Mock Orange/Jack's Broken Heart live in San Diego (2001) live show

This was a great line up for a show. None of the bands sucked, which is rare because a lot of shows I attend have at least one horrible band. So any way, the opening act was San Diego 5-piece band, Cold Weather Rescue. The first time I ever saw them play, I was not impressed in the least, but this time was so much better. I wasn’t sure what type of music they classify themselves as, but according to their web page some of their influences include Stavesacre, Sunny Day Real Estate, Counterfit, Smashing Pumpkins, Far, Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, The Cure, Mock Orange, and the Deftones. CWR first played “2 ½ Minutes” then “Der Na Nare” both of which I just so happen to favor. I believe it was their third song “Strategery” that I hated. It was too noisy or not in sync...or something. They finished up with “Stabbing” and a song that they call “Waiting” (apparently it’s an unnamed song, and so tonight it received a temporary name?) Despite their five song set, they were quite entertaining and if they ever swing by your town, check ‘em out. (www.coldweatherrescue.com)

Next up: Emo Christian Band Noise Ratchet. The last time I saw Noise Ratchet play was about a year and a half ago. I could have sworn I remember them having a completely different sound to their music but of course I do have severe memory problems. I actually don’t know a lot about this band besides the fact that they are Christian and from San Diego. Now don’t let the fact that they are a Christian band bring you down. They’re actually pretty damn good. And I think as long as you can keep an open mind, you might like this band too. I apologize for catching only one song name, which was “Disappear”. Their very last song had a nice ring to it, but the lyrics were a bit too powerful to me in the religious sense. I really wasn’t into that. If you ask me, I much prefer them over MxPx, Dogwood, or N.I.V. (www.noiseratchet.com)

Now we’re getting to the good stuff. Jack’s Broken Heart. These guys have been on the top 25 list of downloaded songs on mp3.com (along with Noise Ratchet) for quite some time now. They also just recently won a San Diego Music Award for the “best alternative band”. Oh, and it’s like that for a reason. These guys are so good!! They started off by playing “Dress the Part” which I liked. It’s hard to put into words how I feel about Jack’s Broken Heart, every time I see them I like them a little more. Every performance seems to be a little better than the last. Set list as written: DTP, LL, AF, TT, AW, DML, ITF (www.jacksbrokenheart.com)

Mock Orange rocks. I am no number one fan or anything, but I’ve waited like 2 months for this show. Boy was it was worth it. Their second song was a new one, their fourth was “Brake Lights On” which I recognized after 2 notes. Sooo, look if you’ve never heard this band’s music before give ‘em a shot. They’ve got a good variety to their tunes and are a highly likable band. There were a few bobbing heads in the crowd and a few people singing along. It was a shame there was only one person who was genuinely into the music. I'd recommend any of these bands to anyone who likes good music.

(Sheena)