Motion City Soundtrack is an American rock band from
Minneapolis, Minnesota, formed in 1997. Only two of the founding
members are still a part of the lineup, lead vocalist and guitarist
Justin Pierre and lead guitarist and backing vocalist Joshua Cain,
the band also comprises keyboardist and moog synthesist Jesse
Johnson, bassist and backing vocalist Matthew Taylor, with drummer,
percussionist and backing vocalist Tony Thaxton.
Motion City Soundtrack have released three studio albums and
sold almost 600,000 records throughout their career, including over
half a million in the United States alone.
Motion City Soundtrack's first release was a 7" single,
"Promenade/Carolina", in 1999. The following year they released
their debut EP, Kids for America, and then a second, Back to the
Beat. They released debut album I Am the Movie twice, in 2002.
Their first five releases were all self-released with the aide of a
small record label. Backed up by their constant touring it
fashioned them a fast growing fan base, and a signing with Epitaph
Records.
After spending their first five years finding the right lineup,
the Epitaph re-issue of I Am the Movie in 2003 was the band's big
break. First major single "The Future Freaks Me Out" arrived with
live and television success, but failed in radio airplay and the
charts. 2003 and 2004 brought three Split EPs alongside Schatzi,
Limbeck and Matchbook Romance. The second album, Commit This to
Memory, has been the epitome of MCS' sales to date, selling
285,000+ records and peaking at #2 on the Top Independent Albums
chart. It featured single, "Everything Is Alright", which also
found success on the likes of MTV, but also fell short in radio
airplay and the charts.
The release of Even If It Kills Me in 2007 propelled the band to
their most successful chart results. The album debuted at #16 on
the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top Independent Albums chart. It
produced singles "Broken Heart", "This Is for Real" and "It Had to
Be You", which all received television airplay.
Currently, the band is enjoying international recognition, with
strong fan bases in countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada,
Japan, and Australia.
This cache is part of a series of caches dedicated to
Minnesota Music and to the musicians who have a strong connection
to Minnesota. Collect them all!
-MN Music: Prince Chanhassen, MN
-MN Music: Soul Asylum Prior Lake,
MN
-MN Music: Husker Du Chaska, MN
-MN Music: Quiedrive Elko-New Market,
MN
-MN Music: The Replacements St. Peter,
MN
-MN Music: The Johnny Holm Band Jordan,
MN