Mark Brown, a.k.a. "Equinox," plays keyboards and samples in Black Orchid. He is known for his solo composition project "Words Before Language," and for his twelve-year stint as a KBOO disc jockey.
B L A C K * O R C H I D
updata: Tif moved to NYC, Cyoakha moved to San Francisco, and original drummer Mike Mahaffey is also currently located in New York. Maybe the Orchid will get together for a reunion gig...I hope so...
Mark Brown, a.k.a. "Equinox," plays keyboards and samples in Black Orchid. He is known for his solo composition project "Words Before Language," and for his twelve-year stint as a KBOO disc jockey.
Vocalist Tiffany Lee Brown (no relation!) also plays toy instruments and the occasional bit of guitar in Orchid. She sings and plays Harmonium for the Syncopath Trio's rare public performances, and has performed with Portland groups In Gowan Ring, Land of the Blind, and the infamous Glorious Moodman. She can occasionally be found in a cafe or gallery, doing a solo acoustic singer/songwriter set as "Mirbane." Originally from Eugene, she played with Bay Area bands Consumption, Log, and Which Blind Willie?, and co-founded the Flail project. By day, she's a writer and editor.
Cyoakha sings, speaks, and chants in Black Orchid, also playing odd acoustic instruments and rhythmic noisemakers from around the world. She is the lead vocalist for Land of the Blind; critics call their latest CD, Out of Chaos..., a "haunting, hypnotic, and heady journey ripe with exotic and enticing experiences."* She's also known for her photography, and for starting the brave, non-profit art gallery that was Portland's Galleri 8.
Guitarist Enrique Ugalde has played with IAO Core, Wild Tree Dogs, and Log in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a founding member of the experimental project Flail, best known for recording their bizarre vocal arrangements in crypts at the Mountain View Cemetery. In Portland, Enrique plays drums for World Serpent recording artists In Gowan Ring, guitar for Sumerland, and can be spotted making various noises with Mesmer at many performances. Enrique also puts together nights of ritual and music, such as the Halloween Costume Ball "Weening the Wax" at New Paris Theatre.
Larold Will is a fabulous drummer whose bio has gone missing! Eek! I suck. He drums and plays theremin and is in the super-hilarious and cool TOPIARY KINGS.
Orchid collaborators include Mike Mahaffey, a former member of the Oregon Symphony, internationally known for composing for dance and improvisation. Formerly in One World Vision, Mike currently plays drums with the Gone Orchestra and the Crystal Ballroom Marching Band. Orchid has also been fortunate to collaborate with members of Smemga and Topiary Kings.
Black Orchid was formed as a dark tribal/ambient project by Cyoakha (vocals), Mike Mahaffey (drums), and Mark Brown (keyboards) in the summer of 1996. Tiffany Lee Brown joined shortly thereafter as a second vocalist, when the group played its first gig at an art gallery opening. Her longtime collaborator Enrique Ugalde moved to Portland and joined the band as a guitarist.
Orchid soon gained attention for its unique performances at EJ's, Satyricon, WOW Hall, Berbati's, Suburbia, Thee "O", New Paris Theatre, Umbra Penumbra, Original Music Showcase, Panama Red Room/Acapulco Gold, and Duffy's Church of Holy Sound. A regular at Portland's weekly experimental & electronic music showcase, Aural Fixation, the band shares rosters with an eclectic variety of bands, from goth to jazz and punk to pop.
...Intro to Orchid
...What the Critics Say
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...Band History & Bios
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