The somewhat-crazed five piece indie/rock/what the heck genre is this? band Motion City Soundtrack formed in 1997 in Minneapolis , Minnesota . The two original members, Justin Pierre(vocals and guitar) and Josh Cain(backing vocals, guitar) started out MCS with hopes of finding the perfect line up, ended up in 2002 with three new members- Jesse Johnson(synthesizer, keyboard), Matthew Taylor(bass, piano, backing vocals), and Tony Thaxton(drums). Their three biggest and best-selling releases were Commit To This Memory(2004), Even if it Kills Me(2007), and My Dinosaur Life(2010). They are signed to Columbia , after being on Epitaph and Modern Radio.
Basement shows with Fall Out Boy and The All-American Rejects gained them a fanbase about big enough to actually fill a basement. When signed to Epitaph, they toured and played 320 shows, and after Mark Hoppus of Blink- 182 being fond of MCS’ infectious beats and witty lyrics, he invited them to tour with Blink. Playing a significant amount of shows, they developed a fond liking of Japan and did multiple world wide tours.
They have said to be influenced by the musical styling’s of Braid, The Rentals, Elvis Costello, and even Ben Folds. Many say that they’re too diverse to fit in any one genre, but mostly are recognized as more pop and punk. The majority of the lyrics are written by singer Justin Pierre. In 2007, Pierre said that the third album was written completely sober, after he had battled drugs and alcohol for years. He wrote it with people he knew, close friends and family, and reflected on that accomplishment in the song “Even if it Kills Me”
On January 1st, 2009, Thaxton broke his right arm, but not doing a death-defying stunt or “anything cool”. He was on the way to his car after partying with his bandmates and friends when he slipped and fell, and he immediately knew something was out of place. He was misdiagnosed at first, but it was confirmed that he had a horrible break in his arm. His worst fear? Not being able to play on their latest record, “My Dinosaur Life”. Luckily he was and they created one of their most popular CDs.
On MCS’ website, they have a blog where they all talk about little things like LOST or a show they go to or have played. It’s incredible how much they love their fans and how down-to-earth they are. You can’t sense any arrogance as you’re blasting their songs through your speakers, singing along, or even skimming through their website.
Motion City Soundtrack takes every direction that’s unexpected. For one to stand out in a sea of all the same power chords and synthesized beats, they must be different. Or in Motion City Soundtrack’s case, happily bizarre.