At first glance, Marty O'Reilly and Royal Jelly Jive don't have much in common. O'Reilly and his band the Old Soul Orchestra are introspective with their music constantly building in intensity and emotion. Their records sound like the scores to beautiful noir masterpieces that have never been made. Royal Jelly Jive, meanwhile, sounds like a gypsy dance party around a bonfire in the middle of a deep, dark wood. But instead of clashing, the two bands mesh together like an eclectic tapestry on constantly dynamic sounds.
That eclectic sound is something that Royal Jelly Jive has never shied away from."Something my band has talked about a lot is how far can you go in having a variety of different songs and linking them together," says lead singer Lauren Bjelde. "We don't wanna hold back and so if you feel like the groove is good and the message is good and the time is right to release it to people in a collection of everything else, then you don't want to be too afraid of trying to make everything sound the same."
O'Reilly takes his music very seriously, as his 2014 record, "Pray For Rain," proves. The album is at turns dark and haunting while never losing sight of powerful harmonies and subtle power. "When we go into a certain headspace with our music," says O'Reilly, "the audience really goes there with you. I hope people take away from our music something that strikes a chord deep in their heart. Something that only a really powerful song does."
Listening to the two bands separately is a joy, but combined, their sounds should almost be overwhelming. "I'm excited that we're finally pairing up and touring together," says Bjelde. "I think we're perfectly complimentary. Marty O'Reilly's Old Soul Orchestra are so powerful, deep and soulful, but groovy with a heartbeat. Royal Jelly has sort of a wetness that comes from the reeds of the accordions, clarinet and sax. Together, that acoustic vibe and that wet flavor on top of it just makes some real colorful magic."
Marty O'Reilly & Royal Jelly Jive
Friday, Dec. 9, 9pm
Volcanic Theatre Pub, 70 SW Century Dr., Bend
$10
