The band's current configuration is Isaac Brock (vocals, guitar), Tom Peloso (strings, horns, bass, keyboards), Jim Fairchild (guitar), and Eric Judy (bass)). Plummer has recently become the new drummer for The Shins.
Brock came up with the name "Modest Mouse" when he read the Virginia Woolf stream of consciousness essay The Mark On the Wall in which the author described the working middle class as "modest mouse-coloured people"
Brock frequently moved around with his mother when he was a child. Around this time, his mother left his father for his father's brother (Brock's uncle). Brock's mother's house flooded and forced them to move into his mother's new husband's trailer, but there was no room for Brock. Brock stayed behind, living in the second story of the flooded house, until he was eventually evicted by police. He then moved into a shed next to his mother's house and it is said this is where Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Eric Judy first began playing music.
In 1994, the band recorded their debut EP, Blue Cadet-3, Do You Connect?, at Calvin Johnson's Dub Narcotic Studios, which was then released on Calvin's record label K Records. Then followed a single with Sub Pop that was recorded by producer Steve Wold at Moon Studios. Wold, who in the mid-2000's would begin to perform under the name Seasick Steve, would also perform on the band's albums, but was never an official member of the band. After moving to Up Records Modest Mouse put out several releases recorded at Moon Studios, including 1996's This Is A Long Drive For Someone With Nothing To Think About. This double LP was produced and recorded by Steve Wold. The next offering on UP was Interstate 8; also produced by Steve Wold. 1997's The Lonesome Crowded West, (also recorded at Moon Studios, by Scott Swayze) 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 albums of mid-90s indie rock.
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." Lead singer Isaac Brock has since put out an album with his side project Ugly Casanova on Sub Pop Records.
In 2003, drummer Jeremiah Green quit the band; the official word was that he was quitting to work with his side project, Vells. He was replaced with two members, drummer Benjamin Weikel (who also drummed for The Helio Sequence) and guitarist Dann Gallucci (Murder City Devils). Weikel being new to the band and Gallucci returning to the band for the first time since This is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About. On April 6, 2004, Modest Mouse released 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 toured with Hutch Harris of The Thermals during the fall of 2004.
Modest Mouse was mentioned by name in the 2005 Supreme Court decision in the case of MGM v. Grokster. Justice Souter wrote that on the Grokster P2P network, "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."
In 2005, multi-instrumentalist Tom Peloso, who already played various instruments on Good News For People Who Love Bad News, officially joined the band. In 2006, Johnny Marr, former guitarist for The Smiths, became an official member of the band.
On March 20, 2007, the band released their fifth album, We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank. Four singles were released from the album: "Dashboard", "Missed the Boat", "We've Got Everything" and "Little Motel". The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. James Mercer of The Shins provides backing vocals on three songs.
In 2009, they released No One's First And You're Next, an EP of unreleased songs from around the time Good News and We Were Dead were recorded, and two songs that had already been released, "I've Got It All (Most)" and "King Rat". The video for King Rat was directed by late actor Heath Ledger.
In 2009, Johnny Marr left the band and was replaced by Jim Fairchild, formerly of Grandaddy. The band performed at several festivals throughout 2009 and 2010, including the main stage of the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2010.
After an 8 year wait, the band's latest full-length is "Strangers To Ourselves", released March 17th, 2015- two weeks after the original release date, March 3rd, 2015. The album art is an aerial photo of an RV resort located in Mesa, Arizona. Five singles were released before the album, "Lampshades on Fire", "Coyotes", "The Ground Walks, with Time in a Box", "The Best Room", and "Of Course we Know".
Drummer Jeremiah Green passed away from cancer on December 31, 2022 at the age of 45.
Every Penny Fed Car
Modest Mouse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I came to get a case of factory outlet beer, then
I go home
I don't feel like I want to be by myself
mice eat cheese
for the most part, they do as they please then
cat comes home
mice don't feel very free to walk around
Modest Mouse's "Every Penny Fed Car," presents its listeners with a seemingly disconnected series of images, but when analyzed critically, it resonates with an underlying theme of the struggle for power - financial, or metaphorical. These lyrics are, in a way, a metaphorical exploration of the societal imbalances that exist. The line, "I came to get a case of factory outlet beer, then I go home" indicates someone looking for cheap pleasures but struggling to find solace elsewhere. This, however, is constrained by circumstances because they cannot afford to live a higher life. In contrast, "mice eat cheese, for the most part, they do as they please then cat comes home, mice don't feel very free to walk around" serves as a metaphor for the rat race that people find themselves in, making them feel trapped – just as mice cannot do what they want due to the presence of a cat.
The song carries an imagery of class imbalance, hinting at the general financial inequality in society. The mice, eating cheese when they please, are a symbol for the well-off members of society who can indulge when they wish, while the case of cheap beer represents middle or lower-class individuals who don't have the financial means to do so. It is interesting to note that the song highlights societal problems through the use of animals, rather than human characters.
Line by Line Meaning
what are you doing here?
What led you to this place?
I came to get a case of factory outlet beer, then
I came here to buy a cheap case of beer from the factory outlet, and soon after that,
I go home
I plan to return back to my place
I don't feel like I want to be by myself
I don't want to stay alone
mice eat cheese
Mice consume food such as cheese
for the most part, they do what they please then
Most of the time, they indulge in their own choices
cat comes home
The cat returns back to its home
mice don't feel very free to walk around
Mice feel restricted and uncomfortable to move around when the cat is back
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Dann Gallucci, Isaac Brock, Jeremiah Green
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind