Motion City Soundtrack originally formed in fall of 1997 with Joshua
Cain and Justin Pierre. They played in bands (The Saddest Girl Story
and Slide Coaster) that eventually broke up and Josh then recruited
Justin. Justin was into making movies at the time but Josh convinced
him that his musical talent was worth pursuing. The band got its name
from Josh's brother Brian, who had originally intended to use it for a
shop (his brother also named their first major record,
I Am The Movie).
Motion City Soundtrack's very first lineup included Josh on bass, Joe
Skinner on guitar, and Justin singing and playing guitar. They then
enlisted Andy Whitney on drums. After a short time Joe left to pursue
other interests. Josh then switched to his current instrument, guitar,
and asked his former bandmate from Superette, Austin Lindstrom, to take
the bass position. At this point the band began writing their own songs.
Andy left the band in early 1998 and the band then asked Joel Habedank,
who played in Sadie Foster and the Fuck Yeahs, if he would like to drum
for them. With Joel aboard, the band dropped most of the material they
had done with Andy and their sound changed. They then began recording
the material that would become the
Promenade/Carolina 7" and the
Kids For America and
Back to the BeatEPs. Justin and Josh wanted a moog player, and for a time Andy Gruhn
played moog for the band, but eventually they decided they were better
off as a foursome with Justin and Josh alternating on the moog.
The band then set out on a tour and Matt Potocnik, of Sadie Foster and
Krudler, then joined to play bass. Austin had left the band because his
schedule was not as flexible, but eventually he rejoined when the band
decided that Matt was not a good fit. Joel also departed, and the band
played with a few different drummers until Sidney Burgdorf joined. The
band continued touring and recording demos.
In early 2002 MCS lost both Sidney and Austin. They needed a drummer
they asked Tony Thaxton (of Submerge) to join and eventually he
accepted the offer. MCS had met Thaxton because they played a show with
Submerge at the My House Cafe in Milton, PA and the bands became
friends. Months later Matt Taylor, also from Submerge, joined as
bassist. Jesse Johnson, who was a co-worker of Josh's at Pizza Luce in
Minneapolis, joined the band around this time and learned how to play
the moog for the band (despite having no previous experience). With
their new found stability the band toured constantly, and eventually
labels began to take notice. Brett Gurewitz in particular had a strong
interest in the band and signed them to Epitaph records in 2003. Motion
City Soundtrack then had their major label debut with
I Am The Movie on June 24, 2003.
source:motioncitymemories.com
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