Modico

"Modico, Latin for ordinary or insignificant, is anything but. "The name came to us by accident," says bassist John Cope, "because I mispronounced the word 'medico', which we were throwing around as a possible name. We don't see this as pure accident anymore, the name carries a lot of weight for us because it keeps things in perspective." Modico, though in league with soundscapes of shoegaze, diverges from that genre's drool brooding with a classic bohemian ethos that believes seemingly insignificant acts of love can truly rock the earth. "It's more than just making music for music's sake," says Cope. "We want to send out a message that there's hope, small things can change the world, and normal people can do it." Since forming in [2003], the unsigned Texas foursome has created wondrously atmospheric rock songs bursting with uplifting lyrics. After relocating to Norman, Oklahoma--"it has the potential to be the next Athens or Chapel Hill,"--and self-releasing two EPs, Modico now plans to release their first proper album in early 2008. They've received local accolades, being [nominated] Best Rock Band in the Fort Worth Weekly, and have proved their salt in national contests, including having their song "Apocalypse (A Picture Perfect Ending)" selected by Samsung in their Fresh Sounds contest. Chalk it up to their musical talent or positive outlook, but either way, Modico is headed for anything but a modico future."

-Lisa Hresko
CMJ New Music Report
Issue NO. 1031
10-22-07 - CMJ

The four young men from Fort Worth that comprise Modico have come together to join their collective musical enthusiasm into a mix of emotional lyrics and attitude. Flashy solos and showboating were kept to a minimum as the foursome committed to infusing themselves into their instruments. This was a refreshing surprise as many young local bands of any substance seem weighed down (if not drowning) in the stylistic posturing they see in magazines and on television.
Modico looks like they may be coming out with something fresh and entirely their own. There's a lot of talent here and I hope they will continue down the road they've begun.

-- Jason M, SAMPLE Press - SAMPLE Press

Modico

I'd been meaning to catch this young newly-moved-to-Norman band for quite a while, but hadn't heard any huge buzz so I wasn't expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised.

From the energy of their first song, in which lead singer Thomas Ketchersid proclaimed "This day is mine!" the band had my attention.

Flavorings of influences as far-ranging as the Perishers, Franz Ferdinand, Smashing Pumpkins, Lou Reed, even Mudhoney all were brought to my mind by their all-over-the-map style that was a little more substantial than Top-40 radio and a lot more entertaining than the self-important posing that seems to be threaded throughout YouTube.

As for their closing song "Harry Houdini," I can't describe it accurately enough except to say its slow, acoustic-like build doesn't end up where you think it will. - Norman Transcript

No, I’m not sure what it means, either…This song took me a few listens to really “get.” That’s usually the mark of a great song, in my experience. The melodic guitar and drum intro, through the new-wavey vocals, into the powerful chorus keeps my interest listen after listen. i continue to hear new and musical things within the song itself. Listen to how the second guitar line accents the chord changes in the verse after the first chorus without being just another strummy chord-fest. These guys have got it going on. Give them a chance, even if you don’t like it at first. - http://insomniaradionetwork.com

Now I’ve been listening to Modico since before I even knew DFW had a good scene, and watching them grow up from a sort of obscure stoner rock vibe to the progressive power house they’ve become today is a real pleasure indeed. Their upcoming self-titled EP CD (because you have to separate it from a 7-inch) is a fine sampling of this maturation.

After dropping the practically useless keyboard player (brief stint, never recorded with the band) Modico is much tighter than before, shifting a lot of the singing over from Cole to Thomas, which adds a new flavor to the vocals which is that much more digestible and pop oriented. Both of them still bear the singing and their combined guitar work is still a fantastic blend of epic and hard rock riffs, providing an aggressive but not offensive style which defines the band. Still spectacular, and even more so than before is Toby’s drumming, which together with the bass lines of the always sexy John Cope forms the backbone upon which Modico builds its sonic landscapes (ew–that phrase sounds so Rolling Stone like–).


The new EP hits the ground running with “Hills” which is a very catchy up tempo song that borrows from dance rock beats that could easily come from the UK. Everything, even the production on the vocals and the steady rhythmic piano coupled with Toby’s handy work really just make this a fun track that is a great introduction for what is about to follow.

Now “Dead Decoy Days” here’s where the word progressive starts getting thrown around. Post-rock gurus Explosions in the Sky are blatantly an influence on this track. The guitar work is very reminiscent of anything off The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place however Modico, not being an instrumental post-rock band provides enough hard rock influence and a reasonable song length for anyone to enjoy this song. They bring the intellectual art-house stylings of post rock and prog rock, and mix it with more familiar elements, almost like a starters guide to crazy music.

“Hope Over Hate” tops out as Modico’s longest song, only five minutes and four seconds, pretty good for skating the boundaries of music that can reach up to the 30 minute thresh hold. The tom drum action in this song is so great; it’s like a much darker version of The Kings of Leon song “The Bucket.” The song crescendos into an all out rock explosion by the end that almost feels like the song is broken up into mini-movements, no doubt another post-rock influence.

Modico is delivering a kind of music that most people have never heard of, or care to never hear of and packaging it into a deceptively attractive hard rock persona. This introduction of post rock elements with pop rock elements allows a descriptor like progressive to be significantly more acceptable when used for Modico. They are progressive, pushing forward a style of music that beforehand was inaccessible to most of the population.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Modico is a group of pioneers and in a few years I’m going to be talking about how the popular kids need to remember their roots in Modico, just like how I complain about emo kids never knowing who Rites of Springwere.

Go check them out, visit their website at www.modicomusic.com. - http://www.texasgigs.com

“Clap your hands say yeah for Fort Worth rock band Modico, picked by Verizon Wireless and MySpace as one of 15 semifinalists for a contest titled "Calling All Bands." Now usually, I don't write about battle-of-the-bands competitions, because I don't think talent should be judged by how many friends and family members you have who can operate computer and phone machinery. But once I heard Modico's stuff on their MySpace site ( www.myspace.com/modico), I realized Verizon may actually be on to something.
sounds more like Interpol than Godspeed: their songs are murky and surreal but still melodic and accessible.”
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram

“For Fort Worth, Texas-based quartet Modico, tonight's performance has been a long time coming.
After playing in the oversaturated, sometimes socially-driven music scene of Dallas, Modico is ready for a change of pace.
With Cope already living in Norman, Modico's other members, Toby Rozell, Cole Watkins and Thomas Ketchersid, are planning to relocate here by fall, establishing a new base.
“There seems to be a lot of depressing music in the world today, people playing on the emotions of sadness and hopelessness,” Ketchersid said. “We're trying to offer an alternative to that. Our music is really triumphant.”
That's not to say that the band performs lighthearted pop songs either. All of Modico's songs explore serious themes ranging from personal struggle to social corruption, but always with that underlying tone of optimism.
It is the band's layered sound — hard rock riffs complemented by melodic instrumentation, Ketchersid's aggressive singing juxtaposed against Watkins' soft, “spacey-sounding" vocals — that lends its hand to this dichotomy.
- Oklahoma Daily