The opening band, with the exception of the singer played very lifelessly. The guitarist were just shredding away. It was impressive but where was the heart? They were the local group, so nearly half the audience left after they played. Unfortunately, about 30 or so people stuck around until the last band.

Now in El Cajon, the bands with the tight pants outsiders! Ah ha! The dress code was all black that night! I think I stood out with my bright red t-shirt with a delightful robot touting the deliciousness of mathematics.

When Mouth of the Architect came on, many were skeptical. But I believe they won over much of the crowd. When MOTA began to play,they shook the foundations of the Masonic lodge. The band played with a lot of heart, constructing a powerful wall of sound to reckoned with. MOTA had a thirty minute set, playing a mere three songs. Bitchin. Like their album, their show shattered my brain. I couldn't think very well the rest of the night. This resulted in awkwardly forced conversations with the band members. But it was an awesome experience and can't wait to catch them again when they come to town. I got a killer shirt too.

Now it was time for the Esoteric to come up and play. If this band played at the Epicentre, there would have been more than thirty people. But we were in the middle of bum-fuck-never-been-there, which meant only a few kids made the adventurous trek. But that didn't stop the band from shredding this place like a rabid dog with a rag doll. They played 4 all new, very impressive songs that will be on their new disc from Prosthetic Records. What I definitely respected about this band was that even though there were only a few kids at the show, they gave it their all. And the crowd gave them major respect. I can't even do the band justice by attempting to describe how good their performance was.
But let's just say, the next time either MOTA or the Esoteric come to your town, make sure you're in the audience.