Middle States

Bio:

Buy Happy Fun Party @ Itunes and CD Baby

10 HIGHEST ADD 8/6/08

5 WEEKS IN CMJ 200

CHARTING AT 36 STATIONS

PEAK AT 112 8/19/08

Middle States: With skills like this…

It’s been said that the Guided by Voices fanbase is divided into two distinct camps: lo-fi purists and those who embrace that legendary Ohio band’s forays into high fidelity with open arms.

My sensibilities fall into the latter, so I take great pleasure in announcing that Middle States’ “Happy Fun Party” is music for my people.

Just to be clear: No, this Minneapolis band isn’t one of the 12,000 Robert Pollard side projects, but, given frontman Wes Morden’s pitch-perfect approximation of his voice, it’s easy to mistake it for one.

And then there’s the rest of the Middle States, who all seem to have taken a GBV pill before hitting the studio with Tom Herbers (an occasional Low collaborator) as well.

They’re probably sick to death hearing about how close the two bands sound, but I mean it as a compliment of the highest order. When GBV was briefly signed to TVT Records in the late ’90s/early ’00s, the two albums produced during that unusual arrangement yielded some of the most irresistible compositions of the rock era — and the bulk of the “Happy Fun Party” material is just as awe-inspiring.

The album’s leadoff track, “In Charge,” and “Straight to the All or None” — which sounds like it borrows the Leslie speaker trick Kim Thayil used on Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” — are excellent examples. They’re both strong contenders for best single of 2009, but that’s not just because of the GBV parallels: Like Rich Mattson and Tony Derrick in our beloved Tisdales, Morden draws inspiration from all those classic records you’ve heard incessantly since you first started falling in love with music.

As such, the Middle States formula is all at once refreshing and timeless-sounding. This is undeniable music.

1/27/09 Mathew Perrine Duluth News Tribune

The Middle States were formed in 2002 by Wes Morden and Ben Glaros. In 2004 they released their acclaimed EP "Great Portland Street". The Middle States took some time off and their first full length, " Happy Fun Party" will be available Jan. 27, 2009.

The Middle States appear on the 2004 International Pop Overthrow compilation and the A tribute to Elliot Smith on Double D records .

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Member Since:

January 29, 2005

Members:

wes morden, ben glaros, peter fleming and craig gallas with past members randy venaas, mark herr, taras ostrushko, jeff yun, deric jackson

Influences:

beatles, stones, who, kinks, zeppelin, floyd, guided by voices, elliot smith, the sweet, dr.dog, david bowie, white stripes, psychedelic furs, Echo and the Bunnymen XTC, REM, ELO, BOC, CTA, NSA, TIA, U2, the dirty 3, the 4 tops, the dave clark 5, ---the 88, the pernice brothers, the cure, van morrison, jimi hendrix, nick cave, wilco, the pixies, johnny cash, bob mould, talk talk, buck owens.

Sounds Like:

The reviews mention Big Star, Guided by Voices, Mathew Sweet, and the Replacements. We don't sound like them; other comparisons Teenage Fanclub, Fleshtones, Plimsouls, The Only Ones, The Who!? Chesterfield Kings, Tom Petty, Graham Parker, Nirvana; one even recalled all the Minneapolis bands he could and compared us to Honeydogs, Jayhawks, Replacements, and Soul Asylum. We sound like the Middle States.

Record Label:

Effen

Label Type:

Indie