Orleans to mix old, new

"The general public may or may not know the name Orleans," admitted lead singer Lance Hoppen, "but they know 'Still the One,' they know 'Dance With Me,' and to a lesser degree, they know 'Love Takes Time."'

It's a baby-boomer thing, he explained during a telephone interview, which included his brother Larry, who plays guitar and sings back-up.

"We've all grown up together," said Lance. "To some degree, 'Still the One,' 'Dance With Me,' these are the soundtrack to their lives, along with other songs. But when we play this stuff, it evokes warm fuzzies. People remember where they were when they first heard it or had experiences around it, so it really evokes a very emotional response and a lot of smiles."

Although those hits may be Orlean's best-known, that's not all there is to the band. After 35 years and 16 albums, Orleans has a substantial body of work besides the songs Lance refers to as "calling cards."

When the band performs in concert at the Sandy Amphitheater, Lance said it will be a mix of old and new. "We have stuff that our core audience, which goes back to '72, is very fond of, and we still are, as well. So our live repertoire includes all that — but we still continue to include new songs.

"It's a very diverse show with a few surprises, totally unexpected. We've been doing this a long time, so we've developed a repertoire for live that is engaging and entertaining. So if people aren't sure of what they'll get before they get there, they go away happy."

In fact, added Larry, a good number of the baby boomers who come to the concerts bring their kids. "And there's nothing more satisfying than having a 16-year-old come up to us and say, 'man, you guys are really cool.' We love that. And that happens."

Orleans' most recent studio album, "Dancin' in the Moonlight," was released in 2006 — about ten years after its previous recording. "Moonlight" features new material, as well as the title track, which was made famous by King Harvest in 1973.

Before the bands Orleans and King Harvest were born, Larry was in a band with some of the people who would later become King Harvest. "We cut the original version of 'Dancin' in the Moonlight' in 1969, in a studio in New York — so that's our connection to the song. And of course, Orleans, when we first started in '72, we played 'Dancin' in the Moonlight' at least once every gig."

They say they are also looking forward to releasing a new CD later this year on Sony BMG — a live, up-to-date disc gleaned from live tracks off of a recent DVD. "The 10 tracks are half-classic Orleans songs, including all the hits, and half newer stuff," said Larry.