"Known as much for her stage presence as for her hard-hitting lyrics, San Francisco singer/songwriter Valerie Orth captivates the crowd... She is soulful, genuine, and edgy," writes the San Francisco Bay Guardian. With Abigail Picache on drums and Bob Sanders on bass, Valerie Orth Band is a dynamic rock trio. Each song has its own unique twist of folk, reggae, funk, heavy rock, or even a little trip-hop.
The rhythms of Valerie Orth Band stop just when you get comfortable and pull you back just when you thought you'd been dropped. Their melodies and phrases will catch in your head and stay there humming to you for days, and if you listen beyond their beauty, you'll come away scarred and stronger. And, as Philadelphia's live music critic, Bob Seabury, says "On a scale from 0 to 10, the energy and stage presence of the Valerie Orth Band is at least 11!"
And The Maine Edge writes: "...From the first note to the last, [Valerie Orth Band] played a solid set with a great sound that kept the music fresh - you could tell the band played with their hearts. One of the highlights of the night was when Orth left her post up front and sat down at the drum kit. She joked that she is really a drummer, and I wouldn't doubt her, as she impressed the crowd with her drumming prowess...And while some of her music reflects her activist attitude towards events in the country - their song "Movers and Shakers" is about changing political opinions and how it takes everyone to help to do so - not all of her music has to do with political affairs. She simply sings and plays what she believes in."
Off-stage, Valerie matches her musical capacity with a passion for activism and community involvement. She has been a grassroots organizer for the past 7 years, mobilizing people in San Francisco as well as nationally mostly around economic justice. In 2005, she co-founded WomenROCK, empowering women rockers in the Bay Area. While her core beliefs are represented poetically in some of her lyrics, that's not all she sings about. Throughout "This At Last," (www.cdbaby.com/vorth) Valerie takes the listener on a journey through the depths and heights of relationships and love.
PAST SHOWS -
FESTIVALS - Oregon Country Fair, Moon Mountain Music Festival, River Ranch Music Festival, Mission Creek Music Festival, Green Festival, Dolores Park Movie Night
SAN FRANCISCO HEADLINER - Bottom of the Hill, Cafe Du Nord, 12 Galaxies, Red Devil Lounge, Amnesia, the Make Out Room, El Rio, Hotel Utah, Rockit Room, Edinburgh Castle, and many more.
NATIONAL TOURING - Philadelphia (Tin Angel, Grape Street Philadelphia, World Cafe Live), New York (The Bitter End, Caffe Vivaldi), Boston MA, Northampton MA, Ithaca NY, Seattle, Portland OR, Bend, Shasta City CA, Portland ME, New Hope PA, Albany NY, Washington DC, Virginia, Minneapolis, and more.
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