OrcaMind is the band of Michelle Heafy & Josiah Everhart. Their second EP REALM is out now. They are partnered on twitch, streaming nightly shows to hundreds of live viewers.  OrcaMind first gained popularity on YouTube, with over 11 million combined views between Michelle, Josiah, & drummer Matt Bane.

OrcaMind's music focuses on memorable melodies & lyrics, intertwining vocal harmonies, dynamic fingerstyle guitar, layered synths, & intricate drums. Their genre is melodic progressive pop-rock/indie, which they like to call PROP.

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OrcaMind is the annual opener for Matthew Heafy of Trivium's concert benefiting music therapy for Orlando Health children's hospital in FL. For their first full band show in March 2023, they were featured at esteemed Velour Live in Provo UT for the new band showcase. Shortly after, they were accepted into Velour's prestigious Battle of the Bands.  They soon progressed to perform in multiple Velour festivals such as  Buzzards & Bees, Xmas All-Stars, the 2024 Slumber Party, & most recently, the Les Femmes De Velour Festival, showcasing frontwomen in the music scene (Feb 2024).

Other notable works: Michelle sang lead vocals on two official Magic: The Gathering soundtracks.

Along with multiple full length solo albums,  OrcaMind released two original EPs, the most recent being REALM (Dec 2023).

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FAQ: WHAT DOES ORCAMIND MEAN?

Though most all band names are inherently unusual, we get this question often enough that I have made this section about our name!

TLDR! (written by Michelle):

I love orcas. I've been obsessed with them since I was little. I have a large collection of orca memorabilia. We also have an obsession with music/melodies/writing songs/harmonies/performing, and we can't see ourselves doing anything else as our main focus in life. OrcaMind represents unwavering determination with what you are passionate about, and focusing on it with positive energy and action.

1. Why orcas? I just love them. Some of their attributes align with how I feel about music, and the musical bond that can be shared between people. Orcas use echolocation (the reflection of sound) to communicate with each other, and for navigation. This just stands out to me with parallels of being a musician and being in a band, and connecting with others through music.

Orcas are emotionally intelligent beyond human capabilities. Their amygdala, which supports social learning and navigation, is highly advanced. The emotional center in their brains are more advanced than humans. According to orcanation.org:  "the most fascinating part of orcas brain is the insula, which is the most elaborated in the world. The insula is involved in consciousness and playing diverse functions linked to emotions that includes compassion, empathy, self-awareness, and interpersonal experience… they have powerful empathy for each other and humans."
Echolocation is a sixth sense. This parallels with music because music is an additional way beyond just words to express emotions, connect, and communicate.

Orcas have their own dialects within their pods that only they understand. This reminds me of being in a band, because you communicate with each other in a unique way.  These are just a few ways orcas and music go together well in our minds.

2. Josiah and I are from two coasts on opposite sides of the U.S. The cultures we grew up in are vastly different - but similar in that they're both coastal! We share interests in ocean & marine life, and we bonded early over a specific interest in historical shipwrecks. Our upbringings being so different along with certain closely shared commonalities benefits our musical bond & chemistry.

3. DoubleMind - this was our first parody "band name" long before we started OrcaMind. We often say and think things at the same time, and sometimes it feels like telepathy. This is great when we write songs together!

4. The capital "M" casing in OrcaMind is a callback to a beloved video game with themes of love, fate, and positivity called "EarthBound". This game brought us together in that we are huge fans, and have released many arrangements of songs from the soundtracks. The first collaboration we ever did together was "Pollyanna" from EarthBound, and it was one of the last songs we did to close the chapter on soley focusing on video game music. It's a homage to the things that brought us together and led us to OrcaMind.