Orbit (American band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Founder | Jeff Robbins, Paul Buckley, Mark Brookner |
| Headquarters | Boston , United States |
Area served | United States |
| Products | Music albums, singles, EPs |
| Owner | Lunch Records (initially), A&M Records (major label contract) |
Orbit is a rock group originating from Boston, Massachusetts, established in 1994. The band initially issued their music through drummer Paul Buckley's Lunch Records before securing a contract with the major label A&M Records in 1995. The founding lineup—Jeff Robbins, Buckley, and Mark Brookner—was responsible for landing the deal with A&M.
Career
Orbit's debut album, Libido Speedway, was released in 1997 and included the contemporary rock track "Medicine," which propelled them onto the Lollapalooza tour and earned recognition as debut album of the year at the Boston Music Awards.
Their follow-up major label effort, Guide To Better Living (1998), was ultimately shelved due to the merger between Polygram and Seagram. Subsequently, the band reverted to releasing music via Lunch Records. Among their notable placements, "XLR8R" was featured on the soundtrack of the PlayStation 2 game FreQuency, while "Colored Water" appeared in the 1996 movie Boys.
After performing their final concert on December 31, 2001, at Burlington Memorial Auditorium in Vermont, Orbit entered a hiatus. They later reunited for two shows in December 2007 at Boston’s Paradise Rock Club alongside indie rock band The Sheila Divine.
In January 2011, A&M issued the previously unreleased album Guide to Better Living under the new title The Lost Album, which led to performances in Boston, Chicago, and at SXSW. On June 30, 2012, they played at Paradise Rock Club as part of a farewell event for Boston alternative station WFNX (101.7FM).
On July 23, 2015, Orbit performed during the final week of concerts before the closure of Cambridge’s iconic rock venue TT the Bear's Place.
Their collection of unreleased tracks, Vapor Trails, was released on October 9, 2020 through Lunch Records.
Most recently, on August 24, 2023, Orbit announced their first live appearance in over eight years: a reunion show scheduled for November 22, 2023 at Brighton Music Hall with support from The Sheila Divine.
Members
- Jeff Lowe Robbins, lead vocals and guitar
- Paul Buckley, drums
- Mark Brookner, bass (1994–1995)
- Wally Gagel, bass (1996–1998)
- Linda Bean, bass (1999–2001)
- Fred Archambault, guitar (2000–2001)
Founding members Robbins and Buckley have remained consistent throughout Orbit’s tenure. Bean and Archambault joined prior to the release of Tonedeaf. Following their hiatus, Robbins and Bean formed WELL, while Buckley continues as drummer for Dear Leader and oversees Lunch Records.
Studio albums
- Libido Speedway (1997, A&M Records)
- Guide to Better Living (1999, A&M Records), reissued as The Lost Album in 2011 (A&M Records)
- XLR8R (2001, Lunch Records)
- Vapor Trails (2020, Lunch Records)
EPs
- La Mano (1995, Lunch Records)
- Medicine (1997, A&M Records)
- I Wanna Make You (1998, Lunch Records)
- Tonedeaf (2000, Lunch Records)
Singles
- "Motorama" (1994)
- "Purge" (1995)
- "Come Inside" (1996)
- "Medicine" (1997) – #29 Mainstream Rock, #32 Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)
- "Bicycle Song" (1997)
- "Fade Away" (2000)
- "See The Light" (2020)
- "More I Bother" (2020)
- "One In Your Eyes" (Scheduled for July 30, 2021)
Videos
- "Come Inside" (1995), helmed by Spencer Tunick
- "Medicine" (1997), directed by Gavin Bowdin
- "I Wanna Make You" (1999), a collaboration between Mike Gioscia and Kurt St. Thomas
External links
- Orbit's page on Lunch Records
- [ AllMusic profile for Orbit]
- Official WELL website
- Jeff Robbins' soundtrack portfolio
- Jeff Robbins' Lullabot site (non-musical)