AMock Orange- A Night at Mack's Bar

Lily Noga

From the outside, Mac’s Bar looks like an exclusive night club – a towering, black building in the midst of an otherwise unassuming stray-cat-ridden parking lot. This serious-looking façade is instantly broken upon walking in the door; a lazy doorman requests $10, and suddenly Mac’s Bar is a well-worn, poster-slathered escape for those seeking underground jams, old arcade games and a drink or two. This little bar’s tiny stage fostered a special treat this past Friday – indie band Mock Orange played a short set to a very intimate, awestruck audience.

The Sharp Objects, a punk-alternative college band (complete with trumpet) took the stage first around 7:30 p.m., rocking out to 99 Red Balloons and several other unexpected songs. The small audience was left buzzing with a high school-like energy, only to be cooled down by Manna and Quail playing spirited Coldplay-esque songs. Manna and Quail’s soulful lead singer filled the room with haunting piano tunes for half an hour, rushing to its finish with the song “Honestly.”Running overtime, Manna and Quail wasn’t even able to fulfill the drunken one-man cry of ‘Encore!’ before heading off to let the night’s main attraction take over.

Mock Orange spent little time setting up, the bar’s sound technician seeming to care more about the volume mix than the band itself.

 “We don’t have much time, so let’s say f*ck trying to mix it and we’ll just start playing,” lead singer Ryan Grisham announced.

Suddenly, the band opened with one of its new album’s more popular tunes, “Song in D,” and the room was flooded with magical intricate music. The sound filled the bar in a way unrelated to volume; the sheer complexity of their music seemed to oddly saturate the air.

The band flowed into their next flawless song “World of Machines,” punching out tight harmonies and spot-on guitar. Only able to play a half-hour set, Mock Orange performed a few songs from its new album, such as “Lila”and “Supergang,”finishing up with some songs from the older album “Mind is Not Brain.” Mock Orange left the audience completely mesmerized and enthralled, carrying it far away from the checkered floor and grimy tables of Mac’s Bar to an abstract world of perfect musicianship. Performance matching the sound and quality of their recordings impeccably, Mock Orange left their new fans with only one thing to say—“Damn, that band was tight.”

Questions? Comments? Contact Lily Noga at nogalill@msu.edu

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