• COVID-19 Park and Trail Closures
  • Learn about the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge
  • Shop
  •  

SoCal Hiker

  • Find a Hiking Trail
    • All Areas
    • Arizona
    • Colorado
    • Los Angeles
    • Orange County
    • Oregon
    • San Francisco Bay
    • Washington
  • Trail Guides
  • Six-Pack of Peaks
    • Colorado Six-Pack of Peaks
      • Bergen Peak
      • Rocky Mountain
      • Birthday Peak
      • Horseshoe Mountain
      • Grays Peak
    • New England Six-Pack of Peaks
    • NorCal Six-Pack of Peaks
      • Mount Umunhum
      • Mount Saint Helena
      • Mount Tamalpais
      • Mount Diablo
      • Mount Sizer
      • Rose Peak
    • Oregon Six-Pack of Peaks
      • Tumalo Mountain
      • Black Butte
      • Black Crater
      • Maiden Peak
      • Mount Bachelor
      • South Sister
    • SoCal Six-Pack of Peaks
      • Mt. Wilson
      • Cucamonga Peak
      • Mt. San Antonio (Mt Baldy)
      • San Bernardino Peak
      • San Jacinto Peak
      • San Gorgonio
  • Backpacking
    • High Sierra Trail
    • John Muir Trail
      • Overview of the John Muir Trail
      • Training
      • Day-by-Day Itinerary
      • Resupply Addresses
      • JMT Discussion Forum
    • Lost Coast Trail
    • North/South Lake Loop
    • Rae Lakes Loop
    • Red Peak Pass Loop
    • Theodore Solomons Trail
    • Trans-Catalina Trail
    • Wonderland Trail
  • Gear
  • Forums
    • Latest Topics
    • Ask a Question
    • Campfire
    • Trails
    • Trail Reports
    • Gear Wisdom
    • Classifieds
  • Login

Outside In: An Interview with PB from Opus Orange

January 10, 2015 By Jeff H 1 Comment

interview with pb of opus orange

I know many SoCal hikers have seen and loved the movie Mile… Mile & a Half (and if you haven’t, you should). Opus Orange provided the soundtrack for the film, and actually appear in it as the group makes there way to Mt Whitney. Their music is largely acoustic, soulful-and-folksy, optimistic and outdoor-inspired.

Opus Orange is releasing a new EP titled Outside In, recorded in the Sierras entirely above 10,000 feet. Listen closely and you can hear the wind in the trees and birds chirping. I’ve been listening to it while writing, and it transports me to the mountains.

I had a chance to catch up to OO’s Paul Bessenbacher to learn more about their new EP.

Tell us a bit about Outside In. What makes this recording special to you?

Outside In is a collection of Opus Orange songs recorded entirely outside in the California wilderness above 10,000’ elevation using only solar power.

Backpacking and music are two passions of mine. When backpacking, it’s a challenge to bring an instrument other than your voice or perhaps a harmonica, let alone recording gear. This couldn’t have happened without the lovely folks at Golden Trout Camp with solar power.

We have reinvented our songs with washtubs and old BBQ grates for percussion, a washtub bass with a broom handle, and a variety of instruments found around camp including banjo, ukulele, melodica, and kalimba. Recording outside has a natural allure: birds sing, insects buzz, and the wind whistles throughout these six songs – nature as an improvising musician. Outside In is a natural progression from our lush soundtrack for Mile… Mile & A Half (2013) and infectious melodies of Balance (2014).

#Composing by throwing rocks onto a toy #xylophone. Our #Soundtrack is out today! opusorange.bandcamp.com Photo: The Muir Project

A photo posted by Opus Orange (@opusorange) on May 14, 2013 at 10:39am PDT

What inspired you to record above 10,000 feet?

California is full of beauty above 10,000 feet, which not many people (Californians included) get to witness. It also helped significantly that Golden Trout Camp is located above 10,000 feet!

Possibly a first: #recordingsession at #10500feet in the #sierranevada using #solarpower. #goldentroutwilderness #johnmuirwilderness

A photo posted by Opus Orange (@opusorange) on Jul 19, 2013 at 8:33am PDT

 

Another inspiration was being involved in The Muir Project’s documentary “Mile… Mile & A Half”. Hiking part of the John Muir Trail with them, I was inspired by their immense talent and commitment to their project. Their movie is a testament to that. Making music while on the trail with them (with a ukulele, a toy glockenspiel, our voices, and of course sticks and stones) was always influenced by our constantly changing surroundings. I originally wanted to record our soundtrack for the film completely outside, but it was impractical during the post-production process. But that definitely planted the seed for Outside In.

Where did you record and what trails did you hike to get there?

Golden Trout Camp (a special use camp run by the Thatcher School) is located in the Eastern Sierra Nevada, south of Mt. Whitney. From the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead, it can be accessed by taking the trail towards New Army Trail Pass. The last song on Outside In was recorded at Eagle Lake (Mineral King to Eagle Lake Trail) in Sequoia.

How did you handle the technical challenges of recording in the wilderness?  

One challenge of recording in the wilderness include packing in and powering recording gear. For recording gear, I hiked in an 11″ MacBook Air (with Pro Tools software), Apogee Duet, two AKG 414 microphones, a table-top stereo mic stand, and cables. Golden Trout Camp has a solar panel, so we were able to plug in the laptop during recording (battery drains fast when powering the Apogee and phantom-powered microphones).

James Neil #recording a #washtub. #SolarPower just beyond him. #MtLangley in the distance.

A photo posted by Opus Orange (@opusorange) on Jul 19, 2013 at 11:54am PDT

 

Another challenge is backpacking instruments. I always bring my lightweight and sturdy Flea Uke (made by Fluke Ukes) whenever I backpack, as its doesn’t add much weight or bulk. For Outside In, we added a kalimba & melodica to our packs. Nick Tranmer and Cam Spaulding (who run Golden Trout Camp) are avid music lovers and have various noisemakers around camp, like acoustic guitars, a banjo, and a washtub bass. Producing bass tones in the wilderness is a sonic challenge, as most things that produce low notes are physically large. The washtubs were welcome to the sonic palate of Outside In!

PB plays 21 Years Down (track 6 from Outside In) at Eagle Lake in the Sequoias

Thanks to PB for sharing a behind-the-scenes look at Outside In, available January 27th on iTunes.

More on Opus Orange

  • OpusOrange.com
  • Opus Orange on Instagram
  • Follow Opus Orange on Twitter
  • Listen to Opus Orange on Soundcloud
  • Watch Opus Orange on YouTube

 

Filed Under: Hiking News, Lifestyle Tagged With: interview, music, Opus Orange

Like what you found here at SoCal Hiker? This site is a labor of love. Share your support for the site and help us development of new trail guides and expanded coverage -- make your next outdoor equipment purchase through our advertisers.

You can also subscribe to our weekly newsletter and follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Jeff H

About Jeff H

I'm an avid hiker and backpacker. My wife Joan and I are on the trails every weekend. I started SoCal Hiker to share my passion for outdoor adventure.

Comments

  1. Andy Hawbaker says

    February 5, 2015 at 2:35 pm

    Thanks Jeff, Good stuff. Great Movie, Amazing trail. 🙂

    Reply

Leave a Reply to Andy Hawbaker Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About SoCal Hiker

Jeff on Mount Rainier

I created SoCal Hiker while preparing to thru-hike the John Muir Trail. My goal? Create guides for the best hiking and backpacking trails with enough detail to make it an enjoyable experience for you. And while I started with trails in Southern California, I’ve expanded across the west. We hike each trail to create these guides, sharing practical advice on gear and outdoor skills. Read more…

Connect with SoCal Hiker

  • 22,158 Fans
  • 12,081 Followers
  • 21,640 Followers
  • 1,714 Followers
  • 5,320 Subscribers
  • 337 Subscribers
SoCalHiker was selected one of USA TODAY's 10 Best Hiking and Outdoor Blogs
Get our day-by-day guide to thru-hiking the John Muir Trail
Get up-to-day wildfire status throughout California

Products

  • Cucamonga Peak Benchmark Cucamonga Peak Benchmark $39.95
  • San Gorgonio Benchmark San Gorgonio Benchmark $39.95
  • Mt Baldy Mug Mt San Antonio (Mt Baldy) Mug $15.95
  • Let your SoCalHiker flag fly! SoCalHiker Red, White & Blue Summit Flag
    Rated 5.00 out of 5
    $25.00

Sponsors

Sponsor SoCalHiker and see your banner here

Featured Posts

Hiking Turtlehead Peak from Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area

Turtlehead Peak is a great way to get that big picture view of Red Rock Canyon … [Read More...]

Maiden Peak via the Maiden Lake Trailhead

Maiden Peak sits on the Cascade crest, straddling the Willamette and Deschutes … [Read More...]

Hiking Black Butte from the Lower Trailhead

Black Butte is an iconic mountain that stands alone, prominent and proud. The 6,436' … [Read More...]

Lastest Comments

  • Nash Irongay on Muir Monday: One Touch of Nature Makes the Whole World Kin
  • Omar M on Backpacking the North/South Lake Loop in Six Days: An Overview
  • edi consultants on Lost Coast Trail: Sea Lion Gulch to Spanish Flat
  • Lindsa on Hiking South Sister
  • Yvonne on Hiking Mitchell Canyon to Mount Diablo
Get your SoCalHiker stickers now

Get your SoCalHiker stickers!

Latest Posts

  • Hiking Turtlehead Peak from Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area July 15, 2022
  • Maiden Peak via the Maiden Lake Trailhead July 14, 2022
  • Hiking Black Butte from the Lower Trailhead May 24, 2022
  • Hiking Monserate Mountain May 6, 2022
  • Hiking Sutton Mountain April 25, 2022

Recent Forum Topics

  • Overnight Hike in Mammoth Lakes/ June Loop area
  • All about permits for newcomers
  • 1st overnight backpack trip with my son
  • JMT NOBO from Red Cones to Happy isles – how many days?
  • Early Spring SoCal Backpacking

The Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge Series

Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge SeriesThe Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge Series gives you an opportunity to explore your world while supporting a great cause. There are eleven challenges around the country. Hike or run them at your own schedule.

Flex your adventure muscles!

Learn more here.

 

Search

Tags

3-6 miles 6-8 miles 8-10 miles 11+ miles Arizona Backpacking coastal dog-friendly easy family-friendly High Sierra Trail hiking Hiking The John Muir Trail hipster inspiration JMT John Muir John Muir Trail Kings Canyon National Park LA County moderate Mount Rainier National Park Muir Monday National Forest National Park Orange County Oregon out of bounds Pacific Crest Trail peak peakbagging quote scenic Sierra Nevada Six-Pack of Peaks State Park strenuous Thru-hiking Utah vista Washington waterfall wilderness Wonderland Trail Yosemite

Copyright © 2022 SoCalHiker.net · Metro Theme on Genesis Framework with WPEngine Hosting · Contact SoCal Hiker · Sitemap · Privacy Policy

 

Loading Comments...