Modest Mouse
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Modest Mouse | ||
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | Issaquah, Washington, USA | |
| Genre(s) | Alternative Rock Indie Rock |
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| Years active | 1993–present | |
| Label(s) | Epic Up Records K Records |
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| Website | [1] | |
| Members | ||
| Isaac Brock Eric Judy Jeremiah Green Johnny Marr Tom Peloso Joe Plummer |
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| Former members | ||
| John Wickhart Dann Gallucci Benjamin Weikel |
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Modest Mouse is an American indie rock band. They were formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington by singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, bassist John Wickhart, and guitarist Dann Gallucci [2]. However, since their 1996 debut album This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About, their lineup has been centered around guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Eric Judy. Since being signed to Sony's Epic Records in 2000, the band has attained significant popular success. Elements of Modest Mouse's sound have been likened to or have been inspired by those of Elliott Smith, Pixies, Built to Spill, and numerous other alternative rock bands. Their name derives from a passage from the Virginia Woolf story "The Mark on the Wall".
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[edit] History
In 1994, Isaac Brock, Jeremiah Green, John Wickhart, and Dann Gallucci recorded their debut EP, Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect?, at Calvin Johnson's Dub Narcotic Studios, which was then released on Calvin's record label K Records. Then followed a single with Sub-Pop that was recorded by Steve Wold at Moon Studios. During this time, Modest Mouse also recorded their "would-be" debut album Sad Sappy Sucker, but constant delays caused the album to be shelved and forgotten (it was officially released in 2001). After moving to Up Records, losing bassist John Wickhart, temporarily losing guitarist Dann Gallucci, and gaining bassist Eric Judy [3], Modest Mouse put out several releases recorded at Moon Studios, including 1996's This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About. This double LP was produced and recorded by Steve Wold (at this time Steve Wold was a member of the band as well). The next offering on UP was Interstate 8, also produced by Steve Wold. 1997's The Lonesome Crowded West, (also recorded at Moon Studios, by Scott Swayze) turned out to be the band's breakthrough album. The Lonesome Crowded West gained the band a cult following and is now widely considered by many critics to be one of the defining albums of mid-90s indie-rock. In 2000, Up released a singles and rarities collection entitled Building Nothing Out of Something, which included the entirety of Interstate 8 except for the songs "Edit the Sad Parts" and "Buttons to Push Buttons".
Also in 2000, Modest Mouse released The Moon & Antarctica, their first album on a major label (Epic Records). The band enjoyed some success on alternative radio with the singles "3rd Planet" and "Gravity Rides Everything." It was well received by some critics initially [4]including a 9.8 out of 10 by the online music review magazine Pitchfork Media. It has subsequently gone on to receive further acclaim [5]. Lead singer Isaac Brock has since put out an album with his side project Ugly Casanova on Sub Pop Records. The band licensed "Gravity Rides Everything" for a commercial for Nissan's Quest minivan, a move that Brock has publicly acknowledged as blatantly commercial but necessary to achieve financial stability [6].
In 2001, Modest Mouse released the EP Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks, a collection of unused songs from the Moon and Antarctica recording sessions, and Sad Sappy Sucker, a collection of songs Modest Mouse recorded in 1994, originally intended to be their debut album, but shelved in favor of This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About. In 2002, they joined Cake, De La Soul, The Flaming Lips, The Hackensaw Boys, and Kinky on the Unlimited Sunshine Tour.
In 2003, drummer Jeremiah Green quit the band due to a mental breakdown; the official word was that he was quitting to work with his side project, Vells. The same year he and bassist Eric Judy appeared on Adam Forkner's debut solo album, VVRSSNN. Green was replaced with two new members, drummer Benjamin Weikel (who also drummed for The Helio Sequence) and guitarist Dann Gallucci (who had been a member of Modest Mouse previously, and appears on Sad Sappy Sucker). On April 6, 2004, Modest Mouse released their fourth album, the platinum-selling Good News for People Who Love Bad News, which scored two hits with "Float On" and "Ocean Breathes Salty". Later that year, Jeremiah Green returned to the band, and Benjamin Weikel returned to drumming exclusively for The Helio Sequence. Dann Gallucci left the band in August, and they have been touring with Jim Fairchild of Grandaddy and All Smiles.
Modest Mouse was mentioned by name in the 2005 Supreme Court decision in the case of MGM v. Grokster. Justice Souter wrote that on the Grokster P2P network, "Users seeking Top 40 songs, for example, or the latest release by Modest Mouse, are certain to be far more numerous than those seeking a free Decameron, and Grokster and StreamCast translated that demand into dollars."
[edit] We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank
The band had planned and began to play a string of shows on the West Coast of the United States in August of 2006, but an update on Epic Records' Modest Mouse site stated that the shows would be postponed due to the band working on recording their new album, entitled We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank. The new album was recorded in Mississippi and was produced by Dennis Herring, who also produced Good News for People Who Love Bad News.
By June 26, 2006, the band had finished recording in Oxford, Mississippi at Sweet Tea Recording Studio with producer Dennis Herring and returned to Portland, Oregon to finish overdubs and mixing. Johnny Marr is a confirmed member of the band, co-writing songs for the new album with Isaac Brock. [7] According to Brock himself, Marr is now "a full blown member of the band," [8] and he will tour with the band in the near future. Brock appears excited about the album, describing it as a "nautical balalaika carnival romp" [9].
The first single, "Dashboard", was played on KNDD, a radio station in Washington, at midnight on New Years' 2007, and has subsequently been ripped and made available across the internet. As of January 8, 2007, it has begun playing on some other radio stations as well. The band began streaming the single on their myspace page on January 3, 2007 and on March 17 they began streaming the entire album.
The music video for "Dashboard," was directed by Mathew Cullen and Grady Hall of Motion Theory.
The album, which was originally planned to be released on December 19, 2006, was postponed, and was released on March 20, 2007, according to their label. [10]
Blender Magazine named Modest Mouse "the 25th reason to love 2007" because of their up-and-coming fifth album. [1]
A copy of the album leaked onto various file sharing networks on February 15th, 2007.
On March 18th, 2007, while on stage in Sioux Falls touring for the new album, Isaac Brock reportedly cut himself on stage. However, he continued with the show although appearing out of it, with visible blood stains on his shirt. [2]
In addition, Isaac Brock has cut himself on stage before, as shown in this video clip.
The album debuted at #1 in the US Billboard Chart[3] with sales in excess of 130,000.
[edit] Other members
- Dann Gallucci (has gone in and out of the band several times, but is currently not) - Guitar/Keyboards/Vocals/Percussion/Synthesizers - See also: Murder City Devils, Triumph of Lethargy, A Gun Called Tension
- Benjamin Weikel (former member) - Drums/Percussion - See also: The Helio Sequence
- Steve Wold (former member and producer) - Slide guitar, mandolin, guitar
- Jeff Kennedy (former member) - Violin/Banjo
- Nicole Johnson (former occasional accompaniment) - Vocals on Building Nothing Out of Something, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About, The Lonesome Crowded West
- John Wickhart (former member) - bass guitar on Sad Sappy Sucker
[edit] Discography
[edit] Studio albums
- This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About (Up, 1996)
- The Lonesome Crowded West (Up, 1997)
- The Moon & Antarctica (Epic, 2000) US #120
- Good News for People Who Love Bad News (Epic, 2004) US #18; UK #40
- We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank (Epic, 2007) US #1
[edit] EPs
- Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect? (K, 1995)
- Interstate 8 (Up, 1996)
- The Fruit That Ate Itself (K, 1997)
- Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks (Epic, 2001)
[edit] Compilations
- Building Nothing Out of Something (Up, 2000)
- Sad Sappy Sucker (K, 2001)
[edit] Other albums
- Night On the Sun (Japan only) (Rebel Beat Factory, 2000)
- The Moon & Antarctica (Reissue) (Epic, 2004)
- Baron von Bullshit Rides Again (Live) (Epic, 2004)
[edit] Singles
- "Broke" (Sub Pop, 1996)
- "A Life of Arctic Sounds" (Suicide Squeeze, 1997)
- "Birds vs. Worms" (Hit or Miss, 1997)
- "Other People's Lives" (Up, 1998)
- "Whenever You See Fit" (Up/Suicide Squeeze, 1998)
- "Never Ending Math Equation" (Sub Pop, 1998)
- "Float On" (Epic, 2004) US #68, Modern Rock #1
- "Heart Cooks Brain" (Matador, 1999)
- "Ocean Breathes Salty" (Epic, 2004) Modern Rock #6
- "Dashboard" (Epic, 2007) US #10, Modern Rock #3
[edit] Promos
- "The World at Large" (Epic, 2005)
- "King Rat" (Epic, 2007)
[edit] External links
- Official Modest Mouse Website
- Epic Records' Modest Mouse site
- Modest Mouse fansite
- Early Modest Mouse demos
- Interstate-8.com : A Modest Mouse fan collaborative
- Onion A.V. Club interview with Isaac Brock
- Filter Magazine interview with Isaac Brock
- Modest Mouse "Untitled" documentary
- Modest Mouse at MySpace
- Modest Mouse at Virb
- Modest Mouse at All Music Guide
[edit] References
| Modest Mouse |
| Isaac Brock • Eric Judy • Jeremiah Green • Johnny Marr |
| Dann Gallucci • Benjamin Weikel • Chris Majeras |
| Studio albums |
| This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About • The Lonesome Crowded West • The Moon & Antarctica • Good News for People Who Love Bad News • We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank |
| EPs |
| Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect? • Interstate 8 • The Fruit That Ate Itself • Everywhere and His Nasty Parlour Tricks |
| Compilations |
| Building Nothing Out of Something • Sad Sappy Sucker |
| Other albums |
| Night On the Sun • Baron von Bullshit Rides Again • The Moon & Antarctica (Reissue) |
| Singles |
| "Broke" • "A Life of Arctic Sounds" • "Birds vs. Worms" • "Other People's Lives" • "Never Ending Math Equation" • "Whenever You See Fit" • "Heart Cooks Brain" • "Float On" • "Ocean Breathes Salty" • "Dashboard" |
| Promos |
| "Polar Opposites" • "The Moon & Antartica" • "The World at Large" • "Dashboard" • "King Rat" |
