Grooving in from Vancouver, British Columbia, is singer-songwriter duo The Ormidales with their cathartic and empowering single, "Waiting For Catherine To Call."
The Ormidales are Bill Oliver and Mark Branscombe, who formed the band back in 2007. After releasing albums like "The Ormidales" and "These Little Dreams," the musicians landed themselves vast radio airplay throughout Canada, the U.S., Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Asia.
Their hit single, "Waiting For Catherine To Call," was impressively played at two Liverpool soccer games with audiences of over 50k at each match. We definitely understand why the song has generated so much traction, as The Ormidales add that it's a "nod to the feminine divine and universal energy" that signals how Catherine's eventual call is a sign that finding peace of mind is a worthwhile pursuit.
Hitting play on "Waiting For Catherine To Call," the experience begins with a warm and bright alternative-folk instrumental and a dash of electronic production to round out the listening experience. As Bill Oliver enters the song with his deep and melodic vocals, he begins expanding on how different people have different ways to cope with stress while waiting for Catherine to call.
This perpetual waiting period symbolizes our fight for inner freedom, happiness, and well-being, and when Catherine eventually calls, these beings will hopefully find what they're looking for on their tiresome journeys. The song's instrumentals and arrangements offer this feel-good and dreamy escape that's truly food for the soul, and we couldn't have asked for a more blissful and rejuvenating experience.
Don't sit around "Waiting For Catherine To Call," instead, make each day on this plane worthwhile with a little hope for a brighter future. Find the inspirational hit on all digital streaming platforms.
We're incredibly impressed with the meaningful concept within your single, "Waiting for Catherine to Call. "What inspired this particular concept and lyrical theme?
Bill: In absolute truth, it was written on awakening from a most vivid, colorful dream that I felt an ancestral intuition that I was in Scotland looking out to an azure lough with green rolling hills and oddly a dead pink flamingo. The air was full of lovely ethereal voices.
The opening line of "Someone killed the pink flamingo" erupted in a flow of images jotted down, almost like the pencil was being held and guided from elsewhere. The messenger seemed to be the universal spirit channeled through a feminine divine mystery I called Catherine for an earthly relationship. The lyrics were hopefully understood at primal and archetypal levels, a song for all. In truth, a sad event happened two or three weeks after the genesis of the song in that someone killed a pink flamingo in Stanley Park here in Vancouver. That brought an extra layer of meaning to the song. Very strange indeed.
Mark: This was all Bill's writing if I recall correctly. He showed me how it went, and we volleyed ideas around about the production and parts that would go on it. We left the pot on the stove with Pd Wohl, and he added the seasoning, some great guitar, and keyboard parts that helped propel the song down the runway and into the air.
Could you break down how you want about creating the feel-good and melodic instrumentals/production for "Waiting for Catherine to Call?" What was that creative process like?
Bill: As usual, a skeleton idea started with a simple chord pattern with a melody that seemed to fit to get it born. We wanted it to sound grand and envisioned an ethereal female vocal to compliment it and deliver the spirit of the muse. Over to Mark about the color, textures, and sounds. Etc.
Mark: As Bill said, a sketch was laid down with a vocal and an acoustic guitar. That was the same method with a lot of songs we recorded in this period. Pd Wohl, our producer, would figure out what feel might suit the tune, a vibe, and so he'd cook up a rhythm track. The rhythm was peppier than we had envisioned, and we needed to keep the dreamy, ethereal vibe going. Keyboards and a few tracks of guitars were getting it there, but then Bill recalled a tonal throat singer that he'd located on Craigslist, Kiva Simova. We had a great session, letting Kiva add the tones and parts that she felt while the song rolled through her headphones. She brought the other-worldly feel to the song. With the electronic backing, we kept the acoustic guitar to maintain an organic element in the weave of the song.
What sort of feelings or emotions did you want to evoke in the listener when experiencing "Waiting for Catherine to Call?"
Bill: To experience as close as possible to the essence of the song and what it perhaps might tap into in their own ancestral/DNA memory codes. Suppose they might be able to feel the vibe within the song in their spirit and the wonderful nature of their spirit.
Mark: Working on the tune was like crafting an invitation to the spirit world's other side. I hoped that the song might let people take a moment to consider the energy out in the world and beyond, raise their antenna and scan the cosmos a bit for significant messages, signals, or something that connected them to something other than the wires and hardware that occupy so much of our daily life.
On a more personal note, why do you think "Waiting for Catherine to Call" has been so successful? What do you think made the song so popular?
Bill: Hopefully, it has a universal hooky feeling with a chorus that is immediately recognizable.
Mark: The beat for sure, it's got the oonsa, oonsa oonsa thing happening, and Kiva's vocal, which is very penetrating, gets into the cracks in your soul in a very ancient way. The song was a unique and interesting blend of pop music and ethereal throat singing. It stands out from what was happening when we recorded it, so it caught some ears.
What's next?
Bill: More songs, videos per usual to have ourselves on the air and keep the message flowing.
Mark: We're always writing, and the world is never short of subject matter. We're impressionists of our time. Really, we'll hope to create an impression that resonates with a wide band of consciousness or might provide inspiration, escape or provoke further thought on a subject. Sometimes we're just ear candy for recreational listeners…and that's fine too.
A lot of our music was made "in the box" with parts added after the basic track was recorded or entirely made up of individual tracks. I'm keen to get around to people playing music together, being that muscle that is a band or ensemble in a studio working with the sound of a room. Recently have been listening to some beautiful sounding records made in the Columbia studios in New York and LA in the 1960s and '70s. There's a purity to the sound of the voices and instruments that is pure medicine, balm for the soul as good music should be.