Oranger
| Company type | Indie rock group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1997 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco , United States |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
Oranger was an indie rock group based in San Francisco.
Band history
In 1997, Mike Drake, Matt Harris, and Jim Lindsay—who had previously worked together in Overwhelming Colorfast and Stick Figures—established Oranger with Chad Dyer handling bass duties. Their inaugural gig took place at the Noise Pop Festival in San Francisco. Following Dyer's exit, the band operated as a trio and produced their debut album, Doorway to Norway, which was issued in 1998 under their own Pray for Mojo label. In 1999, Scott Kannberg from Pavement partnered with Drake to launch Amazing Grease Records, re-releasing Doorway to Norway as the label’s first offering.
With the addition of Patrick Main in 1999, the band commenced work on their sophomore album, The Quiet Vibrationland, a title inspired by a lyric from The Who’s rock opera Tommy. This record was captured using an Ampex MM1000 tape recorder previously owned by The Beach Boys and came out in 2000. In 2003, Oranger released a double album titled Shutdown the Sun/From the Ashes of Electric Elves through San Francisco indie label Jackpine Social Club.
Drummer Jim Lindsay departed in 2004 and subsequently joined The High Water Marks. The band's last album before taking a break, New Comes and Goes, appeared in 2005 via Los Angeles-based indie label Eenie Meenie Records. That same year, their rendition of the 1954 classic "Mr. Sandman" was included in the soundtrack for the Xbox game Stubbs the Zombie in "Rebel Without a Pulse" and featured on the television series "Vampire Diaries". A reunion show scheduled for April 12, 2020 at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Current members
- Mike Drake – guitar, vocals
- Bob Reed – guitar
- Patrick Main – keyboards
Former members
- Chad Dyer – bass
- Jim Lindsay – drums
- John Hofer – drums
- Matt Harris – bass, vocals (deceased 2021)
Discography
- Doorway to Norway (1998)
- The Quiet Vibration Land (2000)
- Shutdown the Sun/From the Ashes of Electric Elves (2003)
- New Comes and Goes (2005)
- Please Leave Our Mind - Covers Under Lockdown (2021)
- Vege-tables (2021)
- Everyone Says You're Lots of Fun (2023)
Soundtracks
- Stubbs the Zombie: The Soundtrack (2005) – track: "Mr. Sandman" (cover version of The Chordettes)