Boy Orbison: Band In Heaven Frontman Ates Isildak's New Dark Lounge Duo

Whether or not you're a fan of the Band In Heaven, if you enjoy a bit of the strange, you'll want to check out a performance by the group's frontman Ates Isildak and girlfriend Jessica Jean. The two have formed a side project cleverly titled (though Google unfriendly) Boy Oribson.

The noir-lounge duo is a David Lynch-inspired act the two formed last year. Today, they're creating music that is both dreamy and psychedelic, and still dark as ever. Although the two have released very little material so far, expect to hear big things coming from them soon.

According to Isildak, the idea for Boy Orbison started with Lost Highway.

"We always wanted to work on something together, but never actually tried," Isildak told New Times. "We were watching the movie, and just had an urge to work on something that felt eerie -- but sweet, too. The songwriting process moved so quickly, we had an album written in no time."

Both Isildak, 30, and Jean hail from West Palm Beach, but originally met while living in Orlando attending the University of Central Florida. The name, they say, is "a cute play on words."

"Roy Orbison's music is very romantic, his vocals are always very dreamy," he explains. "We felt like our music sounded like an immature, adolescent version of what his music sounds like to us."

Many of Boy Oribsons' songs are based off samples from old mellotron and optigan loops, the sounds and riffs recorded on keyboards from the 1960s. Influences include other artists that have worked off vintage samples and loops like Daughn Gibson, Dirty Beaches, and Vincent Gallo.

"We'll create some loops and then chop stuff up," says Isildak. "Like other sounds we find on YouTube of some old brass band playing in New Orleans. Then we'll play guitar and sing over them."

Throw in some techie synth sounds, and the whole thing becomes a sort of modern mutation -- just like the name.

"Most of our influences for this project are movie soundtracks, lots of David Lynch films -- and Twin Peaks of course," says Isildak.

Isildak and Jean collaborate on each song; he spends his time on the technical side, like the looping and chopping, while she focuses on vocals. The duo will be performing live at art and music showcase "Woody Othello: It's Going To Be Okay" at Unit 1 in Lake Worth.

A newcomer to the local music scene, the January 24 opening will be Jean's first performance, says Isildak, as well as the only place to hear Boy Oribson IRL.

"Unit 1 is a perfect place for us to start. We're just a two piece, working off loops and samples. An art gallery in an intimate space surrounded by strange works sounded perfect to us," says Isildak. "Woody is a very unique artist, with a very unique style. We want to be surrounded by these sculptures when we play our first show."

Boy Orbison with Washa, 10 p.m., Saturday, January 24, at Woody Othello's "It's Going To Be Okay", Unit 1, 1202 Lucerne Ave., Lake Worth. Visit Boy Orbison's Facebook page.

Nicole Danna is a food and music blogger covering Broward and Palm Beach counties. To get the latest in food and music news in South Florida, follow her @SoFloNicole.