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.
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 .
Since our friends on Myspace are so important to us and we appreciate
all of you, we want to give you a chance to show off your favorite
non-human friend!!! We will be starting an album in our pics section
just for our friends... If you want to add your favorite picture of you
and yours, please email the picture to
AnimalRightsCoalition@gmail.com... We don't want to miss any emails, so
please put "Myspace Pics" in the subject line and please include your
myspace url so we can tag you from our page...
If you aren't
interested in having your picture on our page, but have a story you
want to share with us please feel free to post it in our blog or comment section...
We would love to hear it...
We have a very diverse group of
friends and we appreciate and welcome everyone, and strongly encourage
those of you that are not in our area to seek out an organization in
your area... It is amazing what a difference one person can make...
Thanks to all of our friends for showing us your support!!!!
Well, if you're not busy Saturday June 20th, stop by The Fine Line and check out our show for "Far From Falling" 's ablum release! 18+ and Starts at 8. And we'll be starting our midwest tour next month and We hope you can make it to the shows in the area! Check the page for tour dates, the venues are still being confirmed but just continue checking back! And we've undergone some member changes and have officially changed our name to "Machine 22". There's a new myspace being made, which will consist of the same tunes, but we will be re-recording those tunes very soon! Keep in touch! Peace. -Devin of Machine 22
Hello! We're opening for the Meat Puppets! Clink the link below to
purchase tickets. All ages show. Everyone is welcome. There is a very
limited number of tickets. Hurry! Thanks.
Shwassup?? Devin, drummer o' SPIES here. Saw you were located in the area so I'm stoppin by to let you know that we will be playing at The 400 Bar on Friday, May 22nd. 18+ show, Doors open at 8, music starts at 9, SPIES is third to play and the cost is $8 at the door. The show features the bands "Ralphed," "Wasted Audio," "SPIES," and "Josh Hoaby Band." Clear your schedule and stop by for a gnarly show! Hope to see you there. Peace. -Devin of SPIES.
Hi Wes, you guys sound great! Where was that gig we did with Dylan Hicks? Somewhere in Illinois, I think. It was a fun night, I remember. Yeah, let's team up for some shows in the future. -Steve / Dolly Varden
there seems to be an unending supply of brilliant local minneapolis bands. i learn something new every day. thanks for listening and thanks for the add!
