Safety Word Orange
Richmond, Virginia, United States | SELF
Music
Press
Safety Word Orange seemingly have it all figured out.
They have a clean and marketable modern rock sound with the perfect amount of mid-90’s influence sprinkled throughout their seamless self titled EP. These southern boys from Virginia wanted to make a quick stamp on the industry and this EP is the right way to start.
James Mason’s fantastic vocals lead Safety Word Orange’s charge, and time after time, they are on the forefront of the record. Mason’s harmonies and melodies carry the record, but the rest of the band isn’t to be outdone.
This EP conjures up a lot of bands who have spent their fair share of time in the limelight – Sugar Ray, Hootie and the Blowfish, Third Eye Blind, and even Sublime. While the record itself might borrow or lend itself to some of those afore mentioned bands, it is much more than a collection of castoffs or copies. They have excellent song structures and even better sonic landscapes that make this record necessary to hear and thoroughly exciting. Its light, it airy and most of all it is a fun record to listen to.
Safety Word Orange is very much an independent band, but this debut EP is far from indie sounding. It doesn’t lack production quality as they band turned to Adema’s Ed Faris to man the mixing board, and it paid off. The record sounds real and pure, and it also has a lot of looks to it.
The record features the bands successful attempt at poppy ska ala Ill Scarlett (‘Last Night,’ ‘Sand Trap’), good old fashioned, hooky rock (‘Not Me’), or quintessential nineties ballads (‘Think You’ve Got It,’ Denial’). If you’re looking for a quick and cheap 90’s throwback, look no further then the hand clap bridge in ‘Last Night.’
The band can hang their hat on one thing for sure, that this is only their debut and they stand to only get better from here on in.
Rocks like:
- Ill Scarlett – ‘All Day With It’
- Third Eye Blind – ‘Third Eye Blind’
- Everclear – ‘Learning How to Smile’
http://philadelphiaathome.com/dct/54/id/11335/mid/1739/Safety-Word-Orange---Self-Titled-EP.aspx - Brian Campbell
Safety Word Orange seemingly have it all figured out.
They have a clean and marketable modern rock sound with the perfect amount of mid-90’s influence sprinkled throughout their seamless self titled EP. These southern boys from Virginia wanted to make a quick stamp on the industry and this EP is the right way to start.
James Mason’s fantastic vocals lead Safety Word Orange’s charge, and time after time, they are on the forefront of the record. Mason’s harmonies and melodies carry the record, but the rest of the band isn’t to be outdone.
This EP conjures up a lot of bands who have spent their fair share of time in the limelight – Sugar Ray, Hootie and the Blowfish, Third Eye Blind, and even Sublime. While the record itself might borrow or lend itself to some of those afore mentioned bands, it is much more than a collection of castoffs or copies. They have excellent song structures and even better sonic landscapes that make this record necessary to hear and thoroughly exciting. Its light, it airy and most of all it is a fun record to listen to.
Safety Word Orange is very much an independent band, but this debut EP is far from indie sounding. It doesn’t lack production quality as they band turned to Adema’s Ed Faris to man the mixing board, and it paid off. The record sounds real and pure, and it also has a lot of looks to it.
The record features the bands successful attempt at poppy ska ala Ill Scarlett (‘Last Night,’ ‘Sand Trap’), good old fashioned, hooky rock (‘Not Me’), or quintessential nineties ballads (‘Think You’ve Got It,’ Denial’). If you’re looking for a quick and cheap 90’s throwback, look no further then the hand clap bridge in ‘Last Night.’
The band can hang their hat on one thing for sure, that this is only their debut and they stand to only get better from here on in.
Rocks like:
- Ill Scarlett – ‘All Day With It’
- Third Eye Blind – ‘Third Eye Blind’
- Everclear – ‘Learning How to Smile’
http://philadelphiaathome.com/dct/54/id/11335/mid/1739/Safety-Word-Orange---Self-Titled-EP.aspx - Brian Campbell
The Story So Far:
In Late 2007, vocalist James Mason and guitarist/vocalist Robbie Rusbuldt were Virginia natives living in Los Angeles and strangers until introduced through a mutual friend. After adapting from an acoustic act to a full band, both returned to Virginia in 2008 and the current lineup of Safety Word Orange (found entirely via Craiglist) formed only recently. "We've steadily grown, says Rusbuldt. "Now we're opening for national acts and booking shows all along the East Coast."
Why You Should Know 'Em:
"So many pop-rock bands have this carbon-copy sound," says Rusbuldt. "But I feel like we've made a unique sound out of something that has been done so many times before." Their feel-good pop does separate itself from the field thanks largely to Mason's raspy tone and a step away from standard pop-punk. "We've really challenged ourselves to write songs that draw from real-life experiences," says Rusbuldt. "It's something everyone can relate to." - Alternative Press
"Their stark mid-90's pop rock feel is a welcome addition to today's scene oft-filled with carbon copy bands. With Adema's Ed Feris behind the mixing board of their debut EP, expect a shiny coat of unyielding rock sheen, laden with as much musicianship as you can handle. In all likelihood, SWO are one of the best bands you have never heard of" - Starpulse.com
Who?
Safety Word Orange are a five-piece pop punk group from Richmond, Virginia. On Your Mark. Get Set. is the follow-up to their self-titled debut EP released in 2008. The lead single from this EP, "Fiending", has already gained popularity on PureVolume and the band are playing a record release show in Richmond with The Friday Night Boys, The Bigger Lights, and Cute Is What We Aim For.
How Is It?
It's sun-soaked and ready for your cliché summer pop punk comments. Let's play it with the windows rolled down. Let's play it when we're playing cornhole and drinking a Corona at the beach. Fuck that, I'm playing it everywhere. Safety Word Orange combine a relatively mellow pop punk sound with passionate vocals, a sound that really draws similarities to A Dangerous Summer at times. This is hardly a bad thing, though, as On Your Mark. Get Set. proves to be one of the most enjoyable EPs I've heard in a fairly long while. From the crescendos of "Never Enough" to the fiery chorus of "Another Face in the Crowd" to the soaring vocals in "Fiending", there is enough variety to satisfy everyone in this 5-song output. Considering that Safety Word Orange don't stray away from their sound much, and considering that their sound isn't breaking ground on anything new, the versatility shown in the EP is a good sign for future full length efforts. Closing song "Halfway in Love By the Time We Sat Down" shows the variety again as it begins slower than the previous tracks before a rhythmic, upbeat chorus.
Safety Word Orange are definitely on to something here with their second EP. Although the songs combine to total less than 20 minutes of play time, there is enough substance here to make me excited for this band's future. On Your Mark. Get Set. shows the potential for this group to develop strongly, and like The Dangerous Summer's If You Could Only Keep Me Alive EP, it could be the gateway into something huge. Someone just needs to sign them and make it happen. - AbsolutePunk.net - Thomas Nassiff
Safety Word Orange is a pop punk band from Richmond, Virginia, that is defining the barriers of 'pop' while still holding on to that catchy sound that keeps songs in your head for hours. Check out our short interview with them and hear them for yourself at myspace.com/safetywordorange.
1. How would you describe your sound?
Safety Word Orange has been described as mellow pop-punk, but ultimately is a straight pop-rock band. The raspy tone of the lead singer James Mason and cleaner tones of Robbie Rusbuldt and Jackson Wise are what really help differentiate SWO from most other bands in our genre.
2. What are your plans and goals for the rest of 2010?
So far 2010 has been great to us! We put out our new record in May, which has received great reviews so far, have done two different tours of the east coast, and are playing warped tour in July. For the rest of the year we're just going to keep on touring, and maybe take some time to start writing some new songs as well. We also recently started filming a music video for our single "Fiending" and we'll be putting that out this fall. - Substream Music Press
Who?
Safety Word Orange are a five-piece pop punk group from Richmond, Virginia. On Your Mark. Get Set. is the follow-up to their self-titled debut EP released in 2008. The lead single from this EP, "Fiending", has already gained popularity on PureVolume and the band are playing a record release show in Richmond with The Friday Night Boys, The Bigger Lights, and Cute Is What We Aim For.
How Is It?
It's sun-soaked and ready for your cliché summer pop punk comments. Let's play it with the windows rolled down. Let's play it when we're playing cornhole and drinking a Corona at the beach. Fuck that, I'm playing it everywhere. Safety Word Orange combine a relatively mellow pop punk sound with passionate vocals, a sound that really draws similarities to A Dangerous Summer at times. This is hardly a bad thing, though, as On Your Mark. Get Set. proves to be one of the most enjoyable EPs I've heard in a fairly long while. From the crescendos of "Never Enough" to the fiery chorus of "Another Face in the Crowd" to the soaring vocals in "Fiending", there is enough variety to satisfy everyone in this 5-song output. Considering that Safety Word Orange don't stray away from their sound much, and considering that their sound isn't breaking ground on anything new, the versatility shown in the EP is a good sign for future full length efforts. Closing song "Halfway in Love By the Time We Sat Down" shows the variety again as it begins slower than the previous tracks before a rhythmic, upbeat chorus.
Safety Word Orange are definitely on to something here with their second EP. Although the songs combine to total less than 20 minutes of play time, there is enough substance here to make me excited for this band's future. On Your Mark. Get Set. shows the potential for this group to develop strongly, and like The Dangerous Summer's If You Could Only Keep Me Alive EP, it could be the gateway into something huge. Someone just needs to sign them and make it happen. - AbsolutePunk.net - Thomas Nassiff
"Rock with a good beat from Fairfax- and LA-based Safety Word Orange, who present their debut, self-titled EP. Lots good here, and we look forward to a full-length."
http://www.ontaponline.com/view_article.php?article_id=11296 - On Tap Magazine
"A simplistic approach of progressive guitars is the setting for a memorable track, 'Not Me'. A strong back bone of crunchy distortion and powerful production with subtle vocals."
"'Think You've Got It' begins with an acoustic touch, and after a taste of lead vocals, these guys cross up vocal harmonies and backup vocals over a constant bouncy instrumentation."
"'Last Night' is another one of those songs where you'll hear the intermittent bass twang that is absolutely one of the unique signatures of SWO."
"In my opinion, 'Sandtrap' is SWO's best song. Chalk full of natural rhythms and dinstinct melodies, this track is ready for radio airplay today."
"James, Robbie, Jade and Andrew have a great start here. An ability to write PowerPop songs that have a feel good vibe gives them the opportunity to make a strong following. Definitely a band that will grow with the maturation process."
http://www.musicemissions.com/artists/albums/index.php?album_id=9538 - Music Emissions - Brian Rutherford
"Rock with a good beat from Fairfax- and LA-based Safety Word Orange, who present their debut, self-titled EP. Lots good here, and we look forward to a full-length."
http://www.ontaponline.com/view_article.php?article_id=11296 - On Tap Magazine
Discography
Acceptance EP (2011)
The Safety Word Orange EP (2008)
On Your Mark, Get Set... (2010)
Photos
Bio
Without the help of a booking agent, manager or any support from a label, Safety Word Orange has always had to do everything on their own. Citing no lack in work ethic, they’ve managed to make quite a name for themselves over the course of the past three years. “Showcasing a mellower pop-punk sound…Safety Word Orange are making a case for being the unsigned pop-punk group of the year” raves Absolutepunk.net.
Safety Word Orange got its start October 2007 in Los Angeles, CA when lead-vocalist, James Mason and guitarist/vocalist, Robbie Rusbuldt were introduced to each other by a mutual friend. Immediately the two began the writing process. A few months later they recorded their debut Self-Titled EP.
Later that year, the boys returned home to VA in hopes of putting together a permanent line up. With the help of craigslist they met guitarist, Jackson Wise who was an instant fit. The dynamic and writing style he brought gave some life back to the band, and soon after his arrival SWO began writing for their next record. Next, they added Travis King on drums, who brought along high school friend, Will Michalik.
With the success of their second EP, On Your Mark, Get Set…, SWO decided to return to producer, Bryan Russell for their third release. The goal was to produce something stronger than their last EP, while conveying a message that has depth. You won’t find any drunk party anthems on this album as one of the lyrics blatantly says, “I don’t care about your weekend plans.” Singer James Mason elaborated by saying; “we’re sharing stories that deal with real life struggles and problems, while still creating a sense of hope for our listeners.”
The new EP, Acceptance, showcases the familiar pop-rock sounds of SWO, but also includes a more alternative, 90’s feel to it, reminiscent to that of the music the boys grew up listening to. “Their feel good pop does separate itself from the field thanks largely to Mason’s raspy tone and a step away from standard pop punk” claims Alternative Press (Issue #265).
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