petty and Alicia Keys. Each of the band members contributes to the songwriting, all writing about their own experiences, which ultimately turns out to be very diverse.

"So far (the songs) have all been mostly funky," Kaye said. "All of us are songwriters. It's kind of a mixed variety of music. It's all about positive reinforcement, really. A lot of (musicians) are all sappy and (our music) is just trying to get away from that. To tell people there's a better day, especially with what we're going through with the economy and everything."

Bella Orange has almost an album's worth of songs put together, and they have been checking into different recording studios in the area. But they aren't in any rush to get their first EP out.

"I find that if you put a timeline on studio projects like that, than you'll never be satisfied with the finished project," Kinser said. "It always takes longer than you anticipate. It's a pretty vigorous process."

For James, it was hard to choose a song that he would label as their first single, as "they're all like children."

But the band members all agreed that "Alive and Well" was suitable.

"It's basically about taking your time, looking around, not putting everyone in the same bracket; you have to go case by case with people," Kaye said. "I think if you handle people that way, you get a better response. It's about being positive and taking good energy out there. Hence, 'Alive and Well.' It's talking about having a good time."

Bella Orange plans on doing just that this summer season, as they're mostly focused on playing shows and private parties and booking a full schedule through the winter. The band will play at Oops Alley, 3721 U.S. 90 in

Pace, for the first time at 8 p.m. Saturday. They will also hit the outdoor festival scene for Sunsets at Plaza de Luna at 5 p.m. Thursday.

"I love playing outdoors," Kinser said. "Anytime we can play outside by the water"[broken bar] that's ideal, is to play in the festival circuit. That's more of the venues we're shooting for. It's more enjoyable for everyone, I think."

The band members laughed and passed around the topic of how they came up with the name Bella Orange, as Kaye said, "I knew this one was coming! I was waiting for it."

Each person has a different story. One says it relates to Florida oranges; another says Bella is Italian for "beautiful woman"; and Kaye's favorite color is orange. There was even a crazy story about a drummer running off the side of the road in a van and knocking over a bunch of orange cones in the process.

Perhaps the answer to sum it all up: Orange is a natural stimulant, which is what Bella Orange's music is all about.
- Pensacola News Journal

Pensacola's Bella Orange has only been a full band for a little over six months, but they bring a wealth of experience to the table. From the first time founding members Ryan James (bass) and Tiffany Kaye (vocals) got together and jammed, they knew that they had something special. "Tiffany and I met while working at Gulf Medical," says Ryan. "It was one of those things where we just got to talking about music and found out that the other played. Ever since then, we have been kind of like best friends and worst enemies. We started out just doing some acoustic stuff and then decided to put together a whole band in order to really bring out the best in the music." With Ryan coming from a punk rock background, and Tiffany from more of a traditional musical upbringing, they began looking for other musicians with diverse tastes. "Thank goodness for Craigslist," says Ryan. "We met Mike (guitars) online. He is into a lot of different styles of playing, so it worked out nicely."

Mike Kinzer has been playing around our area for over fourteen years, having pioneered the Pensacola rock scene in the mid-nineties with Nevermore. "I started taking piano lessons at the age of eight," recalls Kinzer. "That was when I discovered my passion for music. After that, I trained in classical guitar and horn playing. I have played in a number of bands around the area for years before falling in with these guys."

Having found the best man to handle the guitar work, Bella Orange came full circle when they added drummer Nick Gray and started booking and playing as many shows as possible around town, bringing their eclectic brand of music to the local crowds. "We want to give people a different kind of experience when they see us play live. Performing is easy. It's winning over the crowd that is hard," says Mike. "You never know how we might approach the set on any given night. We might play one song a certain way one night, and a completely different way the next. We can go anywhere from hard rock to urban jazz in a matter of seconds. That's pretty much how the songwriting process goes too. There are three songwriters in the band, so we never have a lack of ideas. Some one might write a song that was originally like a folk song, and we'll rock it out in every style we can think of until we find what works. So it can start out a folk song and end up a reggae tune."

With a voice capable of adapting to any different direction that her band may go from one moment to the next, Tiffany Kaye is no novice when it comes to entertaining. "I was always singing as a child. There are plenty of old home videos of me singing and dancing around in front of my family," says Tiffany. "I grew up on country music, even though I was never that big into it, so it naturally became part of my vocal style. I've always loved that sultry southern way of singing," Tiffany divulges. "Plus, my mother was an opera singer, so she was always sure to correct me if I went off key. Singing and music have always been a big part of my family."

The name of the band has just as much soul within its meaning. "Bella is the Italian word for beautiful. And the orange represents happiness and peace, and possesses healing qualities," Tiffany adds. "We want to make people happy when we play. That's the power of live music. It does something to you and just makes things better, if only for awhile."

Bella Orange has plenty of songs to start working on a full length follow-up to their Alive and Well E.P., but they have put the recording business aside while they give new addition Atatui Tavake (horns) time to become familiar with the music. "We have enough songs for a full length record and then some, but we want to let Tui become more comfortable with the songs," says Mike on the newest member of the band. "We have been thinking of adding a horn player for quite some time, and by dumb luck I met Tui. He is a phenomenal musician, with mad skills on pretty much any instrument he touches. We think he is perfect for the band. Now we have all the pieces of the puzzle." Ryan James adds, "It is cool having Tui playing with us now. He brings a whole new dynamic to the music we play. He's done a couple of shows with us already, and we have a lot more freedom to jam with him on board. With Tui on trumpet, a normally three-minute song can get stretched into six, just so we can watch him play horn solos. He is amazing."

Now that everything has fallen into place, Bella Orange is determined to put itself out there as much as possible and become a major force in the local music scene. - Independent News Weekly