|
Modest Mouse Information
|
|
'Modest Mouse' is an American indie rock band. The band was formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington by guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Eric Judy.
Brock came up with the name "Modest Mouse" when he read a Virginia Woolf novel The Mark On the Wall in which the author described the working middle class as "modest, mouse-coloured people."
In 1996, the band recorded their debut EP, Interstate 8, at Calvin Johnson's Dub Narcotic Studios, which was then released on Calvin's record label K Records. After moving to Up Records Modest Mouse put out two releases, 1996's This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About and 1997's The Lonesome Crowded West, which 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 album 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 song "Edit the Sad Parts".
Also in 2000, Modest Mouse released The Moon And 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." While initially positively received by critics , The Moon And Antarctica has subsequently gone on to receive further acclaim . 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. (See A.V. club interview in external links)
Since 2000, Modest Mouse has put out several releases, including the EP Everywhere & His Nasty Parlour Tricks 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, The Vells. He was replaced with two new members, drummer Benjamin Weikel (who also drummed for The Helio Sequence) and guitarist Dann Gallucci. On April 6, 2004, Modest Mouse released their most recent album, the platinum-selling Good News For People Who Love Bad News, which scored two hits with "Float On" and "Ocean Breathes Salty". In 2004 Jeremiah Green returned to the band, and Benjamin Weikel now drums exclusively for The Helio Sequence. Dann Gallucci left the band in August, and they have been touring with Hutch Harris of The Thermals.
Members
* Isaac Brock - Vocals/Guitar/Banjo/Other Instruments - See also: Ugly Casanova
* Eric Judy - Bass
* Jeremiah Green - Drums/Percussion - See also: The Vells, Red Stars Theory
* Dan Gallucci - Guitar/Keyboards/Synthesizers - See also: Murder City Devils, Triumph of Lethargy, A Gun Called Tension
* Benjamin Weikel (former member) - Drums/Percussion - See also: The Helio Sequence
* Chris Majeras (former member) - Keyboards
* Hutch Harris - Guitar - See Also: The Thermals
Discography
Albums
*This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About (Up, 1996)
*The Lonesome Crowded West (Up, 1997)
*The Moon and Antarctica (Epic, 2000)
*Good News for People Who Love Bad News (Epic, 2004) UK #40
EPs and other collections
*Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect? (K, 1994)
*Interstate 8 (Up, 1996)
*The Fruit That Ate Itself (K, 1996)
*Night On the Sun (Up, 1999)
*Building Nothing Out of Something (Up, 2000)
*Sad Sappy Sucker (K, 2001)
*Everywhere & His Nasty Parlour Tricks (Epic, 2001)
*Baron von Bullshit Rides Again (Epic, 2004)
Singles
*"Broke" (Sub Pop, 1996)
*"Life of Arctic Sounds" (Suicide Squeeze, 1997)
*"Birds vs. Worms" (Hit or Miss, 1997)
*"Other People's Lives" (Up, 1998)
*"Neverending Math Equation" (Sub Pop, 1998)
*"Whenever You See Fit" (with 764-Hero) (Up/Suicide Squeeze 1998/2000)
*"Float On" (Epic, 2004)
*"Ocean Breathes Salty" (Epic, 2004)
*"The World At Large" (Epic, 2005)
|
|
