Mock Orange | |
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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.
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.
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. 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.
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.