Orso

Orso is an experimental, folk-tinged band led by Rex's Phil Spirito, Red Red Meat's Brian Deck, and Califone's Ben Massarella. Featuring banjo-centered songs flushed out by non-traditional instruments such as typewriters and toilets, the band made its studio debut in 1999 with a self-titled album on Perishable Records. Long Time By, a much more focused effort, followed in 2000, and My Dreams Are Back and They Are Better Than Ever arrived four years later. Ask Your Neighbor........... marked the band's first effort for Contraphonic, a Chicago-based label, in 2008. ~ Jason Nickey