Jake and his twin sister, Hannah, were both in a "paramore ripoff band" called "Purple Shanty Shack." At the time, Brendan had a huge crush on Hannah and went to one of their shows to try and get closer to her. Whilst they were on the way to the show, they accidentally stepped into dog shit. When Bren arrived at the show, they made a comment about it during small talk with Hannah. Jake always carried an extra pair of shoes with him in his car, so he brought them out and gave them to Bren for the time being. One day, after school, Bren and Jake decided to hang out with each other at Jake's house. They both quickly bonded over their shared love of music and started hanging out more, jamming with each other. One day, the two of them were rummaging around in Jake's basement and found a book called "Modern Baseball Techniques." This would inspire the name of the band, a majority of their branding, and their compilation cd "Techniques" released in 2014.
After the two of them saw the book, they decided to form the band, performing their first show in one of their friend's garages. The two of them graduated and both moved to Philadelphia, Bren going to Chestnut Hill College and Jake going to Drexel University. At the time, Philidelphia had a young but explosive underground punk/emo scene, and the two of them became very interested in the scene. The two of them recorded their first ep, "The Nameless Ranger" all by themselves and released it on November 11th, 2011. Jake also met Ian Farmer at Drexel, who was a massive ska nerd at the time. The three of them quickly got along with each other, performing their first major show at the "Micheal Jordan House" on the campus of Drexel. The house was named after the fact that admission for any show would be either $3, or a picture of Jordan's face. The music video for their song "The Weekend" was performed in the basement of the Jordan house.
In Autumn 2012, Jake, Bren, and Ian all went into the studio in Drexel to record "Sports", their debut album, which was released on November 27th, 2012. The lyrical content of the album mostly consisted of girls, beer, and sports themselves. Jake played all of the drum parts on the album, as they didn't have a drummer yet. For the shows that they did play, they usually had a friend of the band fill in for them on drums. However, at one of the shows, the trio met and soon became friends with Sean Huber, who was a few years older than the rest of the band and could grow a cool beard. They all got along with each other, and Sean soon joined the band. At these basement shows, many regarded Modern Baseball as one of the greats in the slowly blossoming 4th wave emo scene, also known as the emo revival. The now 4 of them soon became good friends with many members of the scene, most notably Marietta, Old Gray, The Hundred Acre Woods, & Julia Brown. They would eventually release a split with all of them, "Couples Therapy" with Marietta in 2012, "4-Way V-Day Split" which as the title implies, is a 4-way-split between Mobo (which features an acoustic version of "Its Cold Out Here" from "Couples Therapy" called "Phone Tag"), Julia Brown, The Hundred Acre Woods and Old Gray, which came out on Valentine's Day 2013, and another split between just Mobo and The Hundred Acre Woods, also released in 2013.
The band soon embarked on their first full on U.S. tour, playing basement and or bar shows at whatever venue that they could find available. Many other bands from the emo scene around then joined Mobo on tour, such as The Menzingers, Lee Hartney, Ted Nguyent, and Cayetana. Also around this time, the quartet signed to Run for Cover records, gearing up to release their sophmore LP, You're Gonna Miss It All, which soon released on February 11th, 2014. For promotion for this album, Bren said that they would shave the avatar arrow into their hair if the album got over 1,000 pre-orders. It went very much over that, and Bren stuck with the nearly bald haircut for the rest of the Mobo career. Once again the band (mostly) tackled production by themselves, and the album peaked on 97 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The band went on another tour, this time with the Wonder Years, later touring Europe with bands such as Knuckle Puck, Foxing, Crying, and Somos.
On October 23rd, 2015, the quartet released "Mobo Presents: The Perfect Cast EP Featuring Modern Baseball", their 2nd EP. The EP is extremely important to the trajectory of Mobo moving foward because of their sound change presented here. Whilst their projects before this were more snarky and lighthearted even through the circumstances and lyrical topics, The Perfect Cast wallowed in the sorrow. This is mostly speculated to be because in mid-2015, Bren was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and attempted to kill themselves. The band at the time, cancelled their tour and would (for the most part) step away from touring as much as they did after this event. The band announced in late 2015 that their third LP, Holy Ghost, began development. In February of the next year, the band announced the release date of May 13th via Run for Cover in the US/Canada, and Big Scary Monsters everywhere else. In May, the record released. The concept of this record was split into half, depending on which member was writing and performing the vocals. Jake took up the songs Holy Ghost to Hiding, with his main lyrical focus being on losing a loved one. Bren took up the other side, from Coding These to Lukens and the closer Just Another Face. Their side mostly focused on depression and death.
In May 2016, the band embarked on their next tour, promoting The Perfect Cast and Holy Ghost with Joyce Manor and Thin Lips. Later in 2016, they would support acts such as The Front Bottoms and Brand New. In December 2016, Jake would start the (at the time) solo side project, Slaughter Beach, Dog. Sean would also start a new band, Steady Hands, where he would provide vocals. In January 2017, Bren would announce on Instagram that they would not be joining the band on their Europe/UK tour, to focus more on their mental health. The month after that, the band would cancel the tour all together, also citing their mental health as a reason for this.
In the meantime, Ian joined Slaughter Beach, Dog, and Sean would continue to focus on Steady Hands, releasing their debut. A few months later, the band announced that they would be going on indefinite hiatus. In a June 2017 interview with Jake, he remarked saying "let's not call it a breakup and make a huge deal about it and have a 'Last Show Ever' or anything like that. Let's just take it easy for now, and if we wake up and want to do it again, then let's do it". They performed a one off show supporting Daniel Johnston on his last US tour, which would also be their final performance as Modern Baseball. In an October 2017 interview, Jake confirmed that the band no longer had plans to perform again.
In the years following the "end" of Modern Baseball, all of the members have been doing their own thing. Sean became a father and continued to work on Steady Hands, releasing 2 albums. Jake and Ian are still working on Slaughter Beach, Dog, and currently have 5 albums and a few eps. Bren has been a different case - for the most part they have been laying low, and doing their own thing. They have been mostly absent on social media, however they did reappear on Instagram for the 10th anniversary of Sports.
Pothole
Modern Baseball Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Impressed in concrete from walking home alone after walking you home
And the mops of greasy hair will romanticize my despair
But they wont know that I didn't care
I like the silence, I like the empty streets
Crawl down on my hands and knees in a heartbeat if I had to
I owe 'em that at the very least
I guess the rain hit before the ink had dried
And where i thought id be was not what I perceived
Assessing the progress from beneath your sheets
That's why I need the silence, I need the empty streets
Just as bad as they don't need me
Its a sick, sad, sham of a marriage
But its all there is, its all I need
I can be everything you need if you make me
I can be every crack in your concrete if you let me off easy
I can be easily deceived if you want that
But you are the ember of my heart, whether you like that or not
The lyrics to Modern Baseball's song Pothole present a somber reflection on the aftermath of a relationship. The first verse laments the impermanence of life, as the singer notes that one day his footsteps will be fossils. The concrete impression of his footsteps is a symbol of his loneliness, as he walks home alone after walking his partner home. The second line of the verse, "And the mops of greasy hair will romanticize my despair," suggests that he's aware that people might view him as a romantic figure, but doesn't believe he deserves that designation. He ends the verse proclaiming, "I owe 'em that at the very least," as if he's taken on a responsibility to remain emotionally honest.
The second verse picks up on the theme of impermanence, as the singer reflects on his attempts to chart a course through life. He notes that he's made a map of his life, but it's been washed away by the rain. He's found that where he thought he would be in life is not where he actually is. He's assessing the progress he's made "beneath your sheets," suggesting that his romantic relationship is the chief way in which he measures his progress in life. In the chorus, he once again emphasizes his need for silence and empty streets, suggesting that he prefers loneliness to fake relationships.
There's a sense of desperation in the bridge, as the singer offers to be whatever his partner needs him to be, even if it means being deceived. But he ultimately proclaims that his partner is the ember of his heart, whether she likes it or not. The image of an ember suggests that his love for her is not enough to sustain a fire, but rather a mere shadow of something that has been extinguished.
Overall, Pothole is a song about the aftermath of a relationship, in which the singer is grappling with loneliness and the impermanence of life. He recognizes that people might romanticize his loneliness, but he's committed to honesty. He's had to let go of his expectations for where he thought he'd be in life, and now measures his progress through his romantic relationships. But ultimately, his commitment to being emotionally honest means that he's more comfortable being alone than being in a fake relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
The fossils of my footsteps will be unearthed at a far off date, unknown
My footsteps left an impression in the concrete as I walked home alone after walking you home, and someday in the future, someone will uncover these marks and wonder who I was
And the mops of greasy hair will romanticize my despair
People might try to romanticize my sadness or depression by focusing on my unkempt, greasy hair
But they wont know that I didn't care
However, they won't know that I didn't really care about how I looked or what they thought of me
I like the silence, I like the empty streets
I feel happy and content when I'm alone in the quiet with no one else around
Crawl down on my hands and knees in a heartbeat if I had to
I would do whatever it takes, even if I had to humiliate myself, to repay someone who helped me in the past
I owe 'em that at the very least
It's the very least I can do to show gratitude for their kindness
The map had faded out but I could have sworn I noted every stride
Even though I lost direction, I thought I remembered every step I took to get to where I am now
I guess the rain hit before the ink had dried
But unfortunately, the rain caused the ink to smear before it had a chance to dry, and now I'm lost
And where i thought id be was not what I perceived
The place I thought I was going to end up isn't where I actually ended up, and it surprised me
Assessing the progress from beneath your sheets
Looking back on my life, I realize that I spent a lot of my time in bed with you instead of making progress elsewhere
That's why I need the silence, I need the empty streets
I crave the quiet, empty streets because I feel like I need to escape from everything, including my past with you
Just as bad as they don't need me
I don't feel like anyone needs me, but I don't need them either
Its a sick, sad, sham of a marriage
The relationship we had was messed up, sad, and not what it appeared to be
But its all there is, its all I need
Despite the issues, the relationship was all I had and all I wanted in my life
I can be everything you need if you make me
I would do anything for you if you let me, and I want to be everything you need
I can be every crack in your concrete if you let me off easy
I can help you fix everything that's wrong with your life, but only if you go easy on me
I can be easily deceived if you want that
I'm gullible and naive, and I'll believe whatever you tell me because I want to please you
But you are the ember of my heart, whether you like that or not
No matter what happens between us or how you feel about me, you will always hold a special place in my heart
Lyrics © TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pouringrainxo
The fossils of my footsteps will be unearthed
At a far off date unknown
Impressed in concrete from walking home alone
After walking you home
And the mops of greasy hair
Will romanticize my despair
But they won't know
That I didn't care
I like the silence
I like the empty streets
Crawl down 'em on hands and knees in a heartbeat
If I had to
I owe 'em that at the very least
The map had faded out, but I could have sworn
I noted every stride
I guess the rain hit
Before the ink could dry
And where I thought I'd be
Was not what I perceived
Assessing the progress
From beneath your sheets
That's why I need the silence
I need the empty streets
Just as bad as they don't need me
It's a sick, sad sham of a marriage
But it's all there is
It's all I need
I can be everything you need
If you make me
I can be every crack in your concrete
If you let me off easy
I can be easily deceived
If you want that
But you are the ember of my heart
Whether you like that or not
@garygarcia5760
That last image of the band together is a heartbreaker. They made some great music together.
@LostRams
they really did
@horin979
The ending where he sings like he has tears in his eyes, that shaky voice...damn, feels overload.
@xDPx-zh7vr
"You are the ember of my ❤️
Whether you like that or not"
Being in love with someone who no longer loves you back. We've all been there. And yes you hear every bit of it in Jake's voice.
@joshs5135
Seeing “5 years ago” on this video hurts. Still feels like yesterday when this came out. Hope Bren is doing okay these days
@andrew71888
On Twitter he keeps us updated. Last he said he was still in rehab, and he hasn't been able to pick up his guitar. He's not doing too well.
@tiernan4373
@@andrew71888 is this on the brenbrennnn account? he has posted in over a year on it
@donkeyrockerstudios
@@tiernan4373 i believe they use they/them pronouns nowadays
@monkeepox2227
@@donkeyrockerstudios you have to be joking
@seashore0015
@@monkeepox2227 same reaction.