Do you really live in a VW Bus?

No One's First And You're Next August

Happy St. Pat's!

Brooklyn Vegan is reporting that Modest Mouse will release an eight-song EP "No One's First And You're Next" in August.
Update: Interstate 8 says its Aug. 4.
But first, a 7-inch vinyl with "Satellite Skin" and "Guilty Cocker Spaniels" is likely to be released April 18 (out digitally April 21), the site reports. It will be the first of four 7-in vinyls containing the singles before the EP is released.

Sounds like the Mouse is maximizing its profits here ...

Though the band hasn't confirmed any other releases, New Jersey record store Vintage Vinyl reports MM will offer three more singles before releasing the eight-song EP.
"Modest Mouse will be releasing four 7-inch singles, 2 songs on each single, all leading up to the 8-song EP No One’s First and You’re Next in early August. The first 7” will be on orange vinyl, is housed in a three-panel embossed sleeve and arrives just in time for Record Store Day."

Modest Mouse will also perform on Letterman on Wednesday, Feb. 18.

Modest Mouse's previous EPs (Interstate 8, Building Nothing Out of Something, Everywhere and His Nasty Parlor Tricks) have arguably outdone their full-length studio records, so I'm interested to hear this BECAUSE it's an EP.

Interstate-8.com reports likely tracks:
1. Satellite Skin
2. Guilty Cocker Spaniels
3. Whale Song
4. King Rat
5. I've Got It All (Most)
6. Tie The Lake Down?
7. History?
8. Something else?


Others?

Brock appears on Mimicking Birds' latest?

Modest Mouse lead singer/guitarist sneaks his way on to Mimicking Birds lead singer/guitarists latest song "The Loop".

Perhaps by now you have heard of Mimicking Birds, the Portland-based easy-indie band that has seemingly appropriated a Brockian guitar part for "The Loop's" main hook. But what you may not have heard is the subtle vocal additions to the song on the Glacial Pace site.
For one reason or another, Brock's vocals show up in the form of a faint howl. Later, a creeky door closes and a few subtly textured Wicks Guitar parts seem to work their way into the mix.

Did Brock add them? I'm assuming so. Does Lacy know? I'm sure he does. What does this mean? Who the eff knows. But one thing's for sure: The Loop streaming on Glacial Pace is different than the version on MySpace. Just enjoy the music. It is my hope that Isaac Brock and the meaning of life will soon reveal themselves.

The Dude: on the road with Modest Mouse roadie

Isaac Brock's "half moon" guitar pedal set-up. Shown here at Visalia Fox Theatre soundcheck.

If you haven't seen it yet, perhaps the best "inside look" at the Modest Mouse stage show can be seen from MM guitar tech Brian's road blog. His smooth, concise writing and capable pictures already make it more interesting than A Pretty Good (HA!) Read.
Whether he's lifting weights on a mic box or trading Big Lebowski quotes with fellow roadeyes, Brian manages to deftly allow the average fan/guitar nerd close access to a notoriously closed-door band.

News Cut: Modest Mouse news and notes

Modest Mouse photog all a-Twitter:
Standout photog and all-around cool guy Pat Graham has begun posting blow-by-blow accounts of the latest Modest Mouse mini tour on Twitter. No, Isaac Brock hasn't been picking fights this tour ... yet. But Graham has done a Yeoman's work, posting tidbits from the bus and links to his latest shots (The Londoner has been shooting the band since the 90s).

This is in addition to Graham's sweet Modest Mouse concert prints available for purchase on ImageKind.
And you can see his work, of course, on the mimimalist band site, which Graham all but owns.
On top of ALL of this, Graham's "photo zine" documenting Modest Mouse's 2008 tour arrived Saturday at my office (apartment).

He's been a busy man and we hope he keeps up the good Tweets (God, I hate that word).

In other news I just sent questions to the Mimicking Birds' Nate Lacy ...