Orange Creek Riders are a terrific indie rock band from central Florida I learned about several months ago when I heard one of their songs played on fellow blogger and musician Marc Schuster’s weekly Tweetcore Radio Hour. The band is also very supportive of other musicians and bands – something I find admirable in musicians – and since I really like both them and their music, I decided it was about time I featured them on my blog.

Formed in 2013 and based in and around Orlando, the band is comprised of singer-songwriter and guitarist Darren Soto, harmonica player Darren Vierday, bassist Jeff Jordan and drummer Jeff Sudbury. Their pleasing style of music is influenced by an eclectic mix of genres, including alternative rock, folk, Americana, new wave, punk and ska.

(Soto also happens to be a United States Congressman, representing Florida’s 9th district. Currently serving his third term in Congress, he previously served four years in the Florida Senate and five in the Florida House of Representatives. He’s also a progressive Democrat, a good thing in my book, as it’s encouraging to know there are still reasonable politicians left in Florida, not to mention that I abhor the monster the present-day GOP has become. Anyway, how he’s managed to juggle making music with the demands of his political career, not to mention his family, is mind-boggling to me!)

The first few years after forming, Orange Creek Riders played local venues and festivals, such as Orlando Fringe Festival, Planned Parenthood’s Rock and Roe Concert, Delandapalooza, as well as various political events. earning them the title of “Best Congressional Folk Band” by Orlando Weekly. In October 2018, they released their debut album Oranges and Grapefruit, a respectable work featuring lighthearted folk/Americana style songs inspired by Central Florida’s citrus grove and cattle ranch heritage. Some of the tracks include “Orange Kings”, “Sweet Clementine” and “Giddy Up My Love”.

They followed a year later with their second album Back to the Grove, offering up songs of a similar theme, once again sprinkled here and there with songs about the oft-covered minefield of love and relationships. Like Oranges and Grapefruit, it was also produced by Jason Woods. One of my favorites from this album is “Goldilocks”, a bouncy love song highlighted by Jordan’s gnarly bass groove and Vierday’s spirited harmonica. Soto has an earnest and pleasing vocal style that generally sits in the low tenor range.

Their third album. Rockin’ Horse, consisting of previously unreleased songs written by both the band and Soto, was released toward the end of the pandemic in late 2020. The self-produced album features a mix of musical styles, including the lovely folk/punk “Already Gone”, the moody, Americana-inspired “A Moment in Time”, the epic Neil Young-esque title track “Rockin’ Horse”, highlighted by some amazing guitar runs, and the introspective and haunting “Return of the Rider”.

Since 2021, Orange Creek Riders have released a series of singles arranged in groups, sort of like EPs, but released as individual singles. At this point in their career, they seemed to be expanding their sound beyond folk-Americana toward a more pop-oriented sound, though it was still steeped in folk, alt-rock and punk elements. One of my favorites among their next batch of five songs – “Guardian Angel”, “Bonfire on the Beach”, “Shadows in the Light”, “Overjoyed” and “Not My Girl” – is the latter tune, a languid and melancholy kiss-off song that still comes off as pleasing. Soto wistfully croons “If I should fall to pieces a thousand on the floor, know that you’re not my girl anymore.”

Their next batch of three songs, released between September 2021 and January 2022, included “Ferris Wheel”, “Daydreamer” and “Drifting On Away”. My personal favorite is “Ferris Wheel”, which reminds me of songs from the 2000s by such acts as Plain White T’s and Owl City.

In 2022, they dropped a series of three breezy singles celebrating Florida’s sunny environment (though “Sunnyside” speaks of trying to break free of the gloom of depression and finding joy again after the pandemic). The first of them, “Big Wave”, is probably my favorite of all their songs thus far. An exuberant tune extolling the joys of surfing, it has a delightful Beach Boys/Jan and Dean vibe, but with a definite punk sensibility. I love the song’s lively, head-bopping groove, terrific guitar noodling and Soto’s wonderful vocals. The song has become their most popular to date, garnering over 376,000 streams on Spotify.

More recently, they’ve been releasing what they’re calling the “Key Singles”, featuring a more retro, synth-heavy darkwave sound that’s a strong departure from their previous songs. The first in the series was “Oblivion”, a deeply impactful song released last December about the brutality of the war in Ukraine. Soto’s high-pitched vocals are quite arresting as he wails “When the sky has fallen, and the leaves they are never green. In a world that’s broken, and blown apart. We can wait for an oblivion. We must take or it’s hell to come.”

This was followed in March with “The Key”, a haunting but catchy synthpop song in the vein of some of the great songs by The Cure and New Order. I especially love the strong, driving beat, piercing synths and chiming guitars. Their latest single “On A Train”, released on June 14th, was inspired by the 2022 film Bullet Train, starring Brad Pitt as an assassin who battles fellow killers while riding a bullet train. The song is an exciting, synth and guitar-driven gem that evokes the drama and peril of the movie’s subject matter.

So there you have it, a nice selection of tracks that give my readers a decent taste of Orange Creek Rider’s impressive music catalog. I look forward to hearing what they have in store!

Connect with Orange Creek Riders:  Facebook / Twitter

Find their music on Spotify / Apple Music / Reverbnation / YouTube