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.
Grey Ice Water
Modest Mouse Lyrics
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Out in the wind above ground out in the weather
You had yourself a crazy lover
Becoming frozen trying hard to forget her
You got a job up in Alaska
It's easy to save what the cannery pays
Cause there ain't no way to spend it
You took the path of least resistance
On the phone cutting out talking
Short to long distance
You're standing by your grey ice water
Out in the wind above ground out in the water
You had yourself a crazy lover
Become unfrozen trying hard to forget her
You got a job up in Alaska
It's easy to save what the cannery pays
Cause there ain't no way to spend it
On the arctic blast
On the arctic blast
On the arctic blast
On the arctic blast
On the arctic blast
On the arctic blast
On the arctic blast
The song "Grey Ice Water" by Modest Mouse describes a man who is standing by his grey ice water, out in the wind above ground and out in the weather. The grey ice water symbolizes his frozen emotional state due to the pain caused by his past lover. He had a crazy lover who left him and he is now trying hard to forget her, but he is frozen and cannot move on. He then got a job up in Alaska which provides him with an easy way to save money, but there's no way to spend it as he's living on a boat in a fish trap. The path of least resistance seems to have led him to this job.
The lyrics seem to be about the struggle of moving on from a past lover and the isolation and loneliness that comes with it. The grey ice water represents the emotional state of the singer as he tries to forget his lover. His new job in Alaska is symbolic of his attempt to start anew and move on from his past, although it seems that he's still struggling to do so.
Overall, "Grey Ice Water" is a song about emotional struggle and the difficulty of letting go of past hurt. It's a powerful song that captures the pain of heartbreak and the struggle to move on, no matter where life takes you.
Line by Line Meaning
You're standing by your grey ice water
You are standing by the dull and lifeless water, symbolizing your sadness and misery
Out in the wind above ground out in the weather
You are exposed to the harsh reality of the outside world, standing on the ground and feeling the rough weather
You had yourself a crazy lover
You were once in love with someone who was wild and unpredictable
Becoming frozen trying hard to forget her
You were emotionally frozen, trying your best to let go of the memories of your ex-lover
You got a job up in Alaska
You found work in a far-off place, trying to escape your past and start afresh
It's easy to save what the cannery pays
Your job pays enough to help you save some money easily
Cause there ain't no way to spend it
You do not have many options to spend your money in Alaska
At home on a boat, it's a fish trap
You reside on a boat as it is an affordable home option in Alaska
You took the path of least resistance
You chose the easiest way out for starting afresh and moving on from your past
On the phone cutting out talking
You are on the phone, but the connection is poor and keeps failing
Short to long distance
You are in a long-distance relationship, which becomes challenging due to the poor connectivity
Become unfrozen trying hard to forget her
You are slowly starting to move on from your ex-lover, and your frozen heart is slowly thawing
On the arctic blast
You are well aware of the freezing arctic weather, which is a reminder of your situation
On the arctic blast
You feel trapped in the icy cold environment, unable to move forward
On the arctic blast
Your thoughts and emotions are frozen like the arctic blast
On the arctic blast
Your past memories and regrets become even more poignant in the frigid setting
On the arctic blast
The unforgiving and relentless environment of Alaska feels never-ending, adding to your feelings of entrapment
On the arctic blast
You long for the warmth of life and love, which seems distant and unattainable as long as you stay in Alaska
On the arctic blast
The arctic blast serves as a metaphor for the feelings of loneliness, isolation, and despair that plague your existence in Alaska
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ERIC JUDY, ISAAC BROCK, JEREMIAH GREEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind