Developing their craft in rural southern Ohio, the members of this 4-piece indie rock outfit founded their group on a musical island—not a single band or venue in nearly 100 miles. Though anything but isolationists, the group does wear their solitary inception as a badge of honor, giving it credit for much of the honesty and introspection found in their music. Furthermore, the band has made great strides outgrowing their modest beginnings. Since releasing their debut EP “In Brevity,” The Orphan, The Poet has been featured in Substream Music Press, licensed music to Spark’s Beverage Company, ranked in Smartpunk’s Top 40 Unsigned Bands and were recently chosen for PureVolume’s 2010 Holiday Sampler alongside the likes of Rookie of the Year and YMAEWK. The band recently teamed up with producer, Kris Crummett (Emarosa, Tides of Man), to record their up-coming EP, slated for a spring 2011 release.
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*Responses from David Eselgroth

How did the band come together? How have you grown since you guys started?
The band actually had a pretty long inception. Jared and I (David) had played together growing up and just continued to write together as projects we played in would come and go. The turning point came when we really just stopped worrying about filling out a line-up and instead just focused on writing. We wrote and demoed material for nearly two years as I was finishing school, which really helped us gain perspective and focus on what we wanted this project to be.
 
As for growth, I think we’ve grown exponentially. Aside from the obvious fact that we’re now a full band with a management team in place, artistically we’ve matured a lot. I think we’ve hit our stride in defining what The Orphan, The Poet brand is about.

What do you have to offer that other bands don’t? What sets you apart from a lot of the other newer bands out there today?
I think there is a lot of talent in today’s scene, however, I think many times it’s misplaced. You’ll see these kids with amazing chops and stage performance, but rather than focusing it on true creativity, they’re focusing everything they can on replicating their favorite band. This would be tolerable if it was isolated, but it’s not—it’s pandemic.
 
I feel we are an exception. Though no one can truly escape their influences or the forerunner bands that helped create the scene, we truly have come into a place where we only try to write music that is from us. The day you wake up and the words “I wish I could be in (fill in band)” aren’t even a passing thought, you know you’ve come into your own. I think we’re there.

How is the live show compared to the general sound of material that’s been released?
We pride ourselves in having a technical yet accessible sound, and we try to keep that in our performance. We’ve been told that we’re one of the few acts that can truly translate the sound of their CD to the stage. That’s always a huge compliment to hear.

More times than not, influences tend to bleed through. What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
We all listen to a lot of different music—everything from Deas Vail to August Burns Red to Fun. Like most bands, you can find a lot of different elements popping up in our music.
 
Some of the biggest influence for our new material, however, has come from our peers rather than established bands. Our good friends and management-mates in Wolves At The Gate and This Love have both been putting out some truly amazing music. Though stylistically we all differ, it helps keep the bar set high seeing our friends’ creative output.

What would you say the band has already accomplished and what do you have your eyes set on next?
With one EP under our belts and another shortly on its way, we’re still humbled to have accomplished that. Growing up in rural, southern Ohio, that’s not what people do; they drive trucks and work at factories. We’re immensely thankful for simply being able to create what we have. But when we look at the other opportunities we’ve had—licensing our music, retail distribution, and sharing the stage with bands that inspired us—we really do get a sense of accomplishment and are very proud of how far we’ve come.
 
That said, we still have a lot planned. This coming year we’ll be hitting the road a lot more and hope to work with some new people on the upcoming release. We’re very excited for the things we have planned!
 
Thus far, what’s a favorite memory or something quirky that’s taken place with the band (in-studio, onstage, or elsewhere)?
A favorite of mine is when we illegally entered Canada. While driving to a show in Rochester, MI our merch guy, in following our gps, inadvertently took us across the bridge to Canada. We were then detained and searched (our entire van and trailer mind you!) for the better part of 2 hours. The Canadian patrol is definitely nicer than the U.S.! Luckily we still made it to the show in time.

Is there anything in particular that you’d like people to take away from listening to your music?
We’re really about finding meaning in the music you love. Not necessarily the meaning the artist defines, but more a personal meaning—something individuals create for themselves. If everyone who heard us could find that personal meaning in our songs I think we will have fulfilled our purpose.

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