This band has been part of the commercialization of indie rock with the mainstream acceptance of their three studio albums and two EP's Modest Mouse has released since 2000. Their first album went gold and the second achieved platinum status before sales passed the three million mark.

Modest Mouse - indie stars

"I wish I could hit upon a pleasant track of thought, a track indirectly reflecting credit upon myself, for those are the pleasantest thoughts, and very frequent even in the minds of modest, mouse-colored people, who believe genuinely that they dislike to hear their own praises."

This band has been part of the commercialization of indie rock with the mainstream acceptance of their three studio albums and two EP's Modest Mouse has released since 2000. Their first album went gold and the second achieved platinum status before sales passed the three million mark.

Modest Mouse, Modest beginnings

Isaac Brock was born on July 9, 1975 and lived in multiple places in the Pacific Northwest during his childhood. Family lines were blurred when his uncle became his step father and he was left to fend for himself when the living situation deteriorated due to his mother's house flooding. From attic to basement to hand built shed Isaac Brook took care of himself from a young age.

Jeremiah Green was born March 4, 1977 in Oahu, Hawaii but spent his childhood I Moxee, WA. The Green's moved to the Seattle suburbs in 1989. He has received praise as one of the best drummers in indie rock and was ranked 37^th on the 50 Greatest Rock Drummers list posted in Stylus Magazine. Jeremiah is one of the three founders.

Eric Judy attended the same high school as Isaac Brock and Jeremiah Green and as teenagers they jammed in the little shed Isaac built on the land beside his mother's trailer and used as his living quarters. Eric moved North for awhile but the two musicians continued to share song ideas and riffs over the phone until 1989 when he returned to the Seattle area.

The band was officially formed in 1993 with the Isaac Brock on vocals and guitar, Eric Judy on bass, Jeremiah Green on drums but they have since expanded their lineup to include Johnny Marr on guitar, Tom Peloso on guitar and Joe Plummer as a second drummer. Jim Fairchild stepped in for Marr during the bands 2009 tour. Dann Gallucci has played guitar a couple of different times also.

Laying down tracks

Recording began in 1994 when the band of three released a self-titled single released the K Records label. Their next projects included two LP's in 1996, This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About and Interstate 8, on the Up label. The band's breakthrough album came in 1997 with The Lonesome Crowded West release. A cult following for Modest Mouse developed in the Indie and Alternative Rock arena with this album eventually becoming known as a classical example of mid-90's indie music.

Making the mainstream

Three years later the band had signed with major label Epic Records and were ready to release an album. In 2000 The Moon and Antarctica was released and the singles Gravity Rides Everything and 3^rd Planet did well on the charts.

During the making of their next album in 2003 drummer Jeremiah Green left the band to recover from a nervous breakdown and was replaced with Benjamin Weikel until Green recovered and returned to the band in 2004.

On April 6, 2004 the platinum-selling Good News For People Who Love Bad News was released. Float On and Ocean Breathes Salty were the major hit singles from the album. In 2005, multi-instrumentalist Tom Peloso joined the band. And Johnny Marr joined the lineup as guitarist in 2006.

We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank album was Modest Mouse's first album to rank #1 on Billboard 200 charts. The album was released in 2007 and the group toured for 2 years supporting it. On August 4, 2009 Modest Mouse released No One's First and You're Next with Benjamin Weikel on drums again and Jim Fairchild on guitar.

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