Santa Barbara Bowl–September 14, 2007

Stars are not born but they are made, they say. And to prove the point, Modest Mouse, some 14 years after their birth in Issaquah, Washington, reached for the highest cardinal position in the sky above, full of shining and rocking asteroids. At the time, you could feel The Smiths/Johnny Marr influences, or the blast of The Pixies in the voice of Isaac Brock, royally roaring like a wild lion of rock! And the fans were cheering, and they were jumping, singing their beloved tunes such as “Missed the Boat,” “Dashboard,” or “Float On.”

Even though the stage was minimalist and un-flamboyant but with a wicked sense of humor, Isaac and the dudes of Modest Mouse graced the night and paid respect to life’s celebration by taking us on a soul self-discovery journey, and a good glass of Merlot bought at the Santa Barbara Bowl ended up kicking some extra spice into our veins.

Since “The Moon & Antartica,” their first album that I still invite you to download on iTunes, Modest Mouse has grown more than a tail, and they reach beyond the limits of the known and unknown universe of musical exploration. “We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank”–the title of their new album embodies the level of self-irony and delirium that make this band stand in a league of their own, in spite of the saturated rock environment. Maybe they don’t take themselves seriously, but they sure deliver a dead serious job and are far from being sunk at the bottom of the record sales chart. Hail to the Mouse! Long live the king.

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