Stephen Wisniewski, Vince Moreno, Mark Michalik, Michelle Lukezic, Jeff Buffmyer, John Duffy, Chris Thibodeau, Nick Mayberry, Brandon Trammell, Ryan Sublett, Pamela Butler, Dave "The K-Man" Kloc, Hannah Fralick, Lance Nelson and so on...
Influences
Neil Diamond, Bo Diddley, Joe Henry, pj harvey, Robbie Fulks, Billy Bragg, Tom Waits, Michael Penn, Neko Case, Whiskeytown, Patsy Cline, etc.
Sounds Like
Screamin' Jay Hawkins fucking Tom Petty in the bathroom at a Sixteen Horsepower concert. at least i hope so, because that would sound amazing.
"Empty Orchestra" is the literal english translation of the japanese word "karaoke."
people say nice things:
"Empty Orchestra's skill for earworm jangle and twangle comes courtesy of leader-guy Stephen Wisniewski, who, in an earlier time (say the mid-'90s), woulda been a bona fide contender for the kind of major label bidding war that brought us such awesomeness as the Jayhawks, the Bottle Rockets and AM-era Wilco... I'm loath to pigeonhole the goods on offer at their MySpace page, so check for yourself. I will say that there's a grand pop sense at work." - Detroit Metro Times, 8/6/08
"They're torchbearers of the rough edge urban folk of Billy Bragg, or the smoky idiosyncratic poet-blues of Tom Waits and a revival of classic 70's singer/songwriter balladry--only amped up with a squadron of talented musicians bringing a fire to even the slower tunes...The distinct sound of classic American R&B, that meloncholic escapism, that near-bluesy visceral howl and that near-country twang, combined with a distinct whirlwind alt-rock urgency, beautiful intertwining guitars, be it the strummed acoustic, the steady rhythm or the more exertive lead, with its solos and pedal roars...an invigorating live band." - Jeff Milo, Real Detroit Weekly
"Empty Orchestra's music might be best described as experimental Americana. Perhaps inspired by whatever cosmic forced produced the off-kilter creative freedom of Wilco, Tom Waits and Bobby Bare, Jr., the quintet that composes Empty Orchestra seems as interested in masterful '70s rock and balladeer song-writing as they are in the folksier outer-rings of the indie circuit." - the Ann Arbor Current
"Lead singer Stephen Wisniewski's vocals stand pretty heavily in the mix, but with a lot to say it's not hard to see why. Somewhere musically in the ilk of darker alt-country and kindredly in the sentiment of most rust-belt hardcore, it's definitely worth the e-purchase." - David Obenour, Ghettoblaster Magazine
"If Tom Waits met Mike Patton in a bar, then a mellower Gogol Bordello walked in, they all shared a couple rounds and wrote a few songs together, this is what it might sound like. One of the best albums of 2007." - The Flint Journal
"One of the best albums of 2007...Some of the best music comes out of the worst case scenarios, so apparently Flint = Tom Waits + Jawbreaker." - David Obenour, editor, Ghettoblaster Magazine
"Some time in the dead of a Flint, Michigan winter, The Boss and The Coug were drinking draft Coors in a dive bar. In stumbles Tom Waits and sprays whiskey in their faces, cursing them and chastising their lack of depth and innovation in the past decade. What followed was a long and bawdy drinking, cussing, battle of wits that lead the trio to stumble into a recording studio populated by a few local kids. All three of them sobered up a few weeks later, just in time to watch Stephen Wisniewski walk out the front door with a few reels of tape labeled "Here Lies... Empty Orchestra." - Aaron Smith, friend, musician
"Empty Orchestra sound like an army." - The Hard Lessons
thanks.
"It's All True" -- making of our new split 7"
Click on a link above to order "Here Lies Empty Orchestra."
Wanted to extend an extra thank you to Jeff & Lance for telling me to check out Sleepercar. I like them quite a lot. Safe touring & much love kiddos. -L
Hey! I just posted some tracks from my new album, AMEN and if you like what you hear, I'll be hanging out at a little coffee shop for most of the day out in Flint on June 9th. The place is called Good Beans and if you are in town, it would be good to see you again. If you want to bring some acoustic instruments and jam a little, that would be cool too!
listen, i am just a fan but again, i think you should sustain that "govorner came to take us away part" it sounds so damn majestic and it would get the crowd going but it is over with in like 7 seconds. also i can not spell govorner to save my life.
i am going to need a venue for the san francisco show so i can make plans immediately. i NEED to see you, feel you. and stephen you will see how literal the latter is when you get here.
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