Photos by Andy Argyrakis

In 2021, veteran indie rockers Modest Mouse swung for the fences with the grandly-produced project, “The Golden Casket,” lining up a direct support slot for Foo Fighters at Lollapalooza and looping around again to headline the Aragon Ballroom. 

Less than a year later, the guys switched gears all together to revisit its seminal underground album, “The Lonesome Crowded West,” in honor of its 25th anniversary when the band was at the cusp of breaking on a national level. 

With that in mind, Modest Mouse returned to its local Riviera Theatre roots and joined 93XRT’s Holiday Jam Series, which also includes alternative folk act Caamp at the Vic Theatre on December 13. 

In any case, it provided a rare chance for the group to exclusively dig back to the days before striking radio riches with “Float On,” “Ocean Breathes Salty” and Dashboard” to tap into rag tag ethos of raucous musicians charting a brave course of self-discovery.

Anchored by original vocalist/guitarist Isaac Brock and drummer Jeremiah Green, Modest Mouse uncovered everything from the aggressively building epics “Teeth Like God’s Shoeshine,” “Cowboy Dan,” “Trailer Trash” and “Truckers Atlas,” to the raw, understated by comparison “Jesus Christ Was An Only Child” and “Bankrupt On Selling.”

The adventurous “Styrofoam Boots/It’s All Nice On Ice, Alright” closed out the sprawling, 15-track main event, but there was more to come from the surrounding era after a slightly long encore break.

Perhaps a bit of the delay stemmed from the fact that no two shows are ever exactly the same and it may have taken a minute to decide on The Flaming Lips’ “Five Stop Mother Superior Rain,” along with “End The Sad Parts” and “Night On The Sun,” which continued in the developmental but no less essential theme to the evening.

If anything, the exercise proved that Modest Mouse is still committed to its early and increasingly regarded catalogue, despite reaching colossal commercial heights, never forgetting the dedicated fans who were there from the very beginning.

For additional information on Modest Mouse, visit ModestMouse.com.

For a list of upcoming Jam Productions shows, visit JamUSA.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Riviera Theatre include The Disco Biscuits (Dec. 29-31); Big Head Todd And The Monsters (Jan. 21); Alter Bridge (Feb. 18); Cory Wong (Mar. 3); International Anime Music Festival (Mar. 4); Weyes Blood (Mar. 11); Bryce Vine (Mar. 12); STS9 (Mar. 17-18); Betty Who (Mar. 21); Inhaler (Mar. 24); Molchat Doma (Mar. 30) and Snarky Puppy (Mar. 31). For additional details, visit JamUSA.com/Riviera-Theatre.

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