These days, listeners know Jayke Orvis as the fast-picking mandolin virtuoso and banjo player in The Goddamn Gallows. Long before he was touring relentlessly with the Gallows, helping to invent the "streetgrass" sub-genre with .357 String Band and serving as the namesake of Jayke Orvis & The Broken Band though, Orvis was hosting basement shows and playing in hardcore punk bands like Penalty Box and Schwill Rotten.
With COVID-19 keeping the road dog at home for the foreseeable future, My First Band host Tyler Maas was finally able to catch Orvis in one place for long enough to record an interview. Speaking via video chat, Orvis talked about the ways he's keeping busy while confined to his home, memorable tales from living at a punk house in Riverwest in his 20s, the start (and subsequent local explosion) of .357 String Band, his years with The Broken Band in Pittsburgh, his two stints with The Goddamn Gallows, and much more.
My First Band is sponsored by Mystery Room Mastering and Indeed Brewing Company. The show is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever else you get podcasts. Music used in this show comes courtesy of Devils Teeth ("The Junction Street Eight Tigers") and .357 String Band ("Rollin' Down The Track").
