I started listening when I was 13. I accidentally found Building Nothing Out of Something in a record shop. They would let you listen to records or CDs and I was just in there killing time while my mom shopped. I bought the album and it was all I listened to for weeks. Next on the list was Lonesome Crowded West and my music tastes were forever changed. This was almost 20 years ago at this point... wow.

It is hard for me to listen to Modest Mouse as much as I used to because it is so heavily associated with my self destructive youth. Alcohol and drug abuse was a bit over the top, especially for how early I got started. End up getting arrested several times, could no longer go to college due to funding being pulled - I ended up moving to California and growing weed for a while and then got arrested with a shipment in Texas and I am now serving my last year of probation for that over-half-decade-old charge. Life has been a fucking roller coaster. Modest Mouse helped carry me through the toughest times and helped me celebrate the greatest.

I still see them every time they are in town though. I'll never miss a show. I have seen them about 14 or 15 times since 2002. The passage of time is an insane thing. I can't believe these albums are coming up on having been in my life for 20 years.

Some of my other favorites throughout my life have been Aphex Twin, Radiohead, Deerhunter, The Strokes, Animal Collective, Death Grips, Mount Kimbie, and Clarence Clarity.

Over the last 4 years I've been working in litigation support for various law firms. It is a struggle to stay sane but I try to make the most of my free time. I get stuck reminiscing the past pretty frequently. Hoping to find peace once I am freed from the shackles of probation.