Music Preview: Orgone brings its variegated R&B to Saturday’s Eagle Rock Music Festival

Music will take you on different journeys through life, as it has for guitarist Sergio Rios, co-founder of the soul band Orgone. As a Canoga Park teenager starting his music career, Rios’ sound of choice was hardcore punk and speed-metal, but today he sees the evolution of his musical direction as natural, not extreme.

“It’s not all that different for me,” says Rios. “It’s absolutely got the same passion and the same heart of ‘let go and lose yourself.’ It’s about giving in and getting your sweat on.”

On Saturday, Aug. 20, the nine-piece band he started with his longtime collaborator, keyboardist Dan Hastie, performs at the Eagle Rock Music Festival, continuing its 15-year mission dedicated to soul, funk, disco and other genres rooted in classic R&B. Rios spoke about the band’s mission with Marquee.

Marquee: How did the band get together?

Sergio Rios: I’m a guitar player and a founder of the band. The keyboard player, Dan Hastie, is co-founder of the band — I’ve known him for 21 years. We came up together. We discovered a lot of soul music, funk, afrofunk, disco and the whole spectrum of late-’60s to late-’70s soul and rhythm-and-blues. It started as a four-piece and expanded to a nine-piece juggernaut. Luckily, some great and really talented people gravitated to us.

Is this what you’ve always played?

It’s still pretty varied. It runs the whole gamut of recording and production aesthetics from 1970 to 1976, and every genre that we can draw from — from Doobie Brothers, Funkadelic and Parliament, singer-songwriters like J.J. Cale. It’s pretty eclectic and convoluted, with a lot of Brazilian and African influences. It’s all in the name of groovy music.

Is there a particular corner of soul music that you most gravitate toward?

We’ve been at this a long time, and have had the luxury of going through phases together as a band. It depends when you ask. A huge part of our influence is from New Orleans and the Meters, the Neville Brothers, Allen Toussaint and Dr. John. It’s all in the name of sounding right, and sounding pretty, warm and honest.

There is a wrong play to play this music, too.

Absolutely. We’re lucky to be part of a community in Los Angeles of really dedicated musicians — it’s more than just the notes. It’s the sound, the tone, the taste and the restraint. It’s leaving the spaces, which is a huge part of it. You know something’s wrong in soul music when there is too much going on.

The band started as an instrumental group?

We did. We started playing about 15 years ago officially as a four-piece instrumental. All we wanted to do was play the Meters and Booker T. and the MGs and the J.B.’s. We started growing from that and got some horn players. We started working with singers, and we’ve been touring heavily for six years. We’ve gone through a roster of singers and members in and out, but we’ve had a pretty steady lineup for the last three years.

It was a natural progression. Our lead singer, Adryon de León, has been with us for three years. At Saturday’s thing we’re going to also feature a couple of guest singers. It’s always a little different, but it always has the same heart.

How would you describe L.A.’s place in this sound?

West Coast soul — War and so many great bands. There’s a rich history of diverse cultures and the melding of neighborhoods. I’m definitely proud to have grown up in the Los Angeles area and bring what we can truly call “heavy California soul.”

There’s always another generation of new listeners who discover this kind of music. What keeps it alive?

The music is just timeless. It’s beyond nostalgia. Good music is good music. It’s always going to be discovered. It’s like a stamp in time that created this perfect moment in history that led to so much history and great art.

--

What: Orgone at the Eagle Rock Music Festival

When: Saturday, Aug. 20; band plays at 9 p.m. as part of a day of music beginning at 4 p.m..

Where: Colorado Boulevard between Eagle Rock Boulevard and Argus Drive

Tickets: $10 general; $20 VIP.

More info: eaglerockmusicfestival.org