INTERVIEW WITH FRANK AND JO OF THE ORANGE ‘EAR SESSIONS

 Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves? What are your day jobs?

Frank is a freelancer videographer and Jo became a typesetter and prepress project manager after working as a geologist and her studies in fine arts.

We connected through weird music 27 years ago and have been a couple ever since.

We both have our musical roots in the 80s, and our musical home is post-punk. That decade after punk to the NDW, the world opened up and suddenly anything became possible in terms of making music. Maybe that’s why we are still looking for edgy music of all genres.

How and why did you both start the Orange ‘Ear sessions?

The short version is: we had the idea to run a concert series in the living-room of our former shop/flat by “paying” the musicians with live-videos from their shows. So we just did it.

The longer version is: we once had a plan to move to Iceland, where we thought we would open a space for creative activities. As these plans were smashed, mainly by the Icelandic financial crisis, we still wanted to realise part of this dream. So we found a former shop for rent, where we live now, here in Friedrichshain. In the “living-room” we started with some short-term exhibitions, readings and other activities. Soon, we also wanted to indulge our strong passion for music and we started to invite musicians to perform.

For us, it was very important that they would be paid in some way. Because Frank has all the filming equipment, we offer the musicians live-videos of their shows. We have since upgraded our equipment and film with up to 6 cameras and also have the use of a proper multi-track sound recording system. We are always on the hunt for special acts.

Where do you think you get the passion to do this month after month? Is it a love of live music, or is it a love of community?

Oh, we don’t stress about having a monthly show, though it does work out that way. For us it is more important to have the freedom to set up a concert when the opportunity comes. So we have concerts whenever possible (on average once a month). Nevertheless our passion for both live music and community drives our activities. It’s always a very special situation when musicians bring their own world to our living room. Everything in our everyday world changes on concert-days, and it’s like a great gift when we are allowed to work together and to enjoy their concerts in the evening.

What do you enjoy most about the Orange ‘Ear concerts?

As mentioned above, it is so fascinating not only to consume live music but also to play a small part behind the scenes to realise something special with splendid people. Therefore we start with a thorough set up before the band arrives, so we hope that they feel welcome from the first moment on. During sound-check and stage preparation we try to fulfil all ideas of the artist as much as possible. So in the evening this peculiar atmosphere evolves in which a very attentive audience can enjoy a concert in a venue that is intimate like a living-room and looks like a video studio.
As a result, these one-day collaborations sometimes evolve into further video-productions. And some of these encounters turn into deep friendships.

We’d also like to mention things we hate about Orange ‘Ear concerts.
Frank hates that he never notices the live concert. During filming he is so absorbed and concentrated on the framing and technique that he hears the music through a kind of filter.
In the beginning of Orange ‘Ear Jo hated doing the sound, because she didn’t have a clue how to do that. But now she is more familiar with the job, so she only hates all the cables.
Another thing that annoys both of us to hell are musicians being late for sound check, as we need much more time for that than a normal check. We additionally have to prepare the multi-track recording and the light- and camera-setup…and we love to have some time to relax and have a bowl of soup before the beginning of the show.

What has been your favourite act so far? If that’s too hard (or unfair) to answer, what has been your favourite moment so far?

No question: d.j. flugvél og geimskip (d.j. airplane and spaceship)
The favourite moment was on a Thursday in 2015, when d.j. flugvél og geimskip from Iceland texted us “I’m in town and have time tomorrow. Shall we make a show then?”
One month earlier, when we had our first contact with her, we never expected that the chance to have a concert with this extraordinary girl and her electronic-horror music with a space twist would happen so fast. Overnight we prepared the set up and invited a bunch of people. The next day we met d.j. flugvél og geimskip for the first time in our lives, although it felt like we’d known each other for ever. The evening turned out to be a great illuminated show that blew the numerous audience members far away to the edge of the universe…

What has been the funniest moment so far?

This was not a moment. It lasted three days: It started when the Icelandic band Kælan Mikla wanted to give an Orange ‘Ear concert during their first European tour. These three bloody young poetry-punk girls tried really hard to reach Berlin on a nearly never ending train trip, with missed and shut down connections and other adventures. Finally we were able to pick up the totally tired out girls and offer them accommodation. Normally we don’t accommodate bands, because we have no other separate room besides our living room. In this state of emergency we had to improvise, although the stage set up in the living room was already prepared. So we built a small camp inside the stage and all three of them immediately fell asleep. When they woke up, they wanted to enjoy the nightlife in Friedrichshain, but not without having a first sound check for the next evening. The set up for this band was tricky, because we are generally not able to record a drum set. So we offered them an e-drum kit, with the hope that it wouldn’t contradict their goth-punk sound. The first check showed that they were able to play under these conditions…and they disappeared into the warm night of a typical Berlin summer heatwave. The next afternoon they returned from their party night. They saluted Frank with “Hi Dad, sorry we’re late!”. Now we both felt a little bit older, but also proud of “our” three girls. And then they played their concert! Full of power, full of bass, full of poetry with a fan on the stage, because these Icelanders had never survived such temperatures (BTW: their hit is called “Kalt”).

You do this all for free. Why haven’t you charged even an entrance fee? (It’s hard work right?)

We don’t do it for free. Sure, we don’t earn money with our passion. But for us, this is not necessary. Perhaps from the other answers you can understand that we get so many more important things from Orange ‘Ear, which have much more value than money, that the work and our energy is very well-invested.
To be honest, we never made a concept of Orange ‘Ear. The project just evolved step by step. And the “money” never became an aspect of it. Today we are really satisfied that we can run a space where money does not belong and doesn’t play a role. On the other hand it’s a win-win situation for all sides: the bands, the audience and Orange ‘Ear.
And we love the freedom, that we are not dependant on money and schedules, mainstream and public success.

How do you find the acts for the concerts?

Click like a devil through bandcloud, soundcamp, festival-line ups, and the whole wide web. Mainly Jo spends whole weekends hunting bands.
But we also love to discover acts during live gigs. If there is a band we want to invite, we never hesitate to ask…even if the band plays in “another league” and we have little chance to get them. Perhaps…

What would be your dream Orange ‘Ear concert?

…Kaizers Orchestra will someday play an Orange ‘Era concert. Despite the fact that nobody knows if they will ever play on stage again. Despite them having a huge drum set and never playing e-drums. Despite that it would overcrowd our room. Despite being unsure that Statoil will bring the oil barrels. Despite our being so excited that we wouldn’t be able to make a cool recording. But it would be a dream.

How long have you been doing this and how long to do you think you will continue going for?

We are now in our sixth year and we will continue!

What does Orange ‘Ear mean? Where did the name ‘Orange ‘Ear’ come from?

A long time before Orange ‘Ear the Orange came to the music. Frank used an old S8-movie of bouncing oranges to cover small inserts in video clips for a party. Then we started with the concerts and needed a name…orange what? Three days of internet research showed up a lot of existing oranges… It turned out that nobody owned Orange Ear, and a British friend came up with the apostrophe which turns the ear also into hear.

https://orange-ear.de

https://www.facebook.com/OrangeEarConcerts

https://twitter.com/Orange_Ear