Review: Modest Mouse show strikes a low, unlively note
By Vasiliki Marras
April 7, 2004 9:00 p.m.
High school students dropped off by their parents, snobby art
school aficionados and thirty-something business men were all
milling around the House of Blues on Sunset Boulevard on March 29.
With the parting of a red curtain, Modest Mouse, the rock band from
Washington, took the stage in front of a sold out and decidedly
eclectic, audience.
Modest Mouse had little chit chat in between songs, as at each
song’s end the members shuffled around to change instruments,
tune, and adjust. The rhythm guitar player had a large
keyboard-synthesizer in front of him, at one point, bass player
Eric Judy was playing a tambourine and maraca, then a piano, while
lead singer Isaac Brock picked up a banjo for a few numbers.
The majority of talking was done by fans screaming for the band
to play the song “Dramamine,” a wish granted in the
encore. The band left much of the crowd wanting more, ending the
show with “Float On,” their hit single that now serves
as background music on a minivan commercial.
All the bells and whistles led to a meticulously executed sound,
but provided a meager visual performance. The energy that was built
up during the songs was quickly lost as the band scrambled to
prepare for the next one. Bass player Eric Judy and the extra
rhythm guitar player only moved to drink their beers and tune, and
spent most of the time during the songs fiddling with guitar
pedals.
The band’s obsession with musical execution hindered its
ability to let loose and actually perform. Modest Mouse
doesn’t need the make-up and pyrotechnics of a KISS concert,
but it does need to let a little personality show through. If the
fans wanted to hear the tracks perfectly, they could listen to the
CD at home. Fans come to a concert to see the band perform, which
is something Modest Mouse did not do.
-By Vasiliki Marras
