Orgone returns the funk to Max's Place

When Orgone performed at Max’s Place last June, the band had to compete with Taste of Bloomington. People heard the music from the streets and were drawn to it.

“It was great. We had a pretty good crowd,” said Travers Marks, owner of Max’s Place. “Everyone was smiling and dancing.”

Dan Coleman, founder of Spirit of ’68 Promotions, booked the band at the venue again for this October.

“They were, hands down, one of the best shows of the year,” Coleman said. “They came out and put so much energy into the show. People were walking in off the streets.”

He described the band as funk with elements of soul, jazz and Latin.

“They’re an amalgamation. They absorbed so many different things in California,” Coleman said.

The Los Angeles-based band will perform at 10 p.m. Saturday at Max’s Place, a restaurant and venue at 108 W. Sixth St. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at Landlocked Music and the Buskirk-Chumley Box Office.

Orgone is defined as “a universal life force, a cosmic unit of energy, the creative force in nature,” according to the band’s website.

Perhaps this life force contributes to long performances — after all, Orgone played for two and a half hours the last time they were in Bloomington, Coleman said.

With nine musicians, “they have so many cooks in the kitchen, all throwing in ideas,” Coleman said. “It creates a wonderful sound.”

Marks described the band as wonderful all the way around, with danceable and soulful music. The members play a number of instruments, from guitar to bass to brass.
“The hand drummer’s one of the best I’ve ever seen,” Marks said.

Orgone’s music can be sampled at orgonespace.com. Before the performance, a DJ will open with some funk records.

“It’s a show that no one should miss,” Marks said.

— Celia Grundman