| Culled from such notables as American Sensei and the Stick Figures, Oranger (Mike Drake-Guitar/Vocs, Matt Harris-Bass/Vocs and Jim Lindsay-Drums) rocketed onto the San Francisco music scene with their debut "Doorway To Norway"(Pray For Mojo) in 1998. Critics heralded them as "Pretty Good. Pretty Damn Good, I'll Tell You What!". "Doorway" contained the runaway smash(in Latvia) "Mike Love, Not War" as well as unforgettable tunes like "Eggtooth" and "Donald, You're Freaking Out". Continued rockin' live performances garnished them a reputation as a band people would pay good money to see. This was helped, in part, by the lovable onstage antics of drummer Jim Lindsay who earned favorable comparisons to Keith Moon and Olivia DeHaviland. 2001 saw the release of "The Quiet Vibrationland" (Amazing Grease) and the addition of Patrick Main(Jolly) on Keyboards. The group's sophmore effort found them heading into territory once only inhabited by the high and the mighty. Standouts like "A View Of The City From An Airplane" and "Texas Snow" proved the band still knew how to rock and rock hard, while tracks like "sorry Paul" and "Falling Stars" showed a softer, introspective side. Touring throughout that year gave them their reputation as a "band's band" being asked to join such notables as Guided By Voices, Elliot Smith and Wilco as support. Fast forward to 2003 and the release of "Shutdown The Sun"(Jackpine Social Club). The band has found a distinct voice and every track on the album is a standout. The lucky few who bought one of the first 5000 copies of "Shutdown" also received the 34 track(!) companion cd "From The Ashes Of Electric Elves". With the further addition of Bob Reed(Overwhelming Colorfast) on guitar, the future looks Oranger than ever! - P. Stoff, Flying Pretend Magazine |
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