Mock Orange (band)

Mock Orange
Origin Evansville, Indiana, USA
Genres Alternative rock, indie rock, emo, punk rock
Years active 1993–present
Labels Wednesday Records, Topshelf Records
Members Ryan Grisham
Heath Metzger
Joe Asher
Zach Grace

Mock Orange is an indie rock band from Evansville, Indiana, USA. They debuted in 1998 during a growing emo and punk musical climate. Though they didn't reach the commercial success of some of their contemporaries, they are widely respected as a prolific group with a unique sound.[1]

Overview

Mock Orange first introduced their sound in 1998 with “Nines & Sixes.” The record immediately established Mock Orange on the national scene and received critical acclaim in the press along with a spot on the CMJ Top 60 college radio charts. In 2000, the band followed up with “The Record Play.” Produced by Mark Trombino (Pinback, Jimmy Eat World), the record continued to earn Mock Orange a legion of fans. [2]

Despite this early success, challenges lay ahead for the band. In 2002, just after the release of the "First EP", the band’s label, Dead Droid Records, was sued by George Lucas for copyright infringement.[3] The suit resulted in the collapse of the label, and left Mock Orange searching for a new home. The EP, however, was a progression, yielding a sound that infused more diverse rhythms, subtle lyrics and angular guitars. The result was natural for a band who cut its teeth on The Flaming Lips’ “Soft Bulletin” and Pavement’s “Slanted and Enchanted.”

Poised to explore this new direction, Mock Orange returned to the studio, this time with producer J. Robbins (Dismemberment Plan, The Promise Ring), and delivered Mind is Not Brain. The record wowed critics, causing Alternative Press to call it the "closest to a perfect album we've heard in a long time." The band also earned loyal new fans as it took to the road with relentless touring over three continents, performing alongside bands like Rogue Wave, Ted Leo, and Minus the Bear. Live appearances on MTV2 and songs on shows like CSI Miami, MTV's Real World and ESPN would follow. [4]

On September 9, 2008, Wednesday Records released Mock Orange’s Captain Love. The record was recorded over the better part of a year in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Jeremy Ferguson (Be Your Own Pet, Josh Rouse). Punctuated by the engaging artwork of Kathleen Lolley (My Morning Jacket's Z), the record picks up where Mind Is Not Brain left off and proves to be Mock Orange's most sophisticated, ambitious and affecting release to date.

Mock Orange have also developed a strong following in Japan, touring the country five times with their Japanese labelmates The Band Apart and releasing a split EP titled Daniels EP. 2006 also saw the band making their European debut, touring in Germany, Spain, France and Switzerland. The UK leg of the tour was cancelled after the band's van was broken into in Spain.

2011 saw the release of their latest full-length album, Disguised As Ghosts, on Wednesday Records. Slightly less funky than Captain Love, it still follows along the acoustic-strewn pop path with thoughtful arrangements and excellent production. The album was recorded by bassist Zach Grace with Jeremy Ferguson returning to help produce. The album has been released on both CD and Vinyl.

In 2016, the band signed with Topshelf Records (Braid, The Jazz June) to release their follow-up to "Disguised As Ghosts". According to Mock Orange's Twitter account, Alan Douches was recruited to master the album in late March.[5] Said to be a melding of their two conflicting past sounds, Put The Kid On The Sleepy Horse has a May 20, 2016 release date.[6]

Members

Discography

Albums

Release date Title Label Notes
1995 Open Sunday Minus 7 Cassette Only
1997 Mock Orange Minus 7 aka The Green Record
1998 Nines & Sixes Lobster Records
2000 The Record Play Lobster Records
2000 Amplified EMI Japan only
2002 First EP Dead Droid Records
2004 Mind is Not Brain Silverthree, Asian Gothic
2004 Live At Schubas
2006 Daniels EP Asian Gothic Japan-only split EP with The Band Apart
2008 Captain Love Wednesday Records, Asian Gothic, Tiger Trap
2009 Live In Brooklyn Wednesday Records
2011 Disguised As Ghosts Wednesday Records
2016 Put the Kid On The Sleepy Horse Topshelf Records

Compilations

track 2: "Payroll"
track 3: "Brake Lights On", 9 "Window Shopping", 16 "You Know You Got It"
track 15: "Brake Lights On"
track 7: "Song D'lux"
track 12: "Only in Dreams"
track 8: "In Heaven An Hour"
track 6: "Holiday Dinner Song"

Soundtracks

Contests

References

[7]

  1. ↑ Topshelf Records' artist page: http://www.topshelfrecords.com/artists/mock-orange
  2. ↑ http://www.punknews.org/article/3922/dead-droid-confirms-mock-orange-signing
  3. ↑ http://www.courierpress.com/entertainment/music/mock-orange-puts-an-edge-on-indie-rock
  4. ↑ http://www.lollipop.com/article.php3?content=issue66/f-mockorange.html
  5. ↑ Twitter, @mockorange, March 4, 2016. https://twitter.com/mockorange/status/573260883289358339
  6. ↑ Anthony, David. "Mock Orange shows the ninth time is the charm on new track". The A.V. Club, April 4, 2016. http://www.avclub.com/article/mock-orange-shows-ninth-time-charm-new-track-234671
  7. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/mockorange
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