Modern Skirts

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Modern Skirts. Brantley, Glidewell, Swint, and Gulley
Modern Skirts. Brantley, Glidewell, Swint, and Gulley

Modern Skirts is an alternative pop band based in Athens, GA. The band consists of four members: Jay Gulley (guitar and vocals), JoJo Glidewell (guitar, piano, and vocals), Phillip Brantley (bass, guitar, and vocals) and John Swint (drums).

Contents

[edit] Formation and First Album

Formed in early 2004, the band quickly gained popularity and notoriety in the Athens music scene thanks largely to the buzz created by their high-energy live shows in the Athens area, mostly at the world-famous 40 Watt Club. August of 2005 saw the independent release of their debut album, titled Catalogue of Generous Men. The album quickly became a standard in Athens, and won the band the first of several Athens Music Awards. The album has been praised in various media outlets, most notably in Paste Magazine and on National Public Radio. The vocal harmonies and subtle melancholy in songs like Pasadena and Sugarpile have helped to secure the groups success in Athens and around the Southeast.[1] Modern Skirts prominent use of the piano derives from the significant influences of groups such as The Beach Boys, and their flexible use of song structure centers around catchy melodies and memorable hooks, similar to those used in Brit-Pop and by The Velvet Underground.

[edit] Current Plans

The band has spent the last two years touring intensively up and down the East Coast and across the South. The group spent the last few months recording tracks for a sophomore album, planned for release in August 2008. They enjoyed a successful mini tour in England in the fall of 2007 where they were filmed by producers from The Tube, who became interested in the band after R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills cited Modern Skirts as his favorite Athens band in a post Hall of Fame interview early 2007. In July they will be opening up for R.E.M in Europe. They still regularly play at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, 930 in Washington DC, Mercury Lounge and Pianos in Manhattan, and hundreds of other clubs across the country. A new DVD is set to release soon with a music video for Pasadena, extras and a homemade video for My Bully. The February 2008 issue of Q magazine will have a CD with a single off their upcoming album.

[edit] Discography

  • "This Is Winning and Thinking" (EP), 2004
  • Catalogue of Generous Men, 2005
  • Athfest Compilation, 2006
  • Finest Worksongs: Athens Bands Play the Music of R.E.M, 2007
  • "Four More Years Ago" (Single), 2007

[edit] External links

[edit] References

[National Public Radio] [Paste Magazine 1] [Flagpole Magazine] [Creative Loafing]