On this episode of INSIDE MUSIC, host James Shotwell calls Brendan Lukens to discuss the new Modern Baseball album, Holy Ghost. James believes the record to be one of the best albums of the year, and he tries to tell Brendan this without coming across like a total fanboy. Afterwards, the two discuss the origins of the album, the themes found on the record, and a lot stuff related to how a life in music impacts relationships and your connection to the world around you. There is also talk of the new Broken Beak record, which Brendan also plays a part in, as well as some discussion about comic book movies. It’s a big talk, but a good one. Enjoy!
The music you hear in this episode is pulled from Holy Ghost, which is available right now on Bandcamp. What are you waiting for? Buy it.
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If you’re anything like me, you probably started the day by recognizing that the start of a new work week had indeed arrived and then immediately began shaking your fists at the sky in anger. Monday is rarely anyone’s favorite day, and from what I have seen firsthand it feels safe to say it’s the one day of the week some people outright hate. I guess to them the arrival of the work week symbolizes the end of their quote/unquote freedom, and as a result they head into the office/factory/restaurant/store with a negative outlook already on their mind. This leads to bad attitudes, which only makes the experience of being at work worse, and for some reason it also seems to make time slow to a crawl. We’re not about that life, and we hope this post can do the same you that the song contained within it did for us.
Two things that no one I know can shake are the fear of death and the fear of the unknown. Some try to drown these demons in alcohol or religion, maybe even both, but we all end up spending countless nights looking at our ceilings trying to answer the one question that plagues us all: Why? Why are we here? Why are we born if our only option from there is to die? Why do we love? Why do we believe we have any say in how others live or love? Why do they believe they have a say in what happens to us? We all struggle with these questions and we rarely, if ever, discuss our personal journeys as they relate to these topics with one another. The reason for this is not due to a lack of concern, but rather an abundance of fear. We may claim to seek ‘the’ answers,’ but all we really want are ‘our answers,’ and we worry someone else may come across a truth that forces us to spiral even further away from the inner peace we seek.
Enter Holy Ghost. The third full-length recording from Philadelphia alternative rock favorites Modern Baseball, Holy Ghost is a condensed indie punk infused ode to the philosophical questions that plague all humans and the way those struggles reveal themselves in our everyday lives. From battles with depression and the feeling you will never be able to free yourself from the anger you feel inside, to stories of love stretched between state lines and the terror you feel when you realize you have to say goodbye, there is a song for everyone’s current place in life strewn somewhere amongst this twenty-eight minute record.
Now, before you going believing this record is the ultimate downer because it ruminates on tough topics, just know this is a record still born from the same creative minds that gave us Sports and You’re Gonna Miss It All. Modern Baseball know that before they can tackle tough subjects they first have to pull you in with catchy melodies and original ideas, both of which are abundant throughout Holy Ghost. This is not a pivot in the band’s approach to songwriting as much as it is a great leap in the evolutionary sequence. Rather than releasing an album that felt like the next logical progression the band has jumped ahead three spaces, and in doing so put themselves in a position to explore several new ideas without having to completely abandon the sonic foundation they established on previous releases. It’s quite a feat, and it’s executed well.
When listening to Holy Ghost it’s incredibly hard not to compare the band’s progress as musicians to your own development as a person. Many people fell in love with Modern Baseball because of their unabashed approach to sharing deeply personal moments and thoughts through music, many of which aligned with feeling or experiences that everyone encounters as they begin to reach adulthood. Their journey mirror our journey as listeners, and it continued again with You’re Gonna Miss It All. Songs like “Graduation Day” addressed the sweet taste of nostalgia and how it offers an escape from the present whether or not you actually need it. The album also addressed the challenges of adulthood, and how chasing your dreams often requires a personal sacrifice in the form of relationships or your general interconnectivity to the world you’ve known for the majority of your life. Holy Ghost takes things even further, as we all must do eventually, by putting down a metaphorical foot and proclaiming that our fate is in our hands.
Maybe there is a God, or maybe there is not. I don’t know and neither do you, nor do the members of Modern Baseball. In a way, it doesn’t matter where you stand because at the end of the day you have to save yourself from whatever it is that keeps you up at night. You can pray to the heavens or beg to the world around you until your throat is too sore to speak, but the decision of whether or not to continue living is yours and yours alone. The only thing that is certain is what you are experiencing right now, and sometimes that truth may be too much to bare – but Holy Ghost hopes to convey that we are all stronger than the sum of our opposition. We can be and do whatever we want, as long as we put our minds to it. That doesn’t mean the road ahead will be easy. In fact, it almost certainly will get harder from here, but as long as you have hope and faith in yourself there is a way through it.
James Shotwell is the Digital Marketing Manager for Haulix and host of the Inside Music Podcast. He is also the Film Editor for Substream Magazine. When not working, James can be found in Minneapolis with his two fat cats, Paws Von Trier and Chub E. Chubs, watching old police procedurals and eating copious amounts of popcorn. You should follow him on Twitter.
The last several years have seen a surge in the amount of music documentaries being produced like no other point in cinematic history. The vast majority of these stories have covered artists and groups that are now dead or otherwise inactive, but there is no rule that says those histories are the only ones that should be told. There are amazing tales of creativity, community, and innovation happening right now in music that have gone largely untold, but a new short film from pop-punk heroes Modern Baseball has given us hope for the future. Check it out:
Pretty great, right? Whether you knew of Modern Baseball before watching the clip or not doesn’t matter because, by the end, we’re all feeling the same rush of emotions. Tripping In The Dark perfectly summarizes a still young band’s journey to this point, as well as their aspirations for the future, without once getting lost in any form of predictable storytelling. From the animated introduction, to the heartbreaking reveals of personal turmoil that ultimately inspired the group’s upcoming album, every moment gives you something special to remember moving forward. Like the best sermons do for your relationship with the unknown, Tripping In The Dark leaves you feeling closer to the band than ever before, and you’ll be a better fan moving forward because of it.
While watching Tripping In The Dark it’s hard to fathom why more bands do not attempt similar short films. Even as a longtime supporter of Modern Baseball who has covered the band and their history at length I walked away from Tripping In The Dark believing myself to now know the group and their work in a whole new way. Considering the fact the band’s music reads like journal entries, this is quite an accomplishment, and that it leaves you aching to learn what will happen next speaks to the power of the visual medium more than the power of the group’s music. In fact, Tripping In The Dark rarely uses the group’s music at all, and I would wager that is because director Kyle Thrash understands that he doesn’t need it. Fans know that part of Modern Baseball’s story, and they’re already sold on listening to more, so why not use this piece of promotional fodder to show them something else?
You may not have the video skills of Kyle Thrash or know someone who does, but you do have access to cameras and a story that is unique to you, which honestly is all you need to make a compelling documentary. Your fans want to know more, and this method of storytelling allows you to please that desire while also creating a new way for people to discover your talent. I can guarantee there will be people who see Tripping In The Dark that have never heard a single Modern Baseball song before, and with the right marketing efforts the same could be said for the documentary you are (hopefully) now wanting to create. In a time where there is more competition for the attention of music fans than ever before, short documentaries provide a platform for self-expression and engagement that did not exist for most artists even a decade ago. Take advantage of that fact and capture your journey as it occurs. Dig deep, be honest, and when the time is right share your truth with the world.
Modern Baseball will release their new album, Holy Ghost, on May 13. Pre-order are available now and moving fast.
