June 3, 2001 (back to top)
Anisquoyo Park, Isla Vista
Set: The Shivering Sand - One Last Hallelujah - Water Into Wine - Fatal Flaws - I Fly Free - How Far Away
We went onstage fourth in line, after The Bang, Kirsten Candy, and a strangely dogmatic state Rep. Hanna-Beth Jackson. Outside daytime gigs are alwas great, and we powered through six songs before bequeathing the stage (and, temporarily, Joe's amp) to Thais Albert (previously of the Titsofrenix). We decided to stick around for the later performances, notably the mighty Buttcheek Doofus, half of Gravity Willing, and a surprise appearance by Jenni Alpert. Bryn saved the day when Alfred from the Doofus was out a bass drum pedal. It was great to hear us through a powerful PA, despite the fact that the monitors were full of Joe's guitar. Hey, when you're only allowed on for twenty-five minutes, you use your time to play- you don't whine at the sound guy. Besides, I like the sound of Joe's guitar.

April 12, 2001 (back to top)
Isla Vista, CA- Giovanni's
Audio: Stream | Archive
Set: The Worst Way - Key West Tapwater - Wishing Well Blues - Heart On A Platter - The Shivering Sand - One Last Hallelujah - Water Into Wine - I Fly Free - Run From Me - You're On Your Own - Fatal Flaws - Margarita - Margaritaville - Long Black Leather Boots - Pisces Lullabye - How Far Away
Our biggest show in a long while was courtesy of the UCSB Environmental Affairs Board and Increase the Peace. I thought we might only be scaring a few hippies that night, but actually tons of people showed up for the regular Thursday night hoopla. The stage was tiny, but nothing smaller than anything we'd played on before. Some of the show was recorded, and our set was pretty comprehensive in terms of what we've been playing for the past 6 months. Brian really dug Leather Boots, and Margaritaville was a hit as well. We took a break after Fatal Flaws and Joe didn't make it back from the can in time, so we did what we always do in that situation: play Margarita! Joe probably hated us yet again for doing that to him, but we liked playing that song.

April 7, 2001 (back to top)
6710 Sabado Tarde, Isla Vista
Audio: Stream | Archive
Set: The Worst Way - The Shivering Sand - One Last Hallelujah - Fatal Flaws - Water Into Wine - Margarita - I Fly Free - Heart On A Platter - Wishing Well Blues - Margaritaville - The Night Before - How Far Away
For our 20th "show" (or more accurately: "public rehearsal"), we were reunited with Adam for a short and very cold set in april in front of 15 or so of our biggest fans. We were prepping for Giovanni's a week later, and though you wouldn't know it by the quality of the show, but we actually had a very good practice only hours before. I recorded the gig, creating the first full-show, all-four-of-us-there Mojo Wire live recording. Wishing Well Blues re-entered the set after a long layoff, Hallelujah and Fatal Flaws proved themselves as workhorses equal to Leather Boots, and Night Before once again collapsed into nothingness before we could finish it. Ah well. Actually, the best thing about that recording is hearing Jason's hilarious Scottish accent impression (and Sean's awful one!), as well as the crowd inflicting its mass peer pressure on Joe to keep drinking. Once his strings broke on the last song, he was finished for the night!

February 16, 2001 (back to top)
6710 Sabado Tarde, Isla Vista
Audio: Stream | Archive
Set: Heart On A Platter - Water Into Wine - One Last Hallelujah - Fatal Flaws - The Night Before - Pisces Lullabye - You're On Your Own - I Fly Free - Run From Me - Long Black Leather Boots - How Far Away - Hallelujah (drunk mosh reprise)
The second out-front show was lots like the previous one- the power trio of Joe, Keir, and Bryn played a short set, but this time it was all recorded. We were again limited in our set list because there are some that Adam flat-out sings better, but immortalized on tape are ourselves getting steadily more intoxicated and less able to play, as well as our first ever meathead mosh pit, during a reprised Hallelujah. I went beserk- I thought I saw Em being pushed and careening across the yard, so I contributed a few choise phrases and used my guitar neck to elbow the offending meat-head out of the way, all while crashing through the song. The show must go on indeed. The version of "You're On Your Own" later ended up on the E.P. of the same title.

January 26, 2001 (back to top)
6710 Sabado Tarde, Isla Vista
Set: One Last Hallelujah - Heart On A Platter - Fatal Flaws - Water Into Wine - You're On Your Own - The Night Before - How Far Away - The Worst Way - I Fly Free - Margaritaville - Long Black Leather Boots - Run From Me
The Mojos' first show of 2001 was a short affair, and without Adam, who was needed at the bar. We played a short set with Keir on vocals/bass, Joe on guitar, and Bryn on drums. It looked great from the front, but we were facing the empty street and disinterested passer-by. I mean, it was January, and cold, and most of the party audience was actually inside, but that's ok- we played a strong set and i'm happy with it.



December 15, 2000 (back to top)
6710 Sabado Tarde, Isla Vista
Set: Water Into Wine - One Last Hallelujah - You're On Your Own - Pisces Lullabye - Fatal Flaws - Heart On A Platter - I Fly Free - The Shivering Sand - Margaritaville - Key West Tapwater - Your Mama's A Ho - How Far Away - Long Black Leather Boots - The Night Before - Kid Icarus
The big Mojo Wire comeback show, on 12/15 no less, was at a home-thrown kegger and opened by Sean and Adam with a 30 second boxing match. Sean won instantly, and while Adam recovered, Joe, Keir, and Bryn played as a power trio and debuted several new songs, most of which had been put together during the past year's recording. The power outages kept cursing "Heart On A Platter", but when that ended Adam was back for a romp through the old Mojo back catalogue in a fairly comprehensive set. After the Mojo set everyone ended up on stage and drunken weirdness ensued. Thanks to all who came back for us.



April 23, 1999 (back to top)
Sigma Phi Epsilon, Isla Vista
Set: Key West Tapwater - How Far Away - I Fly Free - Baja Blues - Spitcan - Kid Icarus - 12:15 Blues - Your Mama's A Ho - Nobody Knows You - Margarita - Margaritaville - Wonderful Tonight - The Shivering Sand - Long Black Leather Boots - Wishing Well Blues - Wound Down
Our second SigEp show was a bigger success mainly because everyone was too wasted to notice that we botched notes and Bryn's cymbals kept falling down. Seaside was newly released; we played a double set of all the same songs and destroyed. Er, well, as much as a guitar-pop band can "destroy", per se. Never mind. Not sure if it was better than the first time, but we had even more people in attendance (the whole big-ass frat courtyard was standing room only), and we were once again holding the alcohol hostage.

January 16, 1999 (back to top)
Sigma Phi Epsilon
Set: Spitcan - Key West Tapwater - How Far Away - Baja Blues - I Fly Free - Kid Icarus - Wipeout - 12:15 Blues - Your Mama's A Ho - Why Don't We Get Drunk - Margarita - Wonderful Tonight - The Shivering Sand - Long Black Leather Boots - Wishing Well Blues - Wound Down
Our first fraternity party show, at SigEp (many thanks, Ryan). The biggest Mojo Wire audience ever were here and were in fact our captives, simply cause we were near the alcohol. There was a DJ inside, but if you wanted to get drunk, you had to come out and deal with our particular brand of noise. We were promised payment in beer, which resulted in all of the band rocking in fine form (which is the way it always sounds at the time, under such circumstances, right?) and played a familiar double-set that included no Sublime or Eagle-Eye Cherry songs. What is it with people making requests like that? I mean, Eagle-Eye-%&@$ing-Cherry? I know that we were mostly dealing with intellectually challenged, as well as inebriated, fraternity/sorority people, but still. Sublime requests are fine. We won't play them, though!

January 6, 1999 (back to top)
6527 Sabado Tarde "The Ranch"
Set: How Far Away - Margaritaville - Margarita - Wishing Well Blues - Key West Tapwater - The Shivering Sand - Your Mama's A Ho - Kid Icarus
Opening for other bands is never fun. It was a bad idea to play this one, but we were young and stupid, and ended up being perpetually harassed by some dickhead who stole a setlist. I recall "Margarita" and "Your Mama's A Ho" receiving cheers from the balcony, but other than that no one cared at all. Someone else put it best, though: "Opening for other bands is just the rankest sort of masochism." -Peter Buck of R.E.M.

November 20, 1998 (back to top)
Biko House, Isla Vista, CA
Set: Spitcan - 1215 Blues - How Far Away - Key West Tapwater - Baja Blues - Kid Icarus - Margaritaville - Layla - Wishing Well Blues - Your Mama's A Ho - Whatever Gets You Going - The Shivering Sand - Nobody Knows You - I Fly Free - Wound Down - Why Don't We Get Drunk - Wonderful Tonight
The new Mojo Wire lineup is a hit, all strobe-lit and surrounded by transvestites at Biko House in I.V. The set didn't change much (except for a few more covers and some Keir echo-bass), but Joe was great in his first show, and our host Jon, never failed to get lots of loud noise from the cross-dressed masses. For my part, I actually had fantastic makeup on too, but these things aren't noticed much in strobe-lit rooms. Besides, the rest of the band wouldn't follow my lead on this one, so I didn't play the gig ina dress after all. I know you're all disappointed too!

November 11, 1998 (back to top)
Ping Pong Pizzeria, Isla Vista, CA
Set: Spitcan - 1215 Blues - How Far Away - Key West Tapwater - Baja Blues - Kid Icarus - Margaritaville - Margarita - Wishing Well Blues - Your Mama's A Ho - The Shivering Sand - Nobody Knows You - Why Don't We Get Drunk - Wound Down - Wonderful Tonight
Our second gig at Ping Pong was shortened due to the extremely cold winds blowing through I.V. from some frigid corner of hell. Our last show as a trio was stopped five songs short cause Adam's voice gave out, our fingers hurt, and we felt so bad about keeping all our friends out in the cold. We couldn't let them all get influenza or mono or something, now could we? That pizza place was on its last legs by then anyway, and somehow I feel good about our part in its passing.

October 24, 1998 (back to top)
6522 Sabado Tarde "The Bedrock"
Set: Spitcan - 1215 Blues - Kid Icarus - Key West Tapwater - Baja Blues - Margaritaville - Margarita - Wishing Well Blues - Your Mama's A Ho - Pipeline - Nobody Knows You - The Shivering Sand - I Fly Free - Miserlou - Wound Down - Wonderful Tonight
Home at the Bedrock in I.V., the Mojo Wire now had Bryn on drums, leaving us a trio. We debuted several new songs like "Key West Tapwater", "How Far Away", "Baja Blues", and "Shivering Sand" from Seaside. Also, we fleshed out the beach-town theme of the album by tossing in a few classic surf instrumental covers.



May 8, 1998 (back to top)
Dana Point, CA Dana Hills High School
Set: Spitcan - Wipeout - 1215 Blues - Long Black Leather Boots - Whitecap - Nobody Knows You - Miserlou - Wishing Well Blues - Your Mama's A Ho - Margaritaville
The Mojo Wire belatedly rocks the mall at our alma mater, Dana Hills High. Kevin rejoined for this one, but he was the only one who actually attended DHHS at the time. Even though we'd begun working on Seaside, our set was confined to Kevin-era songs as they'd be the easiest to master in the least time. Still, a strong "Miserlou" and "Wipeout" made the bored and bratty punks pay attention, "Margaritaville" (and the blues songs) impressed the faculty, and "Your Mama's a Ho" once again grossed everybody out. It was great fun, and I really want to get back to play there again- even if the kids were only relieved to have a band-any band- play, gigs in front of screaming teenagers are actually really cool.

March 15, 1998 (back to top)
Isla Vista, CA Ping Pong Pizzeria
Set: 12:15 Blues - Long Black Leather Boots - Wipeout - Nobody Knows You - Wonderful Tonight - Whitecap - FM Blues - Margarita - Margaritaville - Spitcan - Run From Me - Under The Sun - Kid Icarus - Your Mama's A Ho - Wishing Well Blues
The first show at the now-defunct Ping Pong Pizzeria in Isla Vista. We got paid in pizza and beer from a guy named Claudio, and had a very good time. The only new song performance was "Run From Me", but by this time Rocket Fuel was all done and gone to the presses. Battery Acid was for sale next door in Morninglory as well. It moved exactly 3 copies. Yep. Three. Julie took lots of photos, but the best ones were from the after-show party at Bedrock- stuff like Adam double-fisting, etc. Yow.

February 7. 1998 (back to top)
6522 Sabado Tarde "The Bedrock"
Set: 12:15 Blues - Long Black Leather Boots - Whitecap - FM Blues - Nobody Knows You - Margaritaville - Margarita - The Worst Way - Your Mama's A Ho - Wishing Well Blues - Spitcan - Kid Icarus - Under The Sun - Stay With Me
Our second set of Bedrock balcony parties were during recording for Rocket Fuel. "Icarus" was included, as well as a messy "Under the Sun" and a weird medley of "Spitcan" and "the Fly". Everything was going well at the second bash until the keg got ripped off by some standard-issue I.V. meatheads. I felt so, so violated!

January 10, 1998 (back to top)
6522 Sabado Tarde "The Bedrock"
Set: 12:15 Blues - Long Black Leather Boots - Nobody Knows You - Whitecap - FM Blues - Margarita - Margaritaville - Spitcan/The Fly - The Worst Way - Your Mama's A Ho - Wishing Well Blues - Kid Icarus - Miserlou - Stay With Me



December 20, 1997 (back to top)
Holiday Inn Laguna Hills, CA
Set: 12:15 Blues - Wonderful Tonight - Long Black Leather Boots - Nobody Knows You - Whitecap - FM Blues - The Witching Hour - Wishing Well Blues - Margaritaville - Margarita - The Worst Way - Stray Cat Strut
This show at the Laguna Hills Holiday Inn was something of a washout, not because we played badly (we did alright) but because we were too loud (?!?). This was a corporate-sponsored show by the Follett Co. for a Christmas party. Apparently not enough kids (er, "young people") showed up, and we were constantly admonished to turn it down. That didn't stop the best part of the set; "FM Blues", "Nobody Knows You", and "Wonderful Tonight" got people out of their seats. We didn't get paid, but then we never do. At least we didn't sell out, right? Anyway, Brandon was the best drummer we ever played with, and this was our first big show with him behind the kit.

December 2, 1997 (back to top)
6522 Sabado Tarde "The Bedrock"
Set: 12:15 Blues - Whitecap - Long Black Leather Boots - Nobody Knows You - FM Blues - Margarita - Margaritaville - Stay With Me - Spitcan - Your Mama's A Ho - Wishing Well Blues

November 24, 1997 (back to top)
6522 Sabado Tarde "The Bedrock"
Set: 12:15 Blues - Long Black Lleather Boots - Nobody Knows You - Whitecap - FM Blues - Margarita - Margaritaville - Spitcan - The Worst Way - Your Mama's A Ho - Wishing Well Blues
These were our first lease-crashing Isla Vista shows, with plenty of beer and casual disregard for KAMAP. Brandon Klopp replaced Kevin for these shows, done while recording Battery Acid. We didn't plan on the arrival of Bruce the bum, but at least Bryn and Brandon made another friend.



August 22, 1997 (back to top)
Laguna Niguel, CA MacAllister wedding
Set: 12:15 Blues - Wipeout - One - Wonderful Tonight - Unchained Melody - Long Black Leather Boots - Nobody Knows You - Whitecap - FM Blues - Can't Keep Warm - Yer Blues
The newly-named Mojo Wire, with Adam, Bryn, Keir, and Kevin, plays as a wedding band. Kevin powered through "Wipeout" again, and new songs like "FM Blues" and "Long Black Leather Boots" surfaced in the set. We also mangled "Unchained Melody" pretty bad too (despite being surrounded by bubbles), but hey, my mom got us the gig- it was her wedding, and she said we did just fine, so there. Somewhere there exists a few minutes of video footage of us playing "Wipeout", and some panning back and forth to the audience that were grooving along with it. Bryn played through two little Crate amps, but I'd already got my Peavy by then and was rocking the coi pond (our stage was actually some thick wood covering over said pond).



December 20 & 21, 1996 (back to top)
Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade
Set both nights: 12:15 Blues - Your Mama's A Ho - Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out - Wipeout - FM Blues - Whitecap - Long Black Leather Boots - Can't Keep Warm - Miserlou
Our first two shows in December '96 were cold. We were then still under our old name of "The Clap"; also, we lacked the frontmanly prescence of Adam. Instead, Bryn, Keir, and Kevin were aided by Jason Ross, and we all froze on the deck of a boat in Newport Harbor playing "Wipeout" many times over for giddy Westwind rugrats. I don't think we played anything that has survived as a Mojo Wire tune except for "12:15" and the deathless "Your Mama's a Ho". We refused to be drowned out by a passing yacht with a real band on it..

Honey White shows (2002-2006)

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