Each year new talent emerges among Davidson students, and the student band Orchid is no different. Since the start of the fall semester, the rock group has played a variety of shows both on and off campus including Live Thursday and Battle of the Bands.
Together, lead vocalist Nisrine Tiouti ‘27, guitarists Anthony Strouse ‘28 and Patrick Plaehn ‘28, bassist Audrey Cobb ‘25, keyboard player Savanna Scripter ‘27 and drummer Eli Bassett ‘28, have helped Orchid stand out with a unique setlist of aggressive rock songs. They’ve covered tracks from popular punk and metal bands like Metallica and Paramore, who Cobb cited as a major influence, especially when they play “All I Wanted.” “We try to play the music that we like,” Scripter said. “So a lot of it just ends up being hard rock.”
Tiouti’s energy is driven by personal and political perspectives of the bands that Orchid covers. “I think what connected with me the most was the messages of these songs,” she said. “We’re trying to do a lot more political songs because of the current political climate […] there’s a certain feeling that these songs convey that express my inner anger about the world.”
Orchid formed last year but rotated members until finally landing on their current lineup. They played their first gig at WALT 1610’s Cotillion event on Oct. 19 and ever since, a primary goal of Orchid’s performances has been to dynamically engage with the crowd. “We’ve been working recently on stage presence. Especially with the people who are playing instruments, we’re working on vibing more and moving around,” Strouse said.
“Especially as we get to know our setlist better, […] we can be more free with how we’re actually performing it,” Scripter added.
Aside from stage presence, Orchid is attempting to infuse their own personalities into their performances, particularly during transitions between songs. “Savannah likes to do funny or classical songs on the piano, Eli likes [to] yo-yo, and I do different languages or [awkwardly attempt to be comedic],” Tiouti explained.
When asked about any personal highlights, the band only expressed love for each other. “I really like when Eli plays the drums,” Strouse said. Tiouti added that she enjoys it when Plaehn starts singing and Bassett praised Strouse’s guitar solos.
This excitement doesn’t just reside among band members, but can be seen among their audience too. “Being in a band showed me how loving and supportive people are, because a lot of our friends just show up,” Tiouti said. “It doesn’t even matter what you’re doing, they’re going to be dancing, they have signs, they’re up front, they’re there the whole time, and I really appreciate that. It’s made the community feeling of Davidson way better. Hearing people I’m not even that close with be like, ‘Oh yeah, y’all did great last night,’ [is] such a good feeling.”
Courtney Lassiter ‘27 is one of the group’s biggest proponents. “I have a lot of friends in Orchid, and my best friend Nisrine is the lead singer,” Lassiter stated. “Seeing someone I love so much performing is obviously amazing, but it also helps that the band is just incredibly musically talented in general. Their setlists are always high energy, and the combination of talented musicians playing with Nisrine’s powerful vocals always gets me excited. As an audience member I think the emotion that they bring to their performances sets Orchid apart.”
Looking ahead to future performances, the group feels optimistic about upcoming gigs. “I think Woodstock is going to be a lot of fun,” Plaehn said. “And no animosity to other bands, but it’d be really cool to win Battle of the Bands.”
Scripter also emphasized the unique opportunity that Orchid has as student artists on campus. “I probably won’t be in a cover band after college,” she added. “So I want to live it up and have fun.”
Still, Strouse has high ambitions for himself and his fellow musicians. “I think it’d be really cool if we made original music someday. Since we’re such a talented group of musicians with different backgrounds and areas of expertise, it’d be really cool to blend all of those together and make a song.”
Cobb, who has had years of musical experience throughout their time at Davidson, understands the impact a new band can have for years to come.
“I’ve been playing music at Davidson for so long with so many different people, and it’s always fun to watch the different paths people go down afterwards,” Cobb said. “It makes me so happy to see these little baby freshmen blossom into musicians and getting more confident on stage, so I’m excited to see what [they] do after I leave.”
Jayson Rivera ‘27 is an English major, music minor from Middletown, DE and can be reached for comment at [email protected].
