Progedelic hard rock quintet Overdrive Orchestra is an orchestration of sound, soul, and energy. When listening to Overdrive Orchestra, one will never hear the same sound twice. Their vibe has been described as gritty, natural, and hypnotic. Frontman Chris Cranick’s lyrical themes touch on peace, love, spirituality, and enlightenment while also expressing communal frustrations with politics, taboos, and the human condition. Influenced equally by classic rock mainstays like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd to modern cult favorites such as Queens Of The Stone Age and TOOL, the band prides itself on their intuitive song writing sensibility and dynamic sonic textures.
Overdrive, above all, is a live band and would encourage you to first experience OO at a gig. Whether it be a large-scale production such as Cowpie Music Festival (O2 shared the stage with Mononeon and Dopapod at the summer fest) or a grunge-y dive bar set (Nashville’s Springwater Supper Club is a band favorite), prepare to have your ears blessed and minds blown. No two shows are the same, regardless of setlist and set length-- each concert is its own musical journey.
Founded in 2011 by Michigan-natives Chris Cranick (guitar/vocals) and Adam Bogues (bass) while attending Ferris State University’s Music Business program, OO wasted no time conjuring their special blend of heavy blues rock and psychedelia. Joined by Max Griffith on drums, O2 wrote and recorded their indie debut album 407 (2012) in basements and living rooms across the college town. Their follow up EP Heading East (2013) was tracked on campus the following school year. The departure of Griffith after the sessions led to the band sitting on the record until they relocated to Nashville, TN and enlisted the talents of Jacob Dodson on drums. Over the next two years Overdrive Orchestra toured as a trio while working on new material.
Recording sessions for a new single were completed in early 2016, after which Cranick and Bogues were called back to Michigan and were again in need of a drummer. Shortly after their return, O2 signed with indie label White Elephant Records and recruited Shaun Sova on guitar, Cameron Hill on drums, and James Blevins on synth. For the first time in their career, OO became a quintet. After releasing their long awaited single ‘Parallel’ (ft. Dodson on drums) in Summer 2017, the band started demoing songs for their next full length studio record. Sessions began proper in early 2018-- over the next two years Overdrive recorded and toured the new material, even professionally tracking gigs at Founders Taproom and Midtown (formerly Listening Room) in their home base of Grand Rapids, MI.
The band’s most ambitious and psychedelic effort up to that point, Electric Mind was released in February 2020. The high of the new record was overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic, putting their tour on hold indefinitely. The band utilized the pause to press the record to vinyl and start writing for their follow-up. In July 2021, Overdrive Orchestra returned to the stage, performing a nearly sold out show at Pyramid Scheme in Grand Rapids. That same month they were awarded best original band in Revue Magazine’s Best of The West reader’s poll, while Cranick also snagged the coveted 1st place award as a solo artist. Don’t call it a comeback.
Overdrive Orchestra’s fourth studio record Restless Star is, quite simply, a fever dream. Touching on the cyclical nature of life and different forms of death - lost loved ones, past lives, ego death - the album chronicles the process of letting go and being true to one’s beliefs. From breaking old habits that no longer serve us, to removing the many faces we wear, and acknowledging the mental health struggles that stem from modern existence. Restless Star encourages the listener to rise above the haze of daily life and rediscover their sense of self.
In addition to their studio efforts, O2 has released two live albums-- 2019’s LIVE and 2021’s Alive and Well, as well as in-studio live performances engineered and filmed at Third Coast Recording Co. and Dogtown Studio. Be on the lookout for the band coming to a town near you, and be ready to rock.
