MODOC

"MODOC is hip-shaking, energetic, twisted Rock & Roll! They've got swagger, they've got songs, they've got style, and they've got substance." - Brendan Benson

"MODOC is fresh and unique - true Rock 'n Roll coming from Nashville." - Grammy award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz

"MODOC is another great example of quality rock coming from Nashville. Definitely a band to pay close attention to." - Mark Mason, BMI Executive Director, Writer/Publisher Relations

"Nashville has a lot to offer these days, not the least of which is MODOC. The best no-frills rock 'n' roll to emerge from [Nashville] in years." - Noise Trade -

Local Spotlight: MODOC

If you’re wondering what the sound of “New Nashville” is, listen to the rockin’ tunes of local band, MODOC. Formed at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, the band moved to Nashville post-college where they’ve cultivated a fresh sound with melodic rock rhythms. ” Since their debut, self-titled album release in August 2013, MODOC has been hard at work in the studio on their second album with Brendan Benson of the Raconteurs. Vance Powell who has previously worked with other Nashville-based rock groups such as Kings of Leon and The White Stripes is mixing their upcoming single set to come out soon. Be sure to check MODOC out at Tennessee Brew Works this Saturday, June 6, for their second annual Block Party, where there will be live music, food and beer!


Why did you decide to move to Nashville after college?

We’re Midwest kids so New York City and L.A. seemed a little far I guess.

We moved here when band pages were becoming really popular, so finally people started to come on the Internet and find bands that they really loved. Every other band that we found that we started getting into and we really loved, they were all in Nashville.

And a lot of them weren’t big bands at the time. We were really into early Kings of Leon stuff, but then they weren’t anything really. They were here before people knew they were here.


What is your favorite part about Nashville so far after living here?

There’s shit to do. You know it’s not flat as a board. There’s scenery and nightlife.

How would you describe your sound to the listeners?

We like rock n’ roll, so that’s what we’re passionate about. Having fun and playing loud music. Our sound is a mash up of so many influences. It’s really hard to say what our sound is. It’s going to forever move forward. I think we’re always getting better, and it’s going to forever change. The heart of it is just rock n’ roll. It’s a highly melody base rock n rock that’s played probably ten times louder than it needs to be.If you’re wondering what the sound of “New Nashville” is, listen to the rockin’ tunes of local band, MODOC. Formed at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, the band moved to Nashville post-college where they’ve cultivated a fresh sound with melodic rock rhythms. Since their debut, self-titled album release in August 2013, MODOC has been hard at work in the studio on their second album with Brendan Benson of the Raconteurs. Vance Powell who has previously worked with other Nashville-based rock groups such as Kings of Leon and The White Stripes is mixing their upcoming single set to come out soon. Be sure to check MODOC out at Tennessee Brew Works this Saturday, June 6, for their second annual Block Party, where there will be live music, food and beer!

You’re playing at Tennessee Brew Works this Saturday for their 2nd annual block party sponsored by Lightning 100. Have you played at Brew Works before/what can fans look forward to for the show?

I heard really good things about last year. They can expect a really high-energy show with good beer.

Your last album was released almost 2 years ago; give us a little insight as to what you’ve been up to since then.

We’re in the studio literally today. We’ve been in the studio all week. So right now we’re recording our next release and quickly approaching being done with tracking. We’re doing it with Brendan Bensen in his studio.

What has it been like being in the studio with Brendan Benson of the Raconteaurs?

It’s amazing. Early on we couldn’t believe we’re working with someone we’ve been listening to for so long. He’s become a really good friend and a trusted partner. It’s been more fun than we expected.

Usually when you work with a producer you envy them for the people they have worked with. It’s not very often that you get to work with somebody where you’re envious of what that person themself has done. The coolest thing about it is not working with the guy who worked with the guy, but actually working with the man himself.



What can you tell us about your upcoming single mixed by Vance Powell?

We’re definitely excited. It’s moving forward in a completely new way for us. It’s definitely different. It’s pretty straightforward rock n roll. It’s all really cohesive—you can’t bank on hearing the same thing twice in a row. The whole thing just constantly evolves throughout the entire song from beginning to end, and I think that’s just what the entire experience has been with Benson so far. It’s definitely not boring!

What advice can you give to young bands in Nashville who are trying to make it in town?

If you are going to move here, especially now that everybody else is moving here, plan on staying. It’s a career. I think too many people come down and think they want to get signed and do all these big things, and it’s possible. Chances are it’s going to take time though. It’s a matter of staying at it.

Stay true to who you want to be as a band. I think we’ve been pretty consistent on sticking to our guns. We’ve been called everything from contrived to amazing, so we’re just going to do what we do.

It benefitted us to move here because the music industry is impeccable. The people we meet in the industry are the people you want to stick around for a while, because you’re going to need them. It’s important to be friends with other bands and people like that.

What is the end-all-be-all for you? Why are you doing this?

We just love playing music. Our plan is to do it as a career. If we make a million bucks, great, but if not we’re still going to be playing music and have fun doing it. Hopefully somebody else can get something out of what we’re doing. I think the future is very bright for this group.

By MEGHAN LITTLE - Lightning 100

There’s a long line to get into Nashville, Tennessee. Clint Culberson said his band arrived before most of the others started chasing the metaphorical gold rush, the allure of success and opportunity in the city’s music scene.

And it’s not the same as it was eight, maybe nine years ago when they first set up in Mercy Lounge — at least not to him.

They’ve mined success despite the oversaturation existing in a place home to countless performers trying to make it big.

His band has one record out and an EP on the way.

Culberson has come a long way from Modoc, 
Indiana.

“I think it’s funny how it’s evolved,” Culberson said. “There for a while we played more of a loud, just straight rock ‘n’ roll kind of a vibe. We’ve evolved into being a little bit more fluent as far as which instruments we choose to put on the record and whatnot.”

Culberson is the lead singer of Modoc, an alternative rock band he helped form at Ball State University in 2005 with some of his friends attending the school.

At 9 p.m. Thursday, they will be opening for Goodbye June at the Bluebird 
Nightclub.

“We’ve played Bloomington a handful of times. I just don’t think we’ve played the right place,” Culberson said. “The Bluebird has been one of those places that we’ve tried to get on board with, but for whatever reason it never really worked out. We’re excited to play there.”

Culberson said the last trip the group made to Bloomington ended in a bit of a misunderstanding with the staff at the bar where they were scheduled to be playing.

He said they were booked as a rock band but were asked to turn down their amps.

The amps went to 10, and Modoc played until they were asked to leave the venue.

“I’m sure we were probably loud enough that somebody next door could hear us, but I think everybody was into it and I don’t think they were happy we had to stop,” Culberson said. “I think that we were a little bit more rowdy then.”

In the time that’s passed since that trip, the band has signed with Nashville-based Zavitson Music Group and released a self-titled album. They’ve also played at SXSW and the Austin City Limits Music Festival and were featured as the Fox Sports band of the month in December 2013.

“That was pretty cool — being sandwiched between Pearl Jam one month and Bruce Springsteen the next for all Fox Sports programming,” Culberson said. “If you watch football in the month of November, you probably saw it. You just didn’t know.”

Culberson said those who did recognize them have treated the band well. He said he thinks he’s met most all of the 4,200 fans the group has online and an understanding exists between the band and the crowds, which allows Modoc to do something special each time he performs.

“I think our fans are pretty different in the fact that we can be honest with them and say, ‘I’m singing this song for myself, and I’m glad that you like it,’” Culberson said. “And they’re like ‘Yeah, we like it,’ or ‘We don’t,’ and that’s OK either way.”

He’d like to see the group nominated for a Grammy, though he’s not quite sure how much a nomination really means.

He’d like to be the band that’s in everyone’s face, the band that’s widely considered as one of the best in the country, maybe even the world.

But if not, that’s OK, too. He said while they’re never going to stop chasing that dream, at the end of the day, they’re all still kids who want to make their parents proud and never stop playing music.

“There’s so many more things we want to accomplish,” Culberson said. “But really all we want is to do this for the next 30 years as a career.” - Indiana Daily Student

Brooklyn, NY — Nashville, Tennessee rock and rollers MODOC will perform at Brooklyn’s The Rock Shop on August 12, 2015 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $7-$10 and the show is open to ages 21 and older.

MODOC is comprised of Clint Culberson, Kyle Addison, and John Carlson. The trio formed MODOC in college with the intent of creating original, authentic rock and roll music inspired by guitar-driven riffs and aggressive arrangements that channel both traditional and current rock and roll artists. The band relocated to Nashville in 2008, taking advantage of the emerging non-country scene in Music City.

Widely recognized for their energy on stage, MODOC is well suited for venues like The Rock Shop.

“We’ve spent the last half of the summer playing small venues and festivals outside the Southeast,” said Culberson. “We really enjoy getting up close and personal with crowds in a live setting and we’re very much looking forward to being back in the New York area. I’m not sure that there is another place in the country that appreciates Rock and Roll the way they do in Brooklyn.”

MODOC’s recent studio work with The Raconteur’s front man Brendan Benson infuses a gritty rock and roll sound with an energetic and progressive stage presence. The band’s uninhibited style and skilled musicianship have earned them a larger than life reputation that has brought them in front of sold out crowds at Austin City Limits, Loufest, MidPoint Music Fest and a thousand venues in between. - Brokelyn

There is an ever-expanding space within Nashville and our hearts for venerable rock music, the kind with a strong backbone to support unbridled guitar riffs rooted in the blues-schools of Zeppelin, with churning bass lines and vocals that cut through straight to the gut of primitive emotion.

MODOC is the most recent band to make it onto our radar of local rock n’ roll. Originally from Muncie, Indiana, the four-member group consists of Clint Culberson, Kyle Addison, Caleb Crockett, and Johnny Carlson. Since moving to Nashville, they’ve jumped headfirst into the abyss of the city’s bourgeoning rock scene, with a candid, straight-forward confidence necessary to stand out. The band has released two albums, “Fortune & Fame” and the self-titled “MODOC,” both of which showcase their talent as a formidable powerhouse in the genre of grit, force, and soul. MODOC’s music translates easily to a live setting, instilled with an urgent passion for making relatable, emotionally-charged songs.

MODOC is relentless in their pursuit to revive the raw spirit of rock n’ roll, writing and performing music that is direct in in force and extrinsic passion. Their self-titled album is full of salient, compelling appeals to that old-time authenticity, the kind of rock that refuses to skirt around the thrust of the unconstrained. MODOC isn’t trying to break the ground running with lyrical metaphor. They’re keeping it simple, honest, and earnest. In this sense, the sincerity of their rock spirits reaches greater heights; the passages are underscored by a rumbling and percussive sound, successfully avoiding the edges of either cliche or pretension. They’ve succeeded in combining emotion with structure, electric introspection with a radio-sensibility. “Runnin'” is a perfectly crafted pop-rock song. It begins with the fervent cycle of a guitar riff, progressing steadily into the weighty soprano of vocalist Clint Culberson. MODOC keeps their crescendos forceful but slightly underdone, practicing the art of anticipation. Their music presents an amalgamation of palpable emotions, steering itself into corporeal reaction. They encompass the essence of true rock. - Lockeland Springsteen

Emerging bands and seasoned music industry professionals arrived in Milwaukee this weekend for the third annual Yellow Phone Music Conference, a boutique Midwestern variation of the must-attend music industry networking event South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.

A few highlights:

Lessons learned: By day Friday and Saturday, panels at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, featuring band managers, talent bookers, publicists, entertainment lawyers, reps from Virgin Records and Elektra Records, and locals like Radio Milwaukee program director Mark Keefe, offered some blunt, beneficial advice — often to rooms overfilled with attendees hoping to make some money, and maybe even a career, in music. A few takeaways for musicians: develop an interesting story to stand out to media, save money by building a local and regional audience first before trekking out on national tours, don't treat your social media channels as a one-way promotional tool, and establish concrete goals with a detailed, six-month strategy.

O Canada: Despite its small scale, Yellow Phone was, technically speaking, an international event. Through a partnership with Canadian music marketing company Audio Blood, approximately 20 Canadians were on hand to participate in panel discussions and network, with five Canadian acts — the Noble Thiefs, Mise en Scene, Deanna Devore, Poor Young Things and the Balconies — performing at the free evening showcases.

So why come all this way? "We do all the big events like South by Southwest," said Tim Jones, a Yellow Phone panelist and co-founder of Canadian indie label Pipe & Hat. "They'll have thousands of shows. You have to fight to get people out to see your band. Yellow Phone has 40 shows, and most of the people I've talked to have said they're coming to see my band. I'd love it if there were more of these everywhere."

Pingpong and power pop: Yellow Phone hosted 32 free band performances at four bars along Water St. prompting an interesting side effect: there were people there who knew nothing about Yellow Phone. That was clearly the case Friday night at table tennis bar SPiN Milwaukee during Chicago band Ryan Powers & the Secret Weapons' set. Powers' power pop band wasn't all that potent, but it provided a live soundtrack for some parties of pingpong players working on their backhand.

Band on the street: The space at Fire on Water was so tiny, Detroit-based pop punk band Kaleido couldn't even fit the whole band on the stage. The solution? Bass player Cody Morales, 27, rocked out by himself on Water St., just outside the front window. "You've got a breeze, you've got some people," Morales said. "It's like I'm busking here, but with a band."

Testing one, two: "Sing a song already," a patron rudely barked at Nashville-based Modoc at the Milwaukee Ale House Friday night. The comment made frontman Clint Culberson visually nervous, as did no doubt the awkward, never-ending sound of "check, check, check" coming from the musicians as they tried to get past spotty sound problems. But by the time Culberson did sing a song already, Modoc sparked a little dance party with its King-of-Leon-like blues rock, with ladies hoisting beer, a gray-bearded gent in a "Northern Exposure" shirt getting down and another guy in a blazer leaping across the dance floor like a delusional ballerina.



Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/entertainment/musicandnightlife/rockers-mingle-with-industry-professionals-at-music-conference-b9990841z1-222833291.html#ixzz2i6ELnhdx
Follow us: @NewsHub on Twitter - Tap Milwaukee

Nashville based alternative rock band, MODOC, released their new self-titled album on August 27th. There is nothing better than a little mix of rock and blues, and MODOC has created the perfect recipe for just that. Needless to say, by listening to not even a full song you will be able to tell that they posses extreme talent. Check out the stories behind three of their songs off of their new album below, and if you haven’t heard or picked up a copy of their new album, you can do both here.

“Coward”
This song came together musically in about 20 minutes. Caleb came in with a bass line and it kicked off from there. I just started playing that chime-y E chord in rhythm with his line, and John came in with the drums. It was as if the melody was already in my head, so it came out rather easily. The breakdown kind of came about because we felt like we wanted to cut loose somewhere along the way – so we did, and we decided to keep it. Then Kyle did his thing, piecing in the right melody for lead parts, which meant we had everything but a few lyrics. At the time we were writing this, I was feeling pretty betrayed by a particular person, so what better way to get back at them by calling them a coward loud enough for everyone in the world to hear? Although as time went on, and the lyrics were crafting themselves, in many ways I felt like the “coward” here was actually me…

“Runnin’”
We never set out to write in any particular style or genre. But when we’re writing, it usually has to come together fairly organically, or we’re just going to move on to something else. Nothing is forced. “Runnin’” is another one of those songs that came together quickly. I started out messing around with a god-awful amount of reverb and playing that little arpeggio at the intro. The song was constructed in a matter of minutes. I struggled with the lyrics for a while due to the fact that I didn’t want it to sound too mainstream. But that’s what was coming out of me at the time- fortunately, I roped in John to help me just in the nick of time! We cut it the next day.

“Devil On My Shoulder”
We had just finished writing our self-released album, Fortune and Fame, and we were still in the vein of that Southern Gothic-gang vocal sound. John had this song pretty well mapped out, and I had a pretty good idea for the chorus. So we brought in producer Paul Moak here in Nashville to finish and record it. Once we had those verses worked out, the rest was pretty easy. This song was another joint effort, stemming from an initial idea of that age-old allure of selling your soul for riches, or success, or whatever. We knew we wanted it to stay dark lyrically, as the music was pretty dark already. It wound up landing in a spot on ABC’s “666 Park Avenue” series, so I guess the darkness didn’t hurt anything!
* Photo by KT Wolf - Highlight Magazine

“I define great music as music that has any kind of soul at all. People aren’t stupid—the audience can tell if they’re listening to something that somebody really cared about,” says MODOC drummer John Carlson. “The music that we make is a piece of art to us.”

And it’s obvious that this band has soul. MODOC’s songs are intricately woven with fascinating melodies, solid bass lines, lyrics that are easily relatable, and of course, guitarist and lead singer Clint Culberson’s honeyed howl. As a bonus, there are these random, mind-blowing guitar riffs that make listeners bob their heads appreciatively, such as those in their popular song, “Coward.”

“We’re not convinced that we have to stay in one box. We can kind of venture. We can do whatever we want, and when a song needs a certain thing, we’re not afraid to do it. I think that our ability to do many melodies within a song and different movements sets us aside,” says Culberson.

He adds, “Our inspiration was mostly loud rock ‘n’ roll like Zeppelin, The Stones, and The Beatles, too…we were definitely influenced by the clichéd ‘70s bands. We were finding out what was cool growing up, and I think that’s what turned us on to music.”

Perhaps they were influenced by classic rock, but they are far from the typical rock sound. Culberson describes the band as more modernized classic rock, similar in a way to Kings of Leon and the Black Keys. But maybe it’s just a Nashville sound.

While Nashville isn’t exactly known for producing rock bands, in the past few years, that’s exactly what seems to be happening. Paramore, The Black Keys and Kings of Leon are all Nashville natives. Now, one more Nashville band is rising through the ranks and making their mark as well. MODOC has been playing together for years, and originally got their start in Indiana (Culberson lived in Modoc, Indiana, where the band’s moniker comes from), but now call Nashville home. Though MODOC isn’t yet a household name, they are unquestionably on their way there.

“We started out working really, really hard and gaining traction slowly but surely,” says Carlson. “Right now our goal is to reach as many people as possible.”

Since ABC picked up their song “Devil on my Shoulder” for the series 666 Park Avenue, Modoc has been able to do just that. But touring the country and playing in festivals such as LouFest will help them even more, as will their newest record.

The band’s latest album was released August 27, 2013. Carlson says of the album, “It’s not necessarily the happiest record in the world, but it’s also nice and chimey and fun to listen to…it’s not that it’s a downer record, but it’s not about sunshine and rainbows. It’s about everyday drag.”

In order to get a little more familiar with this up and coming band, Culberson suggests LouFest attendees listen to their songs “Coward,” “Devil on my Shoulder,” and “Runnin’,” the last of which can be found on MODOC’s Facebook page.

Modoc play the BMI Stage at 1:45 p.m. on Saturday, September 7. For more info, visit our LouFest Guide, or go to loufest.com. - St. Louis Magazine

Nashville by way of Muncie, Indiana band MODOC has built up a small but loyal following during the past few years. The upcoming release of their latest, self-titled album, out August 27, brought the band back to Indy for a CD release show at Radio Radio. Showcasing a mixture of tunes old and new, the four-piece delivered a set with a high level of urgency that never let up.
Though the band has been playing around Indiana for several years, this was my first chance to see them live. The time dedicated to building their sound was well spent. MODOC doesn’t traffic in anything new, but their brand of high energy rock will never go out of style. And, damn, were they tight. Lead singer/guitarist Clint Culberson employs a raspy tenor that swells and wails with the best rock vocalists. Lead guitarist Kyle Addison gives the band it’s punch, while rhythm section Caleb Crockett and John Carlson round out the band’s full sound.

What makes MODOC’s songs stand out is their ability to cut away the filler that can bloat tracks. In this way, they’re similar to New Jersey’s Gaslight Anthem. Cuts like Running, Coward, and No Use have defined melodies and hooks that lodge in your brain, but the guitars still crunch and pummel for that visceral effect. Also like Gaslight Anthem, they understand the value of creating songs that are passionate and earnest.

Though I was impressed upon hearing an early stream of the new record, live the songs really came alive. Culberson’s vocals were even more wrenching, the harmonies were more immediate, and Addison’s guitar work ripped through the ether like a knife. Coupled with a passionate audience — at least up front where I was — that embraced the raw energy, and you had a sweaty, bad-ass rock ‘n’ roll night.
My advice: Get the new record and go see MODOC live. Either way, you’ll feel alive. - Indy Rock Live

MODOC has seen their fortunes rise after moving from Indiana to Nashville a couple of years ago. While most of the Hard Rock scene has faded, they have had a chance to write with Rich Robinson of The Black Crowes and had their song, “Devil On My Shoulder” featured in the promo for last year’s TV show, 666 Park Avenue.

Clint Culberson took some time to relate on the benefits of being part of the Nashville music community and what has turned MODOC from one of the members of the local scene into current real Rock, no-frills torchbearers on the verge of something even bigger.

Brad Hardisty / The Nashville Bridge: Are you in Nashville right now?

Clint Culberson, Lead Singer, Guitarist, Songwriter- MODOC: Yeah, we are home. We are leaving on Thursday for Alabama.

TNB: Where do you play in Alabama, I think I saw Tuscaloosa?

CC: Yeah, we are in Tuscaloosa and then we are heading to Arkansas for a couple of days.

TNB: Then you are back here on the 18th?

CC: Yes. We are back here in town on the 18th and then Bowling Green the 19th, I think.

TNB: You guys have a good wheel going on (around Nashville)?

CC: We are trying for sure. We’ve got some good guys working for us.

TNB: As far as MODOC, the first time I saw you was during the last good Next Big Nashville Conference a couple of years ago at The 5 Spot. How long had you been in town?

CC: I think we were here for a little while. We had probably been in town for a year. We really changed when Caleb, our original bass player, came down from Indiana and we took it a little more seriously once he got down here. We said we really want to do this for a living and go after it.

TNB: So Caleb is actually your original bass player?


Clint Culberson, Modoc, photo – Salomon Davis / Solo Photography
CC: Yes, he was the original bass player and he had decided he was going to stay back home for a girl and not move down here. We were not really sure where we were at as a band at that point. We had a guy step in for a little bit and we are still really good friends with him but, he was…you know, we kind of had to come to a mutual agreement. I hate to say it wasn’t mutual but, he wasn’t going to quit so we had to do one of those things that is never easy to do.

TNB: I would say that is definitely some strong bass that Caleb is playing on the album. I listened to the video you guys have up the other day recorded at Smoakstack. Is that where you did the new album?

CC: No, we just did a couple of live videos in there and what-not to have. This new album we did on our own, so, we recorded that record everywhere. We went from my garage to living rooms to bedrooms, kitchens where ever we could find good sound.

TNB: Is MODOC situated in East Nashville?

CC: Two of us are in East Nashville and two of us are in West Nashville.

TNB: So you are kind of involved on both sides of Nashville.

CC: Yeah. We cover the whole market.

TNB: So how do you like Nashville after being transplants, like everybody else, I should say.

CC: I feel like we have become, you know, part of this town. It is home for us. We have met a lot of people, so that’s a little more exciting than the hills of Indiana. I think I would say I’m probably the most country out of all of us. I feel like I’ve probably picked up the accent more than anybody. I don’t mind it.

TNB: Are you the main lyricist or does the band work together?

CC: Mainly, I do most of the lyrics and writing on that side of things. But, the guys always have something. John comes to me most of the time, out of the three of them, with lyrics and what-not. You know, there are some songs that I’m kind of strugglin’ and not sure where to go with this and we will sit down and figure it out and it seems well and it makes sense. It is still coming from an honest direction, I guess.

TNB: Well, I love MODOC’s sound but, for me that’s the core. I have always liked bands that have come out of here [the south] like The Black Crowes, but also some of the newer bands like American Minor that was around a couple of years ago also American Bang which used to be Bang Bang Bang.

CC: Oh yeah.

TNB: Do you guys feel like you are getting really good local support? Are you getting radio support?

CC: Yeah we are getting a little bit from Lightning 100 but also, lately; The Buzz has really been supporting us a lot actually. They were playing us before we even knew it. They were super into it, so, it is really awesome to know that they were picking it up before we even talked to them about what else we could do with them. We are really excited that local stations are willing to put us out there and help support what we are doing.

TNB: Do you see any core areas in the Country that are starting to come back or come up with the real Hard Rock thing?

CC: I think it comes and goes, I think a lot of people get excited for a bit and I feel like even though we have only been here for a few years, I feel l - The Nashville Bridge

Four-piece Nashville resident rockers MODOC bring a huge sound laden with heavy, catchy riffs and tight vocal harmonies. They’ve exploded on the local and national music scene, garnering buzz from appearances at festivals like SXSW, and praise from notable producers and musicians, including Grammy-winning rock producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, Rush, Queens of the Stone Age). After the jump, we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away for MODOC’s CD release show this Friday night at Mercy Lounge, where they will be joined by local law-abiding citizens Blackfoot Gypsies and pop/rockers Goodbye June.


MODOC

One thing that takes a rock band from “good” to “great” is the ability to switch tempos and add unexpected changes into their music without falling apart and losing the feel of the song. MODOC, in my opinion, falls into the “great” category, because they not only embody the aforementioned quality in their music, but they make it look easy. Check out their video below to get down to overdriven guitar, a chunky, fuzzy bassline holding down the groove, and powerful drum fills which lead to an explosive, catchy chorus in “Devil on My Shoulder,” which was featured on ABC’s 666 Park Avenue last fall. - No Country For New Nashville

Two weeks from today, rising Nashville rock band, MODOC, will release their self-titled new album. Lucky for you, ROUGH TRACK was graciously invited to MODOC’s pre-release show at Mercy Lounge, August 9th and had a chance to sit down with the band and chat about the new album as well as round up a couple copies before it’s even officially released!

WHAT MODOC HAD TO SAY
Who Is MODOC?

Clint Culberson (vocals/guitar), Kyle Addison (lead guitars/vocals), Caleb Crocket (bass/vocals), and John Carlson (drums/vocals).

What was your inspiration for this album?

“Well, we want to play music for a living so that was a big one…I would say just a lot of it pertains to everyday life as what we see it being on the road. Loss of love or loss of anyting for that matter. It’s not necesarrily all about struggle but I think a lot of it pertains to those two things. How to get by and keep going.”

What makes this album different from the last album?

“It sounds better and I think we played better. I think production wise we were a little more mature on this one. It wasn’t so much about seeing how much crap we could cram into a track (which has its own place in music). I think as we’ve written a lot more songs we started focusing more on the song itself and a little bit less on layering up as many tracks as we can to make it sound huge. This is probably a little bit more honest.”

Where did you guys get your name from?

“We actually had a show before we had a band name. It ended up we were all around a couch trying to decide what to call this thing. Coming up with terrible names. Somehow we picked probably the worst one but it was the last town I lived in prior to moving and meeting these guys. We were just going for anything at that point and its just kinda stuck.

What are your plans for Fall and promoting the record?

“We are playing are balls off just to get out there in front of people. I think that is a large part of what we do to get people turned on to music…get us in front of them and try to win them over that way. We will be firing on all cylinders as far as marketing goes.”

Are you going out on tour this Fall?

“That is definitely the plan! I know we are going to be doing about seven weeks straight of being gone a lot. We’ve got a lot of work cut out for us for sure. We’ll be playing a bunch of festivals and I’m sure some smoky bars for a little bit.”

What has been your ROUGHEST moment so far?

“Probably firing our old bass player. He still is a dear friend of ours but that was a pretty rough little closing of one door and opening of another one. That was kinda the renaissance of MODOC.

Other rough points have been breaking down or f*cking you know, rolling in someplace wondering if you’re actually gonna get there and when you get there the water pump is f*cked and then you get a flat tire and you have no air conditioning and its f*cking hot and you’re waiting in a Jiffy Lube somewhere. That’s probably a story that a lot of bands could tell you about. I mean we haven’t had any super dramatic drastic circumstances.”

We drove through a blizzard to Kansas City to play a show and once we got there they cancelled the show and thats a long haul. That was the first stop of the tour. That was definitey a ROUGH TRACK but it wound up being a fun story to tell. All of the people that owned the bar and all of their friends and stuff ended up getting snowed in there so we played a long show for a bunch of people and everybody jammed. We got f*cked up for free and everyone was happy.

That was a ROUGH TRACK too but nobody’s died yet or anything crazy which you know isn’t unheard of when traveling for a living. I thought I was though when we were in sleeping bags and it was 20 below in a Walmart parking lot.

I had to punch a dude in the throat back in Wisconsin. That was kind of ROUGH. There were so many people and this f*cker wanted to get through this crowd so bad he was swinging his arms just pushing people out of the way. I probably made the mistake of not moving. His left hand got caught in the right hand side of my sweatshirt and spun me around. The only way I felt like I could get him off me or out of my pocket was to punch him in the throat. That didn’t really feel that bad though that felt good. That’s rock and roll baby.”

How do you go about picking the songs for the record?

“It’s definitely democracy. We kinda voted on which songs we wanted to make it and what songs we didn’t want on there. There were some songs that some of us wanted on there that didn’t make it but I think we chose from like 25 or so. This is sort of a special circumstance because it’s really our first official release. So between a bunch of songs we’ve been writing and stuff that we’ve been playing for a little while that our fans have already been exposed to, it was really a matter of what was our artistic statement gonna be but at the same time what can we put out that’s gonna have the best fightin - Rough Track

In the midst of a full-on rock revival, Nashville, Tennessee’s MODOC has established itself as one of the most irresistibly and undeniably fearless new acts to emerge from Music City, USA. Having turned out two blistering, full-length albums of potent, unvarnished rock in little less than 18 months, the hard-hitting four-piece is turning heads and earning favor with many of the city’s industry heavyweights, not to mention fans. Managers, producers, publishers – even network television – have taken notice of one of the smartest, most original sounds to come out of Nashville in a long time.

"We've been building up our fanbase for the last couple of years now, bit by bit. This past year we've finally got to a point where we're filling the rooms. Getting up on stage and knowing that these people who work all week long to earn a dollar are willing to give it up to enjoy our rock and roll definitely makes us proud."

popVLTR: You've been making moves in Nashville, how'd you get into music? MODOC: Clint Culberson: I guess like most musicians, we got into music through our family and friends' catalogs before we knew how to play. Ever since we heard that early rock and roll, though, we've been insatiably devouring whatever we could get our hands/ears on. Hearing the legends like Zeppelin, the Beatles, the Stones, along with a lot of what we grew up with on MTV in the '90s more than likely helped us decide we wanted to pick up an instrument.

popVLTR: Congrats on 'Runnin', who are some of your influences? MODOC: Thanks! I'd say our influences go further than just the great music we started out trying to emulate. I think it's that whole thing about needing to be understood and heard that remains our main influence and motivation to stay innovative with what we do. It's also probably safe to say that no great musician (or anyone that is successful, for that matter) has gone too long without some sort of adversity. So, adversity and struggle would probably be two of our main influences.

popVLTR: What are some of your proudest moments in music? MODOC: We've been building up our fanbase for the last couple of years now, bit by bit. This past year we've finally got to a point where we're filling the rooms. Getting up on stage and knowing that these people who work all week long to earn a dollar are willing to give it up to enjoy our rock and roll definitely makes us proud. The fact that we give them a way to feel any kind of release -- that will always be our greatest accomplishment. We've gotten to play quite a few great festivals this year, too (Loufest, Midpoint Music Festival, Summerfest, SXSW, etc). We love playing in front of those massive festival crowds.

popVLTR: What cool stuff is on the horizon for MODOC? MODOC: We just released our new self-titled album in late August, so we have some things on the radar with satellite radio and other promotion. We've been getting steady rotation on some rock stations as well. We're looking forward to doing a DayTrotter session in November, and we're in the middle of booking our first European tour for next Spring. Germany's Songpickr chose one of the cuts off our new record - "No Use" - for its 2013 Best Songs playlist. Apparently it generated more than 10,000+ plays in September for just that song, so we're pretty excited about getting overseas!
- PopVulture Entertainment

This morning, June 19, Rymeaux PR issued a press release announcing Summerfest's up-and-coming rock act, Modoc, to perform on Sunday, June 30. Modoc is a rock band from Nashville coming from Austin's South by Southwest Festival to play Summerfest's U.S. Cellular Connection Stage at 4 p.m. on Sunday evening.

Modoc has a guitar-driven sound inspired by the likes of Led Zeppelin, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, My Moaning Jacket, and the Black Keys. The four-piece rock band is preparing for their official label release, anticipated for August, 2013. Although Modoc has been keeping busy performing in Indianapolis' Fountain Square Music Festival (July 4), Nashville's Nashville Dancin' concert series (July 25), and St. Louis' Loufest (Sept. 7) they have been finishing up their new album between tour dates.

Modoc first made Nashville headlines in 2012 with their full-length indie album release, "Fortune & Fame". The album caught several producers' attention, as well as that of many new fans. Grammy award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Alice in Chains, Queens of the Stone Age) is mastering Modoc's upcoming album release and says,

Modoc is fresh and unique... true rock n' roll coming from Nashville.
Other such praises come from producer Marshall Altman (Marc Broussard, Tom Morello), who states that Modoc is, "definitely on the rise and poised to be a break-out band." BMI's Mark Mason agrees that Modoc is

Another great example of quality rock coming from Nashville. Definitely a band to pay close attention to."
After the release of "Fame & Fortune", Modoc's unreleased track, "Devil on my Shoulder", landed in ABC's "666 Park Avenue" promos. This increased attention to their work in Nashville and led to writing sessions with Black Crowes guitarist/producer, Rich Robinson.

Modoc quickly built a reputation for their prolific writing and recording abilities, having completed two full-length albums in less than ten months. The band recently signed to Nashville-based Zavitson Music Group and will include several of those tracks on their 2013 debut ZMG release, as well as new material written this year. Upcoming shows such as Summerfest are sure to include songs from all three projects.
- The Examiner

Modoc w/ Shelby County Sinners, Verdant Vera
Fri. 02/08 | 9:00PM @ Radio Radio (map) I LIKE IT
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EVENT DETAILS
Modoc’s latest and first full-length release, Fortune and Fame, was a leap of faith that resulted in their most honest and creative work to date. Inspired by the high times and hardships of life on the road, songs like “Dead in the Morning”, “Penance” and title track “Fortune and Fame”
shaped the record into an unexpected ode to life’s everyday struggles. Modoc found that their music was taking on a new voice during the making of their latest record. Songs like “No Use” and “Hard Times” dig deep into the sounds of southern soul, where gang vocals carry the songs into a genre of their own.
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Fortune and Fame was a follow up to Modoc’s first
serious release, Passive/Aggressive. Although Modoc has clearly evolved since they first dove into the Nashville scene, the two records both share an aggressive style of guitar- driven rock n roll and the band’s need to be loud. Since their earliest days of summoning cops with noise complaints to their practices, members Clint Culberson, Kyle Addison, Caleb Crockett and John Carlson have always cherished doing one thing above all else, and that is playing live shows and mastering the art of “wowing” audiences. The band will tour in support of their latest record but expect more music soon. Passive/Aggressive and Fortune and Fame are just
the beginning of what Modoc has to say. http://www.modocmusic.com/ - www.do317.com

IN CULTURE, MUSIC / BY BECKY ROBINSON / ON JUNE 5, 2013 AT 12:00 AM /
Modoc, a Nashville, Tenn., rock band, will be playing at Green Bar Thursdayat 9 p.m.
The band originally started in small-town Modoc, Ill., before moving to Nashville, Tenn., to jump-start their music careers. Since then, Modoc has released one album, “Fortune & Fame,” with another set for release this August.
Eric Hurt, Modoc’s manager, has been working with the band for almost a year.
“Actually, I saw those guys play at South by Southwest a couple of years ago,” Hurt said. “Me and a friend just walked into a club, and [Modoc] got up on the stage – the club was packed out – and they just absolutely killed me. I thought they were fantastic.”
Although Modoc played shows at festivals throughout the U.S., its big break came when its unreleased song “Devil On My Shoulder” was featured in a promo for the ABC television show program “666 Park Avenue,”.
“Originally, I was working on music for the movie ‘Twilight’ over at Universal, and I was sending songs to the music supervisor who worked on the film,” Hurt said.
While the song was not used for “Twilight,” it was picked up for “666 Park Avenue.”
Clint Culberson, lead singer of Modoc, said hearing the band’s music on television was a humbling experience.
“To hear your own voice through the television is a little strange,” Culberson said. “For me it was pretty humbling to be a part of a commercial. Being able to play music, you kind of feel like you’re cheating somebody. It’s hard work, but it’s a lot of fun.”
Culberson said Modoc’s music is inspired by classics like the Beatles and Led Zeppelin but also newer artists such as the Black Keys and Kings of Leon. Hurt described the band’s sound as “indie rock with an edge.”
Hurt said the band decided to visit Tuscaloosa because of the importance to cover all cities within the Southeastern region.
“Some of [touring] is really trial and error,” Hurt said. “It kind of starts off by wanting to build a buzz and a following in the region.”
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Hurt said if the city responds well, the band will plan future gigs. If not, the city is “struck from the list.”
“We’ve come across a lot of what people would think to be random cities, but a lot of ‘random cities’ are the ones where we have the most fun,” Culberson said. “We’ve found a lot of the times the small towns are the most surprising in people that really get where we’re coming from, and we get where they’re coming from. There’s a lot more to America than just the big cities.”
Modoc will be playing Summer Fest in Milwaukee, Wis., June 30 and LouFest in St. Louis, Mo., which is put on by the same group that produces Lollapalooza.
For more information on Modoc and its tour dates, visit its Facebook page or ModocMusic.com - The Crimson White

By Micah Smith
Wednesday, June 5, 2013 5:49 p.m. CDT
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The members of Indiana-bred rock-and-roll crew Modoc have certainly been industrious with their time. In the past year, the band released its first full- length album "Fortune & Fame" and played at South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas. The band's song "Devil on My Shoulder" was also featured in the promo for "666 Park Avenue," ABC's cancelled drama about a hell- spawn high-rise.
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Yet despite all the independent success the bandmates have enjoyed and built upon over the years, Nashville's Zavitson Music Group still managed to snatch them up in late February. For lead singer Clint Culberson, the decision
?to sign to a label came about from a sense of compatibility and comfort with the staff at ZMG.
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"I think it's interesting with ZMG," Culberson says. "I suppose they said, 'These guys are already making records on their own,' and they genuinely believed in us. Having them behind us offers freedom in music, but also mentally, so we can concentrate on the performance and creative aspects.
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"With the label—and it isn't like this for most people—there aren't too many cooks in the kitchen. We lucked out a lot at being able to say 'no.'"
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Culberson and his Modoc cohorts met with ZMG through their current manager Eric Hurt, who happened across the band at a performance. As the singer put it: "It's that whole cliche story that sounds fake, but he (came) up to us after the performance and said, 'I want to support you guys.' He wanted nothing in return. We've honestly been like a big family ever since."
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That "big family" developed over the course of decades. Though they say their first official meeting happened in college, the bandmates brushed shoulders all through their childhoods, with some members attending the same church or playing tee-ball together. Culberson, on the other hand, grew up just a few miles away from his future friends near Muncie, Ind., in a little town called Modoc, with only 36 students in his graduating class.
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"When I started college, I was doing this acoustic folk stuff at the time," Culberson says. "There was this guy in Florida who wanted me to come down there and said, 'I'm going to make you famous, and you're going places.' I was cautious about it. I said to our guitarist Kyle (Addison), who was my roommate, 'If this turns out to be a bust, we're starting a rock 'n' roll band.'"
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Shortly after Culberson returned from Florida, gears began to turn, beginning with their soon-to-be drummer John Carlson moving in with Culberson and Addison. The line-up rounded out with the addition of bassist Caleb Crockett, whom the friends thought played bass guitar purely because he owned one.
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"It was so perfect, because we all became such close friends, and that's how it started," Culberson says. "They're all just creative and great musicians. We can be super honest with each other about the music or anything, which causes problems sometimes, but in the end, we're all better for it."
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Even prior to signing to a label, the band was in a state of evolution, as they discovered what made the group unique and effective. "I used to think it was the vocals that made us stand out, and in a way, that's still true, but I think the anthem-singing has come into style," Culberson says. "I feel like playing rock 'n' roll, and being genuine about it, isn't as common anymore."
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Culberson says Modoc considers itself, more than anything, a performance band, and the members most look forward to their involvement with music festivals throughout this summer, including the massive Milwaukee Summerfest and St. Louis' fledgling Loufest, where Modoc will play alongside rock contemporaries The Killers, Wilco, Alabama Shakes and The National.
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"We're definitely a live band at heart, so we get pumped about playing bigger gigs and reaching bigger audiences,"
Culberson says.
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Modoc will perform at Hal & Mal's (200 S. Commerce St., 601-948-0888), its first performance in Mississippi, on Saturday, June 8 at 9 p.m. Find the band on Facebook for more information. - Jackson Free Press

By Chelsea Brasted, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on June 03, 2013 at 12:55 PM, updated June 03, 2013 at 1:41 PM
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?Nashville based-rockers Modoc are used to working hard, so a summer tour series with many out-and-back trips is no sweat for the group. Having released two full length albums in a 10 month span last year, Modoc is set to tour and they return to Baton Rouge to play Chelsea's Cafe on June 7.
"We've kind of realized if you're not moving forwards, you're moving backwards," said Clint Culberson, vocalist and guitarist with Modoc. "We stay busy, and staying busy has made people realize we're doing it for real and we take it very seriously."
Culberson aptly describes the band's sound as "somewhere between Kings of Leon and the Black Keys," and most of Modoc's musical influences come from classic 1960s and 1970s rock and roll.
Culberson shares vocal duties with all three other band members: guitarist Kyle Addison, bassist Caleb Crockett and drummer John Carlson. The foursome met while students at Ball State University, but moved to Nashville in the efforts to put Modoc on the map.
Following the release of their sophomore effort, "Fortune & Fame," one of Modoc's unreleased tracks could be heard alongside ABC's "666 Park Avenue."
"It really helped our credibility," Culberson said. "It's interesting how people can view you as a band, then all of a sudden you have something on TV and (it's like) 'Oh, this band is for real.'"
The track, "Devil on my Shoulder," landed the TV spot thanks to an opportunity aided by the band's recent signing to the Zavitson Music Group.
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Culberson said that unlike a traditional label, Zavitson allows Modoc complete musical control but helps with management, public relations, distribution and booking.
"It's a label without having to deal with the negative side of it, of people owning you," Culberson said. "It's not the be all, end all, which is kind of a dream come true, in a way."
Modoc returns to Baton Rouge with a show at Chelsea's Cafe on Friday, June 7 at 10:30 p.m. with Telegraph Salesmen and Circa Amore. - www.nola.com

Follow the link. - You Oughta Know

Modoc: Fortune & Fame
By Jessica Pace April 22nd, 2012 at 11:24 am


Modoc
Fortune & Fame
Rating:

Modoc moved to Nashville from Modoc, Indiana in 2007 with a homespun record under their belts and a lot of steel in their boots; within a year, they released Passive Aggressive, a twangy little five-track charged with Kings of Leon, Zeppelin, Queen and Heartbreakers-like swagger, and its hardened backbone is what kept them from falling entirely into step in the long Americana line.

Fortune & Fame, released late last year with the band’s original bass player, is thick, metallic and partially about life on the road, marrying the love of untethered paragons of hard rock, blues howlers, Deep South soul and Traveling Wilbury romps.

Lyrical grace drives against instrumental recklessness like on “Mother Mary,” on which frontman Clint Culberson implores for a prayer to be said for him. His howl-at-the-moon lilt haunts and enlivens the rugged soundscape, embittered by guitar parts that leave jagged, bluesy trenches in their wake (“Giving In,” “When Ya Coming Home”).

On the slow burner “All is Fair,” the melody boils quietly before erupting in Zeppelin fashion: “Cause my boots/Babe, they’ve got the worn out blues/Been chasing you around for miles/I don’t really see the use/And your rules/Who gives a fuck about rules/Cause you went and broke them all/You give love away for free.”

“Toughin up my heart, my hide/And I won’t let on there’s much inside/Til the moss it grows and I hide my face/And if that don’t work I’ll change my name” opens up “Coward,” whose looser, brighter rhythm lightens the record’s weight, which gets heavy with ghostly vocal harmonies outfitted in a miserable southern soul, like on the title track and opener “Dead In The Morning.”

Modoc clearly comes from an Indiana town; Fortune & Fame has the Midwestern twang and old country sentiment rooted in Passive Aggressive, but it’s also steeped heavily in murky blues and soul, and sung in a voice that sounds simultaneously frustrated with, and romanced by, everything that comes with being out on the road. - American Songwriter

The opening guitar attack of Modoc’s new album, Automatic + Voluntary, wakes you up like a splash of ice cold water – sounding like Mission Of Burma, then spinning into a perfectly executed glam-styled chorus. So that bodes well for the sophomore effort for this band who originally hail from Muncie, Indiana but have since relocated to Nashville. Catchy, taut, driving and powerful – there’s very little room to catch your breath; this is all a very good thing. What’s more is that this full-bodied aural assault is coming from a three-piece, but they make it sound fuller and fatter. Chops, well-crafted songs and harmonies are certainly the order of the day here.

As I said, the first warning shots come straight from “Black Eyed Lover”, which is an inspired choice for the album opener; “Kids On The Run” starts off with a descending guitar figure which sounds oddly like The Beau Brummels’ “They’ll Make You Cry” but then picks up intensity and throttle and “Always The Same”, while a slightly slower tempo is tense and crisp and uses a very subtle and tasteful synthesizer “wave” underneath the guitars. “Told You So” is about as perfect a power-pop track, styled in the ’70’s, complete with roller-rink organ, a memorable riff and handclaps and “Out Of The Blue” is a percussion-fueled magnum opus with some stellar backing harmonies.

Ten songs that will keep you paying attention and then playing on “repeat”. Yes, this album should be automatic and voluntary – voluntarily listened to over and over again.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - Popdose