Modest Mouse Sets Dates For Good News, Spring Tour
Musically gifted prep-school students frightened, confused by School of Brock
[Posted Tuesday, January 6th, 2003 06:00:00 Pitchfork Central Time]
Will Bryant reports:
Modest Mouse have announced a release date of March 30th for their highly anticipated Good News For People Who Love Bad News, according to a succinct post stating precisely that (and nothing more) on the band's website. Ordinarily, the Modest Mouse site's news compass points directly to Pitchfork's last news story on the band (which would explain why our September 12th news page continues to rack up thousands of hits month after month-- well that, and we reported Johnny Cash's death that day).
Good News is the official follow-up to The Moon and Antarctica, which of course is somewhat surreal considering that album was released in summer of 2000-- the innocent age of Napster, when the Florida recount, 9/11 terrorist attacks, PATRIOT Act, SARS, RIAA lawsuits and Ryan Adams solo albums were still the stuff of paranoid science fiction. Miss Cleo warned us that Liz Phair was going to record a Shania-esque song about her panties, that Bush was going to start two wars in his spare time, and that California was going to be ruled by a German-speaking Republican cyborg and we made our peace with that, but dudes, come on: Radiohead lapped you, thrice!
Die-hard Mouseketeers are no doubt already somewhat familar with the group's new material, much of which was debuted in fits of touring last summer and fall, but what remains foremost in the curiosities of most fans is how the album will sound-- especially given the rural clutter of Isaac Brock's Ugly Casanova debut and reports that Good News features, among other things, horns, strings, banjo, and a Dixieland jazz band. The incidental factors of a new drummer (Ben Wiekel) and new producer (Dennis Herring), coupled with the dense oddness of the new material, have only fostered more excited speculation.
Among the songs debuted live last year (and widely circulated online, hint hint) are "Bury Me With It," "Black Cadillac," "One Chance," "The Good Times Are Killing Me," "Satin In A Coffin," "White Lies, Yellow Teeth," "The Ocean Breeze Is Salty," and "Float On." You can actually download a clip of the band performing "Float On" from the ZeD website (sort of Canada's answer to MP3.com) linked below.
Before the album's release, Brock and crew will be playing scattered dates in the UK, NYC, and all over the freakin' state of Florida. On February 26th, the Mouse will play the 10th anniversary party for Up Records, which will be a benefit for leukemia charities in honor of label founder Chris Takino, who died in October 2000 of the disease. A more thorough tour, presumably encompassing other members of the electoral college, is expected following the album's release. Dates:
01-22 London, England - Scala (w/ The Shins)
02-04 New York City, NY - Irving Plaza
02-05 New York City, NY - Irving Plaza
02-10 Tampa, FL - Orpheum
02-11 Tampa, FL - Orpheum
02-12 Miami, FL - Polish American Club
02-13 Orlando, FL - Social
02-14 Orlando, FL - Social
02-15 Orlando, FL - Social
02-17 St. Augustine, FL - Cafe Eleven
02-18 Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbit's
02-20 Tallahassee, FL - Beta Bar
02-21 Tallahassee, FL - Beta Bar
02-26 Seattle, WA - Showbox (Up Records 10th anniversary party)
