Music Notes | Earth Day Music Fest a ‘big deal’ for Myrtle Beach-area band Oceans Orange

The inaugural Earth Day was April 22, 1970. It marked the real beginning of the green revolution, which has been struggling along ever since.

Locally, Earth Day is celebrated each year as a moveable, music-laden event that’s been indoors, outdoors, at The Market Common, downtown Myrtle Beach, and this year, includes events running Thursday through Sunday throughout the Grand Strand.

This eighth Annual Earth Day Music Fest Myrtle Beach will combine art, music and enviro-awareness at multiple sites from The House of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, to the Boathouse Waterway Bar & Grill, and an all-day event at the Conway Riverfront Park.

One band, of many slated to perform, is the local rock trio Oceans Orange.

“Earth Day means a lot to us,” said 35-year-old Gregg Arnold, the band’s bassist. “We are all surfers and care about the environment. For us to be able to perform for the Earth Day Festival is a big deal. We are so grateful and we love working with [festival organizer] Curtis [Freeman] who does so much good volunteer work.”

The band played its first gig at the House of Blues January 2014, and has been featured on WXZQ’s Flight Test original rock show. Oceans Orange has made its way to other area clubs, and out of town tours, as schedules will allow.

“We all have day jobs,” laughed Adi Nelson, also 35, who is the front man, lead vocalist and guitarist. “We’re not rock stars yet.”

Nelson’s name may be the most familiar to area music fans, as the singer/songwriter/guitarist has been performing locally for the better part of two decades.

“Way back I fronted heavy, emo bands,” said Nelson, “and played a little guitar. Then I formed another band, Showers of Grace, and I went solo for a while, because the band thing can be so difficult. I started writing more songs and doing more solo shows. But then I met Gregg, we connected, had good ideas about the direction of where we thought Oceans Orange could go.”

All good bands need a good drummer, and Nelson and Arnold found theirs in 28-year-old Aaron Neece. “After we met Aaron,” continued Nelson, “the rest is history – we’re a good mix of all the bands we’ve been a part of in the past.”

Neece and Nelson seem to have led the songwriting charge within the band, though they’ll tell you it’s a collaborative effort between all three.

“As a drummer I may not be writing the chords, but I try to play to the melody and offer a groove,” said Neece.

Playing mostly original music, the team has collected some three-plus hours of songs, adding enough covers to keep club owners happy.

“We do play some covers,” said Nelson, “like The Cure, The Fray, Coldplay, even Katy Perry in our own Euro-pop style. As a three-piece I use a lot of delay on my guitar, and people will come up to us and say ‘Wow, you guys sound like you’ve got an orchestra.’”

The band does utilize a keyboard for select tunes in its arsenal.

Named for the surfer’s delight of an orange sunrise over an ocean at dawn, Oceans Orange has a self-titled four-song EP on Reverbnation, and expects to be on iTunes next month.

Is there more Oceans Orange music coming?

“Our intent is to get back to Brian McKenzie’s Music Factory next month and record some new material,” said Nelson. “I’ve recorded with Brian since I was in the 10th grade, and he’s never let me down.”

The band separates itself, carefully, from other bands, while trying to avoid labels and preconceived notions about what it means to make music with one’s faith as the driving force. But they’re not shy about their spiritual roots, either.

“We all come from a similar faith,” said Neece, “and we want to put positive music out there. I’ve played in church my whole life, that’s sort influenced me, and all of us. We don’t want to limit our audience and have people come to see us because they think we’re a Christian band, and we don’t want people to not come and see us for the same reason. At the end of the day we hope the music speaks for itself.”

The band is scheduled to perform mid afternoon at the Conway-based Saturday portion of this year’s Earth Day Music Fest. Oceans Orange shows are also scheduled for May 1 at the House of Blues and May 15 at The Island Bar.

This story was originally published April 15, 2015 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Music Notes | Earth Day Music Fest a ‘big deal’ for Myrtle Beach-area band Oceans Orange."