Modern Baseball (sometimes abbreviated as MoBo) was an American

emo Emo () is a genre of rock music characterized by emotional, often confessional lyrics. It emerged as a style of hardcore punk and from the Washington, D.C., hardcore scene, where it was known as emotional hardcore or emocore. The bands ...

band from

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, consisting of Bren Lukens, Jake Ewald, Sean Huber, and Ian Farmer. The band formed in 2012 at

Drexel University Drexel University is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony Joseph Drexel, Anthony J. Drexel, a financier ...

and released their first album, ''

Sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

'', on

Lame-O Records Lame-O Records is an independent record label based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded by Eric Osman to release Modern Baseball's ''Sports'', the label has been hailed as one of Philadelphia's best indie labels. History Lame-O Records was f ...

that same year. Their following albums, ''

You're Gonna Miss It All ''You're Gonna Miss It All'' (stylized as ''"you're gonna miss it all"'') is the second studio album by American emo band Modern Baseball. Background Like their debut album ''Sports'' (2012), ''You're Gonna Miss It All'' was written while the ba ...

'' and ''

Holy Ghost Most Christian denominations believe the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, to be the third divine Person of the Trinity, a triune god manifested as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each being God. Nontrinitarian Christians, who ...

'', were released on

Run For Cover Records Run for Cover Records is an American independent record label based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 2004 by Jeff Casazza at the age of 17 with a $1,000 loan, the label functioned as a small one-person bedroom operation in Brighton, until Casa ...

in 2014 and 2016 respectively. The group announced an indefinite hiatus in 2017.

History

Early years and success (2011–2016)

Bren Lukens and Jake Ewald met in high school, when Lukens was interested in Ewald's twin sister. They ran in different friend groups, but found common ground through music. Their name was inspired by a book that Lukens and Ewald found in Ewald’s basement, titled ''Modern Baseball Strategy''. Originally from

Brunswick, Maryland Brunswick is a city in southwestern Frederick County, Maryland, Frederick County, Maryland, United States. The city is located on the north bank of the Potomac River; Loudoun County, Virginia, Loudoun County, Virginia occupies the opposite shor ...

, they relocated to Philadelphia to attend college, with Lukens at Chestnut Hill College and Ewald at

. In Philadelphia, they met fellow music lover Ian Farmer, who helped them record their first album, ''Sports'', in Drexel's recording studios. ''Sports'' was released in 2012, and soon after the group left college temporarily to pursue music as their profession. The band's first concert was in their shared house near

. The price of entry was either $3 or a picture of

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

. The house was later dubbed "The Michael Jordan House", which became a center for underground bands in the area. The music video for "The Weekend" was centered within various parts of the house, including its basement. The quartet started playing house shows around the area with bands like

The Menzingers The Menzingers are an American punk rock band from Scranton, Pennsylvania, formed in 2006. The band consists of Greg Barnett (vocals, guitar), Tom May (vocals, guitar), Eric Keen (bass) and Joe Godino (drums). To date, the band has released eigh ...

, Lee Hartney, Ted Nguyent, and Cayetana. The group's second full-length album, ''

'', was released on Run For Cover Records in 2014, reaching #97 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The group toured the United States in early 2014 with

The Wonder Years ''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super Bowl X ...

. Modern Baseball toured the United Kingdom in September 2014. The band spoke ahead of their tour explaining how they manage their busy schedules. In late 2015, the band announced plans for their third album that would be released in 2016 through

, titled ''

''. On February 25, 2016, the band announced that the album would be released on May 13, 2016 via Run For Cover and on Big Scary Monsters in the UK and Europe. ''Holy Ghost'' was produced by Joe Reinhart at Headroom Studios in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. In May 2016, Modern Baseball embarked on The Holy Ghost Tour with Thin Lips and Joyce Manor. In fall 2016, Modern Baseball supported Brand New on tour along with

The Front Bottoms The Front Bottoms are an American rock band from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, formed in 2006. They are currently a duo consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Brian Sella and drummer Mat Uychich. During live performances, they are currently ac ...

Hiatus (2017)

In January 2017, Bren Lukens released a statement saying they would not be joining the band on their upcoming Europe/UK tour, instead opting to stay at home to focus on their mental and physical well-being. In February 2017, the band announced that they would be canceling their US tour and taking a break to help protect their mental health and friendships. The group played no shows in the spring of 2017, during which Ewald and Farmer worked on producing Ewald's project

Slaughter Beach, Dog Slaughter Beach, Dog is an indie rock band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, formed by former Modern Baseball co-lead vocalist Jake Ewald in 2014. Initially starting as one of Ewald's solo projects during his tenure with Modern Baseball, the gr ...

, and Lukens and Huber worked on solo material.Jake Ewald On His New Solo EP And The Future Of Modern Baseball
''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'', June 8, 2017. When interviewed in June 2017, Ewald remarked: "Let's not call it a breakup and make a huge deal about it and have a 'Last Show Ever' or anything like that. Let's just take it easy for now, and if we wake up an want to do it again, then let's do it." A few shows followed; in July 2017, Modern Baseball played a one-off show with

Daniel Johnston Daniel Dale Johnston (January 22, 1961 – September 11, 2019) was an American singer, musician and artist regarded as a significant figure in Outsider music, outsider, Lo-fi music, lo-fi, and alternative rock, alternative music scenes. Most ...

as part of his final US tour, and in October 2017, the band played three consecutive shows in their hometown of Philadelphia. In an October 2017 interview, Ewald confirmed that the band had no plans to play any more shows for the indefinite future. On June 24, 2024, following the tenth anniversary of '' You’re Gonna Miss It All'', two demo versions of the tracks “Rock Bottom” and “Pothole” were released.

Musical style

The band's debut album, ''

'', has been described as indie emo,

folk punk Folk punk (known in its early days as rogue folk) is a fusion of folk music and punk rock. It was popularized in the early 1980s by the Pogues in England, and by Violent Femmes in the United States. Folk punk achieved some mainstream success in t ...

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

and

pop punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...

. ''

'' has also been described as

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

indie folk Indie folk (also called alternative folk) is an alternative genre of music that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Characteristics The staff of '' Paste Magazine'' said in 2020: "No music genre ...

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

, pop punk,

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

, and

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

. ''

'' was described as emo and indie rock.

Members

* Bren Lukens – guitar, lead vocals * Jake Ewald – guitar, lead vocals * Sean Huber – drums, backing vocals * Ian Farmer – bass, backing vocals

Discography

;Studio albums *''

'' (2012) *''

'' (2014) *''

'' (2016) ;Compilation albums * ''Techniques'' (2014) ;Extended plays *''The Nameless Ranger'' (2011) *''Couples Therapy'' (2012) *''Modern Baseball / The Hundred Acre Woods Split'' (2013) *'' MoBo Presents: The Perfect Cast Featuring Modern Baseball'' (2015) *''Split 7"'' (Modern Baseball / Thin Lips / The Superweaks) (2017) ;Demos * ''Two Demos'' (2024)

Videography

References

{{Authority control Indie rock musical groups from Pennsylvania Emo musical groups from Pennsylvania Musical groups from Philadelphia Musical groups established in 2011 Run for Cover Records artists 2011 establishments in Pennsylvania Lame-O Records artists Brunswick, Maryland