Interviews: Orbital Hotel

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Instrumental Rock band Orbital Hotel from Austria. Check out the interview, enjoy the band.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Was it planned, or did it just happen organically?

Many years ago, I started a project I called SpacedWorks. It was an attempt to do "Atmospheric Rock". Then I met Tamer and Teo, and we started playing together more structured, heavier, and spacier songs. After some time, I realized a new name might be better for the project, and since I find the idea of taking a vacation in space (but close enough to Earth) very appealing, I came up with "Orbital Hotel".

2. Why did you choose to play this genre?

I have always been passionate about Physics, Astronomy, and Space Exploration. I did not actually choose this genre; the things I was doing just came out this way. But honestly, I do not even know what "genre" I make; I just make music/noises. 

3. Did you know each other before forming the band?

Nope. I met Teo in a rehearsal with other people, and I met Tamer in a work-related situation where we eventually discussed music, and we made plans to jam. 

4. What is each band member's favorite band?

Tamer: A difficult question to answer, I like music that gives goosebumps to me, like Anil Emre Daldal, Yüzyüzeyken Konuşuruz, Habib Koite.

Teo: Victor Wooten's playing style was a great inspiration, and noise ambient like Ryoji Ikeda always helps me chill down.

Jose Luis: I do not really have a favorite band. At this time, I like the work of Monkey3. I have always liked the guitar work of Mike McCready from Pearl Jam. Although not a "band" per se, I do like JS Bach.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Nature, Physics, the Universe. Also, the work and thoughts of the greatest minds like Archimedes, Galileo, Feynman, Faraday, and Darwin. I also draw inspiration from life experiences. Sunsets and Sunrises are a major source of inspiration to me.

6. Where was your last gig?

As a band, we recently played at Jane Goodall's Summer Fest in Vienna. We support with our music organisations that we admire their work or that are space and science related. As a solo guitarist, I just played an impromptu acoustic mini concert in a market in northern Italy, between beautiful tomatoes! Our next gig: acoustic concert on the night of the total lunar eclipse in the woods outside vienna, Sept 7th.

7. Where would you like to perform in the future?

ESA or NASA Events.

8. Which artist or band would you like to collaborate with?

Joe Satriani, definitely, and Monkey3 as well.

9. Is there anyone you wouldn’t want to collaborate with?

I have never thought about this, but we are open-minded, we could even work with Yoko Ono or Hanatarash.

10. Have any of you ever experienced stage fright? Do you have any tips for beginners on overcoming it?

Being nervous in front of people might be a normal thing even for seasoned performers. So many things can go wrong that could affect the performance, from stupid cables to the weather. The more you are on stage and the less you think of yourself, the easier it gets over time.

11. Which bands have influenced you the most?

At home, I grew up listening to classical music (Vivaldi, JS Bach, Mangore) and what is now called "classic rock" like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Hendrix, Rare Earth. We also listened to "forbidden music" during the war in El Salvador (Victor Jara, Silvio Rodriguez, Guaraguao). These LPs were hidden in -rather large- flower pots in case the cops showed up to raid the house, such music was deadly in the 70s and 80s in countries like Guatemala and El Salvador. When I was a teenager, I used to listen and dance to Funk (WAR, Funkadelic, BT Express). As a young adult I listened to grunge (Mother Love Bone, Temple of the Dog, Candlebox, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam). As I grew older, I started listening to Satriani, Yngwie, Paul Gilbert, Viktor Smolski (Rage), and Rory Gallagher. Nowadays, I do not listen to music much; I like it to be quiet, just me and the noises all the people in my head make. I do hear Bach on Synth (Wendy Carlos!) or classical guitar when I feel it is the right time for it.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

"Can you play La Bamba" after playing Bach.

13. What do you think of your fans?

We are very glad our music is liked by others. We are very grateful for that. Many thanks!

14. What do you think of our site?

I like it. It is nice to see a Site that promotes all sorts of emerging and not mainstream music and bands, along with famous bands. We are glad to be part of Breathing the Core, and we thank you for it.

15. Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Keep exploring the Universe!