There is one thing about Kris Orlowski that is apparent in a conversation with him: he is honest, earnest and genuine. Another thing to be sure of is that he and his music are worth paying attention to, as he is on his way to an impressive career of affecting the world with his music.
A rising artist in the Northwest music scene, Orlowski will soon release his newest EP, produced in tandem with another talented musician, Andrew Joslyn. This full-orchestra EP, entitled Pieces We Are, will be released Oct. 13 with a release show at the Triple Door in Seattle.
Of course, there is always more to an artist than the newest music they are making. The man behind the music, the human that holds the voice heard in Orlowski’s music, is just as beautiful as the music Orlowski releases.
Much like superheroes, all musicians have their origin stories. Orlowski’s began with his parents—musicians who played together at weddings and, in some instances, were entertainment at Christmas parties.
“My mom stuffed a Christmas sweater on me, and my dad propped me up on a piano and had me sing ‘Papa Won’t You Tell Me About Music,’ a song he had written,” Orlowski said.
Orlowski’s story then continued through college, where he was very frank about his motives for taking on the guitar.
“When I got into college I realized that chicks love guitar players,” he said.
Yet the more Orlowski lived, the more he immersed himself in music in more intense ways.
“I went to London, I fell in love, and then I found music,” Orlowski said, describing his trip abroad. In his time in London, a classical guitar was given to Orlowski by his host, which began a new chapter in his life as a musician.
“It was more a part of my life as an emotional release and to have my voice heard and to make a difference,” Orlowski said.
In Orlowski’s time as a musician, he has made many friends and learned many things. He has made connections with artists such as Allen Stone, for whom he opened a show, which Puget Sound student Ryan McKenzie saw.
“When I saw him I didn’t think for a second that I could get him to play at Puget Sound,” McKenzie, a junior, said.
McKenzie worked for Puget Sound to get artists to play in the Wheelock Student Center and other locations. To McKenzie’s surprise, Orlowski was eventually booked, and performed at Puget Sound, giving her a chance to get to know him a little better.
“He was really genuine as a person and as a musician, that genuineness comes through his music.”
This genuine nature Orlowski had about him is still present today, and is reflected in his view of interacting with other musicians like Allen Stone and Andrew Joslyn.
“When you perfect your craft, and you understand what you need to gain of music, that’s when things start clicking and you get to a certain level,” Orlowski said.
A “certain level” was indeed reached with Orlowski’s collaborating artist on Pieces We Are.
“We call each other best friends,” Orlowski said, reflecting playfully afterwards that his fifth grade best friend may be upset by that comment.
“He’s really got a gift for playing the violin, but on top of that he offers something beyond just orchestration and composition,” Orlowski said of Joslyn.
Joslyn’s skills of layering and orchestration are ones that bring Orlowski’s lyrical and emotionally gripping songs to an entirely new level.
“It was a really beautiful experience and it took these songs to a different level, one that was so cinematic and whimsical and epic and full,” Orlowski said.
The EP was recorded in–studio in five days; on the first day, the orchestra had finshed all of the string arrangements in one or two takes.
Pieces We Are is a heartfelt, collaborative effort, with a 17–piece orchestra and gang vocals from other notable artists.
All of the musical mingling resulted in a very unified and striking force of music that reaches out from the moment you press play.
McKenzie is quite taken with the upcoming EP. “It’s really honest music: lyric-wise, it’s bitter sweet, and heart warming. It’s again, that genuine quality,” McKenzie said.
“Pieces We Are” will be available on iTunes on Oct. 16.
“The support from fans new and old is important,” Orlowski said. “Number one, getting the music out there is important.”
What better way to support Orlowski and Joslyn and all other collaborators by purchasing their album on iTunes rather than pirating it. The purchase is well worth it.