Modest Mouse and Morning Teleportation played a benefit concert on July 23rd at Brooklyn’s Williamsburg Waterfront. This ticketed event, along with additional shows by Grizzly Bear, Faith No More, and Weezer, all helped to support numerous free concerts taking place this summer.
Morning Teleportation are signed to indie label Glacial Pace, started by Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock in 2005. Billed as a psychedelic-electro-rock band, these guys have been playing with Modest Mouse on their 2010 national summer tour.
As the sun set over the East River and MT took the stage, there were calls overheard from the crowd, such as “go back to Wisconsin” (they are actually from Portland, OR). It was probably due to the fact that they could have come straight from the set of “That 70’s Show.” After the first song, someone yelled out “who are you?” Tiger, MT’s lead singer and guitarist, was quick to respond with a humble, “we’re Morning Teleportation.” Whereby the crowd erupted and you could sense a change in winning them over.
I had never seen Morning Teleportation live, and I was just as amazed as the rest of the crowd. They had so much energy. The music had a funk influence, with heavy bass guitar and bass drum hammering the back beat. Throw in some great riffs on keys, especially during the song “Just a Figment,” and people were jumping up and down to the music. There was also a trumpet, a saxophone at times, and vocals through a talk box. For a band of five, these guys had a lot of sounds coming from the stage.
After the show I had brief words with Tiger and the bassist Paul, who were both clearly in a daze from playing in front of thousands of New Yorkers, while overlooking the city at sunset. I asked Tiger about the view from the stage, and he just flashed a big smile.
Unfortunately, the Modest Mouse set which followed, was cut short because of a serious lightning storm with whisperings of tornado warnings. Really, tornado warnings in Brooklyn? The venue is right on the water, and the organizers of the event were concerned for everyone’s safety. Modest Mouse was able to play for about forty minutes before their set ended, and they rocked the house for all their fans.
Since the show was rained out, the band has re-scheduled to play the Williamsburg Waterfront once again on September 14th. Tickets can be exchanged at any Ticketmaster location, and for all of you who missed them on July 23rd, you’ll have one more chance.
