Since 1999, Not Your Typical Desert Music Scene Decor
by Lisa Morgan
Fifteen years to a rock band is like 150 in human years. Much like a family/marriage, it takes work and dedication to keep it together. Ornament, not void of its bumps and bruises, is one such band that has managed to do just that. Our desert music history is rich with bands and musicians the caliber of which are contained in Ornament, that have gone on to find international notoriety and commercial success. Those cards have yet to fall for this band, but personally and selfishly speaking, I am happy that we have this tenured, finely tuned, original creative force all to ourselves…for now.
It was at an open mic back in 1999 when Will Coon walked into the obscure bar on Indian Avenue in Palm Springs and sang a couple of U2 covers. “Josh Kjierstad (guitar), Greg Cabral (bass/vocals) and John Pierson (drums) were already playing together in a studio in Palm Springs. Josh asked me to come by the studio and jam with them,” shared Ornament’s lead singer. “It was immediate. From that point on, we started playing and writing together. Mario Lalli booked us for our first gig at a sports bar in Cathedral City.” The newly formed unit soon began meeting everyone in the local music scene, but developed a close relationship with highly respected guitarist and sound engineer, Mike Riley (Parosella). “Mike’s a great engineer and audio guy. He recorded our first album in his studio, the Green Room, in Palm Springs. It was our 6 song, EP, Pools of Grace. We sold and promoted it ourselves and it did OK. We started playing all over the Coachella Valley, Inland Empire and Los Angeles. We even went as far as Boise, Idaho. Like most bands, when we weren’t booked, we just kept rehearsing and playing.”
Bassist, Greg Cabral tells the story of the band’s origins similarly, but details his connection to drummer, John Pierson. “He and I started hanging out in the early days; we’d get together and just jam to everything. We have a lot of ESP when it comes to producing the rhythm section together. I can throw anything at him, and he’ll pick it up.” Cabral also brings a lot to the plate creatively for Ornament. He laughed when he shared, “Whenever I say, ‘I got an idea’, it’s basically signaling the reconstruction of a song.” Cabral distinctively adds a bit of a jazz-goth fusion that has morphed into what has become known as the Ornament sound. “When we started putting songs together, it was coming together pretty well, and we were really getting a grove that was missing. But there was one specific song that I really dreaded doing. It was ‘There is Time’. I dreaded it because it was such a march and that just wasn’t my thing. Finally, the day came we had to work on it. Then an idea just hit me. I looked at John and told him, ‘Play the song, but follow my lead; I want you to swing and jazz it out a bit, and we’re going to change the time signature.’ It started coming together and turned out to be one of the most powerful songs on our first CD. Will is an extraordinary guitar player, singer and songwriter. Sometimes Will asks me why everything I add to a song has to be so sad. I tell him, ‘What do I have to be happy about?'” While Cabral is actually a very happy person, it’s this darker, melancholy attribute that helps to make the work of Ornament well rounded and unique.
2005 tested the band’s ability to adapt to change when the talented Kjierstad left to pursue other projects. Mark Engel was the answer. Engel was a friend and fan of Ornament’s music. Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, he had been brought to the desert in 2001 to record a project with Mario Lalli and Alfredo Hernandez: Orquesta Del Desierto (Orchestra of the Desert) www.facebook.com/pages/Orquesta-del-Desierto. “I was only going to stay for three months and, well, now it’s home.” This was a happy accident for Ornament. “When Josh left and Mark stepped in, he gave us a cool classic rock vibe that molded into an ethereal expansive guitar sound,” shared Coon. Bassist, Greg Cabral added, “It was really remarkable to find Mark, a full on fan in our circle of friends. He would come to every show. When he came on board, he was a big breath of fresh air. He is such a great guitarist; a guitar virtuoso. Everything I put to him he got right away, and things began to really jam along. Will just started pulling out the paper and writing down ideas.” When these four musicians began to gel, Cabral shared, “It was the Ornament sound, with a very different style and groove. Today, we have a really good solid blend of players.” Regardless of the personnel change in 2005, all five troubadours remain connected and close. “If any one of the members, current or past, was in a situation, we would all reach out immediately,” says Cabral passionately. “There is such a euphoria between us today. It’s all about the music.”
Ornament represents some extremely dynamic music. No single Ornament song sounds alike. Their music transitions athletically from melodic ballads to strong rock anthems to the very spacial, psychedelic sounds Ornament has mastered and crafted into a literal experience. Throw in the occasional pedal steele and Coon’s Americana roots, you can even venture to say there is an Uncle Tupelo/Wilco-esque element gently peppered into the mix. Meanwhile, the lyrical aspect of the music, chiseled and delivered with dynamic, melodic and tonal perfection by Coon, never fail to penetrate.
In approximately 30 days, Ornament will be releasing their second album, a nine song epitaph to their dedication to authenticity and musical craftsmanship. The album, ELECTROFEELIC, recorded at Thunder Underground in Palm Springs with Harper Hug (the same studio desert rock legends, John Garcia, Mario Lalli and Gary Arce have frequented) will be available, and a CD release party is destined to follow. The band will be working with CD Baby on the release as soon as they work out an art issue on the cover. The original cover, created by artist extraordinaire, Tanner McGuire, a uniquely beautiful rendering of a fully nude female, is apparently deemed “inappropriate” by some distributors within CD Baby’s network. Asking an artist to alter their creation, is like asking a songwriter to surrender a song to commercial editing and potential over production. Never the less, McGuire found the perfect way to maintain his artistic integrity while complying with distribution needs by wrapping Christmas lights around the “offensive” parts of the figure. The original art will be available in limited editions of the CD.
Coon is also co-owner of M Designs Global, a successful high-end furniture and cabinetry business in Yucca Valley and shares his perspective on how the years have developed their music. “I’m now 42,” shared Ornament’s front man easily. “Greg is like…100, and has more energy than of all of us. We still dream every single week about the 85,000 people we’re going to play for one day. We just finished this album, and we’re already working on new stuff. Ornament can play anywhere because there’s an element of our music everyone can relate to. We’ve been criticized a bit with comments like, ‘What’s up with the love songs?’ I’ve reached a plateau at this point in my life. I have my shit together. I’ve been able to build a studio that provides a great creative space for us to work in. We love to do this, and we’re in a position to play together, be creative, and show it to people at a really good level.”
This Friday, June 20th, Ornament will be performing at Schmidy’s Tavern’s Acoustic Sessions, hosted by Rob Lawrence. The acoustic versions of their songs are guaranteed to provide a powerful musical experience for all in attendance. Drummer, John Pierson, will be noticeably absent for this event. But the very temporary vacancy will be filled by the phenomenal drummer and percussionist, Chad Patrick, who may soon be seen on Shark Tank as the creator of the Drum Wallet. Schmidy’s Tavern is located next to Men’s Warehouse at the corner of Highway 111 and Fred Waring Drive.
The next opportunity you’ll have to see them full-Monte, if you will, is Thursday night, July 17th at the Joshua Tree Saloon. The Saloon is located at 61835 29 Palms Highway, Joshua Tree.
As soon as the new album release is ready to be celebrated, you can count on CV Weekly to keep you informed and connected.
You can follow Ornament and the musicians mentioned here at the following links:
Ornament: www.facebook.com/ornamentband
Mark Engel: reverbnation.com/markengel
Greg Cabral’s other project: www.facebook.com/blared.thesurface
Will Coon’s M Design Global: www.mdesignglobal.com
