Modest Mouse
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Modest Mouse is an American indie rock band formed in 1993. They attained significant popular success since being signed by Epic Records in 2000.
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About
The band was formed on 1993 in Issaquah, Washington led by guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Eric Judy. It was Brock who came up with the name Modest Mouse after reading Virginia Woolf story The Mark on the Wall in which the author described the working middle class as "modest, mouse-coloured people."
On 1994, the band recorded their would-be debut album Sad Sappy Sucker, but constant delays caused the album to be put aside and forgotten. With the incident, they moved to Up Records to release what was their first official album, This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About. Several EP's followed after until on 1997, they found their break for the album The Lonesome Crowded West. The album gained the band a fan base and has been open-handedly accepted and quickly considred by critics to be one of the defining albums of mid-90's indie rock music.
Also in 2000, the band released their first album under a major record label, Epic entitled The Moon and Antarctica. The album gave them instant success on the alternative radio with the singles "3rd Planet" and "Gravity Rides Everything" where the latter single was licensed for a commercial for Nissan's Quest sedan.
Core Members
- Isaac Brock - Vocals, Guitar, Banjo, Keyboards
- Eric Judy - Bass, Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals, Percussion
- Jeremiah Green - Drums and Percussion
- Johnny Marr - Guitar
- Tom Peloso - Vocals, Violin, Standup Bass, Other Instruments
Awards
| Year | Award | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | mtvU Woodie Award | Woodie of The Year (Artist of The Year) for "Float On" |
| 2004 | mtvU Woodie Award | The Silent But Deadly Woodie (Best Video) for "Float On" |
| 2004 | MTV Video Music Award | Nominated for Breakthrough Video for "Float On" |
| 2004 | College Music Award | Band of the Year |
| 2004 | College Music Award | Best Album for "Good News for People Who Love Bad News" |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | Modern Rock Tracks | Billboard Hot 100 | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Float On | 1 | 68 | Good News for People Who Love Bad News |
| 2004 | Ocean Breathes Salty | 6 | - | Good News for People Who Love Bad News |
News
Tours & Concerts
December 8, 2006 Bill Graham Civic KITS (Live 105 radio show), San Francisco, CA
December 9, 2006 RIMAC Arena @ UCSD (KBZT radio show), San Diego, CA
December 29, 2006 The Palace, Melbourne, AU
December 30, 2006 Falls Festival Festival, Lorne, Victoria, AU
December 31, 2006 Falls Festival, Marion Bay, TAS, AU
January 2, 2007 The Tivoli, Brisbane, AU
January 3, 2007 Enmore Theatre, Sydney, AU
January 6, 2007 Sir Stewart Bovell Park, Busselton, Western Australia, AU
May 23, 2007 Royal Albert Hall, London, England
Announcements
- Their lates album We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank is set to be released early 2007.
- Paste Magazine reported that the album is very good and possibly "an even bigger hit than the band's improbable commercial success".
Discography
Comprehensive list of the recordings made.
Albums
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Singles
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Broke | Sub Pop |
| 1997 | A Life of Arctic Sounds | Suicide Squeeze |
| 1997 | Birds vs. Worms | Hit or Miss |
| 1998 | Other People's Lives | Up |
| 1998 | Whenever You See Fit | Up/Suicide Squeeze |
| 1998 | Neverending Math Equation | Sub Pop |
| 2004 | Float On | Epic |
| 2004 | Ocean Breathes Salty | Epic |
| 2005 | The World At Large | Epic (promo) |
| 2007 | Dashboard | Epic |
Compilations & Live Releases
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Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Contemporaries
Trivia
- In 2003, drummer Jeremiah Green quit the band due to a mental breakdown but the official word was that he was quitting to work with his side project, Vells. He was replace by Benjamin Weikel (who also drummed for The Helio Sequence) and guitarist Dann Gallucci.
- Modest Mouse was mentioned by name in the 2005 Supreme Court decision in the case of MGM vs. Grokster where Justice Souter wrote:
- "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."
