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Motion City Soundtrack’s story is an absolutely heartening tale of sticking to one’s guns in the face of trends, fashion and bandwagons. Their brand of punky pop-rock (or poppy punk-rock, delete as applicable) was never going to set the charts alight and make them the biggest band in the world but it did make them an absolutely adored cult band, and that suits them like nothing else they could be. Like many other bands, the genesis of Motion City Soundtrack began with two other local bands disbanding.
They were Joshua Cain’s Saddest Girl Story and Justin Pierre’s Slide Coaster, and soon after those bands feel through, Cain got in touch with Pierre with the intention of forming a new band together. The band were originally a quartet formed with Cain on the lead guitar and Pierre on lead vocals but their rhythm section didn’t last until the end of the year, this wasn’t the only reason that the nascent Motion City Soundtrack couldn’t play shows, however.
Weirdly enough for a city with a rock and roll pedigree to put most of the world’s countries to shame, there were barely any venues for a new band to perform in. So Cain and Pierre knew that in order to spread the word about their band they’d have to tour and tour hard. Fortunately, they found a rhythm section willing to tour with them and nicked the name Motion City Soundtrack off a name Justin’s brother was using for one of his musical projects. By 1998 they’d played their first show, and big things were still to come.
Their first recorded release came in the form of a seven inch released in 1999, but the band were still in a sort of flux, without a truly fixed line-up to their name. It wasn’t until three years later that Pierre and Cain found Jesse Johnson and Matthew Taylor, who to this day play as their keyboardist and bassist respectively, and Tony Thaxton, who was their drummer until 2013. By the time they’d joined they already had two E.P’s to their name, and were hard at work self-releasing their debut album “I Am The Movie”.
Awesomely enough, the original release of the album had the album housed in a floppy disk case with the CD inside, which the band members assembled by hand. However, it was the album itself and its stunning quality that got the band signed to legendary punk label Epitaph. Not, unfortunately, the novel way it was packaged. With the proper release of “I Am The Movie”, Motion City Soundtrack finally had some genuine buzz behind them, and they capitalised on that with the release of “The Future Freaks Me Out”, their debut single and concert closer to this very day.
Since then the band has become one of the most beloved cult acts in American rock, with two albums produced by Blink 182 legend Mark Hoppus and record sales in their home country of around half a million. They still tour as heavily as they’ve ever done and in their nearly twenty years together, it means that their live shows are some of the best in modern rock. Truly they’re a band that can reaffirm your faith in rock, honest-to-God good music and the power of a devoted fanbase. Highly recommended.
Críticas en vivo
I’ve seen these guys 10 or 12 times. I know people who've seen them 40 times. And I’m sure if you Google hard enough, you can find some lovable psycho who’s nearing their centennial show. Why? It actually goes beyond the music here.
But first, an intro: Motion City Soundtrack, or MCS for lazy asses like me, is a quintet of scruffy optimists from Minneapolis. Justin Pierre (the one who looks like he enjoys frenching electrical outlets) is our chatty and quirky lead singer. He and Josh (Guitarist Extraordinaire) started the band over a decade ago. Jesse (Lord of the Moog), Matt (Bass Profundo), and newbie Claudio (Skins Slapper) (That Sounds Weird) (Drummer Guy) round out the group. There used to be a Tony (Post-Calculus-Level Math Rock Drummer), but he retired last year.
Together they create hyperkinetic music that sounds like a mix of lightening, sugar, and something heavy, like vicodin or lead. That is, it’ll get you pumpin’ your fist, but later you’ll realize the lyrics were about a nasty break-up or something. But that’s part of the charm! Check out Capital H, Time Turned Fragile, Broken Heart, or Disappear for a taste test.
Their live shows include a healthy mix of their entire discography. Get FRONT and CENTER, and fun will be guaranteed whether you just heard “Everything is Alright” 5 minutes ago, or you’re a veteran who came to reminisce about that time you accidentally crowd-surfing into the singer’s mike. Once you’re settled, interact with the band and the people around you! The guys seem to like hearing from the crowd. Sometimes singing along is literally required. (I’m looking at you, The Future Freaks Me Out.) And the crowd that this band attracts is full of Quality People. You’re likely to leave with a friend. :)
After, put some extra effort into say hi, because these are some of the nicest guys around and they will always try to meet & greet. Matt in particular is extra kind to nervous-nellies like me <3 . Please note that Justin might not *say* anything to you, because dude has a powerful voice that he needs to preserve for their next 572 shows. He’ll usually express his pleasure at meeting you/need for coffee through hand gestures.
Other Stray Observations:
1) Record in-between-song banter. You will never regret this, since it is never not amazing.
2) Once upon a time, Jesse used to do a handstand on his keyboards at certain times. But no longer, Frodo. Equipment’s getting expensive and he’s getting older.
3) Air-drumming, singing along, and rocking out are all encouraged. But don’t crowd-surf around Justin. That mike thing actually happened to him and he’s a bit paranoid about it.
I’d need a novel to detail all the awesome things that happened for me through this band. But to sum up: A great group of musicians with good personalities attract good people who become great friends. That’s why I happily look forward to my 13th and 35th and 350th show. Please do not miss these guys if they ever come by.
CarrotAndStar
This was my first time seeing Motion City Soundtrack, but they have been my favorite band for around 5 years. I was lucky enough to get VIP tickets. I got to meet the guys, get a picture with them, and I got some autographs. They played three amazing acoustic versions of their songs and also had a Q & A session. I met the guys and they are definitely some of the nicest people I have ever met. Later that night when they took the stage, it was unreal. I was ecstatic, I had dreamed of seeing them live for years and they were even better than I expected and my expectations were already very high. They played so many great songs and let the crowd sing many of the lines and verses. Before the show I thought I was going to be out of place because I'm younger than most Motion City fans, but I was so wrong everybody was so nice and so welcoming. Nobody cared how old you are or what you look like, the fans were absolutely amazing people. Motion City Soundtrack is to thank for the best night of my life.
-Evan Johnson
evan_john99
Minnesota rockers Motion City Soundtrack are known for having some of the most devoted fans on the circuit. Since their beginnings in the late 90's they amassed a cult like following for the debut album 'I Am the Movie' and their reputation has grown since, as well as their discography.
Fans travel far and wide to see the energetic live show which is assured to be slightly different every single time. Lead singer Justin Pierre understands the dedication of his audience and makes it his duty to interact with them between tracks in order to make the whole experience feel intimate and personal. Most of the music for tonight's set list is taken from second album 'Commit This to Memory' yet there is the inclusion of early single 'The Future Freaks Me Out' which receives the biggest cheer so far. The fans really live up to their reputation as they proudly sing along in unison throughout the gig, the band leaves safe in the knowledge they will be seeing many of their faces again.
sean-ward
Absolutely LOVED seeing MCS live. They have the most wonderful stage presence and the most mesmerizing hair. Unfortunately, my experience was dampened by the fact that I could not hear Justin's voice at all... The audience felt the need to shout along to every song, making it impossible to hear him. Even my favourite song, which is one of MCS's slower songs. I was also shoved around by a lot of drunk dancing people. I suppose it doesn't help that I'm not good with crowds...
The show itself was amazing, and I loved the fact that Justin was wearing a Princess Mononoke shirt. I'm glad I got to experience them live.
ms1337ninja
It was nice to see these come back for a reunion tour. Hopefully they continue touring and put out some new music soon. They were pretty darn good but for me not as good as their farewell tour. It simply could have been the venue difference. This one was at a larger venue and the farewell tour was at a small intimate venue. Would definitely see them again when they come around.
Peacorn99
Such a fun show and such awesome guys! First of all the fact that they came BACK to CO because of the snow storm stopping a lot of fans last time, and gave back free tickets for the event was a kind move on their behalf. This was my first time seeing them live but I have been listening to them since high school. Next time they come to CO you can bet that I will be there!!
fawxxy
Motion City Soundtrack puts on a very fun show! I had a blast.
The opening bands were both really good, which isn't always the case for this kind of music.
Almost everyone was singing along with almost every song. Plus, they ended the show with The Future Freaks me out, of course, so they went out with a bang.
madeleinebrown27
Awesome show! They had a great mix of songs from all of their albums, and played a lot of old favorites! The songs off the new record are awesome, but sound even better live. Motion city soundtrack always puts on a kick-ass show!
zarinsm03
Brilliant live band and a great venue.
They played the whole 'commit this to memory' album and more.
Would recommend Motion City Soundtrack to any fan of the power pop, pop/punk genre.
Fulham_Adam
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