Orson play what their singer Jason Pebworth calls simply "two-guitar power-pop", or, equally simply, "rock and roll that girls can dance to." The first song that Orson released to the public, No Tomorrow, was the most downloaded iTunes Single Of The Week in Apple's history.

And when Orson made their live debut in the UK at the In The City seminar in Manchester, they were immediately signed to a major publishing deal with Universal.

Orson formed in 2000 around a core of Jason Pebworth and guitarist George Astasio. The group took its name from Hollywood legend Orson Welles. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, they admired the great man's work (Jason: "Orson Welles was a maverick who took a lot of shit and made a lot of enemies yet his art stood the test of time."). Secondly, they saw a sandwich named after him and reckoned that the name just sounded good. "We were in a little coffee shop in Hollywood," Jason recalls, "and there was a list of sandwiches: the Greta Garbo, the Clark Gable, the Orson Welles. That got me thinking..." (Note: the sandwich was filled with Gouda cheese and pickles, and none of the band ate one.)

Over time, the Orson name has taken on greater significance. Jason explains, "We're having a little fun with the fact that we're based in Hollywood. There are so many bands from Hollywood, and none of them seem to have any sense of being from here. I love the mystique that this place has. That's why we wear hats everywhere, as a nod to the Old Hollywood."

Orson's songs are mostly about girls, about falling in or falling out of love. They form what is essentially a diary of Jason's own love life. "I torture myself over lyrics," he says. "Ultimately, the best stuff, the funniest lines, come out of the most heartbreaking times. To me, Elvis Costello is one of the great lyricists. He can make something really funny out of something truly tragic. I like that approach. It's like the great comedians."

Jason remains philosophical about the girl in No Tomorrow. "It's OK," he laughs. "I got a good song out of it!" And with Orson, it's all about the songs.